ON THE BROADCAST BAND

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21180, 29 October 1938, Page 10

ON THE BROADCAST BAND

The star turn on the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s programmes just now is the mouth-organ •'virtuoso” Larry Adler.

The fee for a listener’s license In Australia is £1 per year, not 10/- as stated by the “Radio Record.”

During the last two or three months radio telephony and telegraphy have played a prominent part in the linking together of communications between units of the Empire. Such a universal dissemination of news was not. previously possible, and even with all its imperfections shortwave can be of inestimable value in times of emergency.

In some parts of the East the call to prayer is made from loud-speakers installed at the top of the temple towers. In Prague, Czechoslovakia, the peal of belts in one church spire has been replaced by an amplifier which is linked up with a gramaphone record. Some day Big Ben may sound from a celluloid disc.

J. C. Williamson, Ltd., have withdrawn the action whereby they sought to restrain the Australian Broadcasting Commission from importing celebrity artists to appear in person on Australian concert platforms. Mr S. Crick (managing director) said that his firm is now willing to co-operate with the Commission in arranging broadcasts of artists visiting Australia. The public should benefit by this new arrangement. The general manager of the A. B. C. (Mr Charles Moses) said that the Commission would welcome the

opportunity of broadcasting artists visiting Australia for other managements provided the fees asked were reasonable. The A.B.C. has already demonstrated its goodwill by lending Williamson’s some of its key musicians for the present ballet season in Melbourne.

As usual, the YA stations will on Tuesday rebroadcast Jim Carroll’s description of the Melbourne Cup, commencing approximately at 5.15 New Zealand time. Listeners who desire to hear 3AR’s story more directly should tune in tthe A.B.C. shortwave station VLR3 on 25.25 metres, this being the new day callsign and wavelength of 3LR.

When Mr Chamberlain made his statement to the House of Commons on his return from his first visit to Hitler he spoke before a microphone. This did not put him voice on the air, but merely enabled members of the House of Lords to hear the speech. No debate has ever been broadcast from Westminster, although the question has been discussed periodically for fifteen years. Mr Chamberlain does not favour the idea, and that ends the matter for the present.

"Competition between Press and radio in serving the public with news has often been bitter, not to say grim.” —Thus the Wellington radio weekly. If thrt refers to New Zealand it can be dismissed as so much boloney. There never has been any competition between newspapers and wireless stations so far as news is concerned, and the Press has never regarded radio as a rival in the news field. It is a defect of the New Zealand broadcasting services that they make such a poor showing in the collection and presentation of news. What the radio people appear ’to regard as an achievement would be mere routine for a junior reporter. The so-called “news" sessions are composed almost wholly of extracts from evening newspapers, and most of the sporting summaries are either filched from the papers or are supplied by the bookmakers’ organisations. Relayed descriptions from racecourses are neither so accurate nor informative as the newspaper accounts and some of the wrestling and boxing broadcasts stink to high heaven. Listeners are told of wonderful contests when actually the crowd may be counting out the “contestants,” or the battle may be hopelessly one-sided. Our radio service has many excellent features. but "news” is not one of them.

Still no appearance of the “New Zealand Listener," the long-promised official Journal of the National Broadcasting Service.

In an Interview, Mr Savage is credited with saying that there was no likelihood of the radio license fee being reduced in the meatime—“it seems better that the listener should pay a few shillings a year more rather than that the quality of the programmes should suffer.” Most reasonable listeners will agree with that, but if Mr Savage had time to do some listening he would quickly realise that the quality is suffering without the revenue being reduced.

The problems of programme organisers in New Zealand are simple compared with those that arise in bilingual countries, including Canada and South Africa. In Quebec province, for instance, most of the people (there are more than a million in Montreal alone) are of French extraction, and speak Canadian-French. As a result important items have to be broadcast in one language, and then translated into the other.

One frequently hears expressions of opinion that a majority of listeners desire certain programme features. Even if the assertions are well founded, they may have little value. It is what licensees want that counts. It is not unlikely that if a listeners’ vote were taken on, say, the jazz question, the result would be altogether different from that obtained from a vote of licensees, and it is the people who pay the piper who are entitled to call the tune. Announcers Again After playing “What a Little Moonlight can do”: “It’s wonderful what a little moonlight can do, but much more

wonderful what X ’s pills can do.” “And remember, Brown’s sausages are always the best. Nelson Eddy now sings ‘Sweet Mystery of life!’ ” "Anyone knowing the whereabouts of a man now in Sydney Hospital . . .” “Addressing the dead man, he told him his was the last voice he would hear in this world.” “So mean was he that he used barbed wire for his aerial, so that the birds could not rest on it.” "It was just one of those unconscious mannerisms that players cultivate."

Loose Cash "I always encourage my husband to recline in an easy chair and put his feet on the mantelpiece." "Why?” “When he goes to bed there is usually some small change left in the chair." Peculiar “You know,” said Brown, “these garage men certainly do ruin a car.” “Why?” asked Green. “What's the matter?" "Well, my cai' used to do seventy miles an hour. Then I had a new speedometer put in her, and now I can only get fifty-five out of her.” She’d Heard it Before The dashing young traveller with the lady-killer reputation seated himself at the table and put on his most seductive smile as the pretty young waitress approached him. “Nice day, little girl,” he said. "It is,” she replied. “And so was yesterday, and my name is Gwen, and I’m pretty, and have lovely blue eyes, and I’ve been here quite a long time, and it’s not a bad place, and I'm not too nice a girl to be working here, and my brother is cook in this place, and was once a professional boxer. Now, what is your order—roast beef, roast lamb, stew, or liver and bacon?” Sorry She Spoke The police-sergeant had been sent out to see that all the dog owners in the district had licences for their pets. At one house he was met by the mistress. "Good morning, madam,” he started. “I see you have two dogs. Have you licenses for them?” “Oh, no, sergeant,” she told him, “They are far too young to have licenses. They're only puppies, you know.”

The sergeant stroked the animals. "Frisky little beggars, aren't they?” he ventured. "Yes, aren’t they.” answered the owner unthinking. “No one would think they were mother and son, would they?”