RADIO

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20669, 6 March 1937, Page 10 (Supplement)

RADIO

ON THE BROADCAST BAND

CHURCH RELAYS Morning—lYA, St. Andrew’s, Presbyterian; 2YA, St. Andrew’s, Presbyterian; 3YA, Congregational; 4YA, St. John's, C.E. Evening—l YA, St. Matthew’s, C.E.; 2YA, Church of Christ; 3YA, St. Alban’s Methodist; 4YA, Knox Presbyterian. One of the most interesting broadcasts this week was an interview in Brisbane Hospital with one of the survivors from the wrecked airliner, and with the man who located the machine. There was a human touch about this that made it very appealing.

Australian listeners have been getting politics over the radio lately, “Yes” and “No” speakers givng advice to the electors on how to vote in a referendum on proposals to amend the Constitution. This puts a good deal of money into the pockets of the proprietors of commercial stations.

Broadcasting matters received a considerable amount of attention during Mr Savage’s visit to Southland. The Prime Minister had it brought home to him that Invercargill listeners had expected much of the new 2YA but had been disappointed—just as listeners in many other parts have been. In reply to a plea for generous treatment for 4ZP, Mr Savage said that he had asked the Treasury to advise about men to meet proprietors of B stations in connection with the Government taking these over. “So far as we can get ownership, we want it, but they will not be conscripted. We don’t wish for war with private owners, bue we must have a uniform national control of the service.”

Mr Moses, general manager of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, took a hand in the description of the final Test match. One can hardly envisage Mr Shelley broadcasting from Athletic Park when the Springboks come. But before being promoted to his present position Mr Moses was sports editor" at 2BL and 2FC, which makes it rather surprising that he has not insisted on a higher level of announcing. Some of it has been good, but much has been rather crude and biased.

The Minister of Broadcasting told a Southland audience that broadcasting was a road to peace, and that “he could conceive of no better way of ensuring peace than its use for the interchange of views among the nations.” Unfortunately radio, as it is used by Ministers of Propaganda in some European countries, is much more likely to promote international strife and warfare, and it is significant that the British Government and the 8.8. C. are taking steps to combat foreign propaganda.

The prime qualification for engagement by the Australian Broadcasting Commission appears to be a 8.8. C. accent, and it is evident that some of the men who had not cultivated this kind of "culture” in their youth are “producing" it. This “voice production" business threatens to become annoying. A play put over recently from 3YA called for a fairly large cast, but only two or three of the party spoke naturally. The rest were blatantly artificial. There are two speakers at present giving talks from YA stations who start out hi the approved 8.8. C. manner, but who are unable to sustain the part. Before getting far they lapse into their normal tones, which incidentally are more pleasing than the “produced” ones.

The Australian Broadcasting Commission has commenced, through Its shortwave station 3LR (Lyndhurst), something in the nature of an “Empire” session. It commenced with a broadcast summary of the cricket Tests for the benefit of English listeners, and soon was rewarded by a “reception mail” from New Zealand. Papua, New Guinea, India, Ceylon. Malaya and other parts of the Far East, as well as from the British Isles. Now 3LR has Instituted a Transmission No 2. designed primarily for the British Isles, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays a Transmission No 3 in French tor the benefit of listeners in New Caledonia and Noumea. The ordinary programmes are composed of excerpts from 3LO and 3AR and are radiated with an output of 1 kilowatt.

Essie Ackland, contralto, is about to commence a broadcasting tour of the Australian National stations. Other artists to visit the Commonwealth this year under engagement to the Australian Broadcasting Commission will include Bronislau Huberman, the Polish violinist, Rubinstein, Polish pianist; Lotte Lehmann, German soprano, and . . . Colin Wyatt, Swiss yodeller.

A Newcastle man who was met in the south the other day reported that 2YA gave good results in his part of Australia, and he was surprised at the comparatively poor reception experienced in parts of Otago and Southland. It is quite obvious that more than high power is needed to give land coverage, and that a station which reaches out over thousands of miles of sea often is barely heard in inland locations less than a hundred miles away.

In a recent address the Prime Minister, who is Minister for Broadcasting, said that when Professor Shelley had first unfolded his plans he had asked how his ideas would fit in with the Government’s finances. "I told him not to worry about finances. The ideal he presented would be put into operation, no matter what it cost.” Professor Shelley had said that to put his programme into operation would mean £200,000 for buildings, but, declared Mr Savage, “we don’t care what it costs so long as we can raise the standard of life in New Zealand and develop the intellectual standard of its people.” The best would be associated with the national broadcasting service, and adequate coverage and all else that was needed would be provided.

Joking is at time a hazardous pastime. The Director of Broadcasting must have been in jocular mood when he told the Librarians' Conference that he was “held responsible for 300,000 choices a year, and at the same time had to answer the correspondence

of 230,000 dissatisfied listeners.” When seen in cold print that is apt to be construed as an admission that 230,000 listeners are dissatisfied and write to say so. . If Mr Shelley really meant that he was held responsible for the arrangement of all programmes, he would display lack of business experience. He is responsible, neither more nor less, just as the general manager of railways is nominally responsible for the omissions or errors of every porter or permanent way employee. Still, he is expected to have errors rectified.