WHAT WENT WRONG WITH 1YA AUCKLAND?

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18189, 23 June 1927, Page 1

WHAT WENT WRONG WITH IYA AUCKLAND?

BROADCAST WAS CUT OFF MYSTERIOUSLY.

Mystery surrounded the operation of IV A, the Auckland broadcast station, yesterday afternoon. A Christchurch man who tuned in a little after 4.30, hoping to get trotting results, found the station at good strength, and the announcer giving out that they were “now to have a musical item, etc., by So-and-So.” There was a pause for a moment, and then the announcer stated they were going to have something by somebody else.

This went on for a little while, and two very mystified listeners came to the conclusion that perhaps they had been listening to an advance programme being announced, although in a rather irregular way. Then they were further mystified when the announcer proceeded to a bedtime story. Jn the middle of a sentence he was cut off, and the listeners fondly imagined that they were at last to get a race result or two. They waited for quite a while, and then came an item to the effect that a British cement companj' had purchased interests in the J. J. Craig estate at Whangarei. After that the station went suddenly off the air, and nothing more came from it.

The mystery was solved this morning by reference to “Aerial.’' “Oh!” he said, “you tuned in after the ordinary session had closed down, and I have no doubt they were trying out new announcers.”