“AMAZINGLY REAL.”

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18395, 31 July 1931, Page 5

“AMAZINGLY REAL.”

RADIO OWNERS SEE DERBY. TELEVISION BROADCAST. Television plus wireless telephony enabled approximately 500 owners of home-receiving sets throughout Europe to see Cameronion win the Derby while they simultaneously listened to the British Broadcasting Corporation’s running commentary on the race. The result was something similar to -a cinema talkie. It was the first time television broadcast had been employed for an outdoor event. I ■Reception was marred at times, but there were occasional sharply distinct scenes. Experts expressed the opinion that the demonstration indicated it will be only a matter of time before televised outdoor programmes will be commercially practical. Today’s broadcast was considered a success from an experimental standpoint. And it was felt to have paved the way to commercialisation. Through television, spectators at the instruments were given glimpses of the crowd, the parade of horses in front of the grandstand, and finally the stirring finish. The scenes were visible in a small televiser window In each instrument approximately two (by five inches in size. The Baird television stu'dio instrument had too small a screen to enable recognition of the horses or distinguishing of numbers. Reception was picked up from Brook-man’s Park and was witnessed by a group of newspapermen. Owners of a televiser at Bedford were enthusiastic. “We could see the first three winners come home," they said, "The picture was quite clear, especially the finish, with the crowd in the grandstand standing and cheering. It was uncanny and amazingly real." "ONE MOMENT, PLEASE.” WHAT U.S. LISTENERS HEAR. “Friends of the radio audience: The Aunt Sally Superior Horseradish Co., sponsoring this programme for your enjoyment, does not believe that radio listeners want their concerts sintlerrupted by long advertising announcements. Therefore the makers of Aunt Sally Superior Horseradish will not delay this programme more than a few moments. They appreciate the fact that you are more interested in the next number than in the excellent qualities of Aunt Sally Superior Horseradish. “Arid Mnce the beginning 'of its weekly broadcasts the Aunt Saily Superior Horseradish Co. has felt that in giving you an hour of music it is accomplishing more than by taking up your time telling you about Aunt Sally Superior Horseradish. If you will listen closely you will find that the Sally Superior Horseradish Co., uses only seven words in its radio advertising announcement. And those words are: ’Aunt, Sally Superior Horseradish Really Is Superior.’ The next selection by 'the Aunt Sally Superior Horseradish Co., will be a selection of Victor Herbert favourites, played for you by the Aunt Sally 'Superior Horseradish orchestra." WIRELESS COMEDIANS. NEW TECHNIQUE DEMANDED. Requirements of broadcasting have demanded an entirely new technique in the art of public entertaining, and In no department is this more evidenced than in the work of the comedian before the microphone. The task of "putting it over” to an unresponsive electrical instrument by a comedian who is accustomed to making use of physical contortions and extravagant make-ups as an aid to his turn can be imagined. Instead of a sea of faces and bursts of laughter, which greet the sallies of the stage comedian, and encourage him to further effort, the wireless comedian is greeted with stony silence. He has no means of telling how his turn is appreciated, or knowing what particular line of humour his listeners most appreciate. There is an absence of practically everything in the nature of "props." He may have /ft piano, and certain instruments 'for making weird, uncouth noises, otherwise he must depend entirely upon his vocal efforts. Even his spoken material must be kept within certain limits in broadcasting. The man who makes up his patter, excluding all reference to proprietary articles, political matters, and religious topics, finds himself exceedingly limited for subject matter. He has also to remember that most of his items, once they have been given to the microphone, have foecome stale, and, with few exceptions, cannot be repeated for some time. FAR-REACHING EFFECTS. BENEFITS OF WIRELESS. The ever increasing benefits of wireless were never exemplified more than from 2FC Sydney, recently, when the morning news session was being broadcast. The announcer read put a [paraglraph from one of the morning papers that a patient of the Sydney Hospital—a small girl of six years of age—who had undergone several operations which necessitated the permanent use of crutches, was j in need of a pair of crutches. I When this items of news had been | concluded, the 2EG telephone rang continuously, and several offers to supply crutches were made by listeners. The kind pfCers were accepted, and the crutches were later delivered to Sydney Hospital, where the little patient made her choice. This is only one instance of the immense value of radio, and its farreaching effects on the public generally. It Is a friend to those in need and to the sick and aged its benefits know no limits.

Hospitals which have wireless Installed are agreed that patients do not nntire the lediousness of lying on their -backs all day when they can hear a broadcast, programme. To those in -health, wireless is a constant source of pleasure, hut to those who are bed-ridden, it is even greater, for wireless them what, they are missing In not

being able to participate in the common task and the dally round. HERE AND THERE. The latest official figures for licenses in the Dominion show that the total is now 54,335. This, though about 10,000 short of the figures on March 31, is highly encouraging in these times. Doubtless the figures wdll -Increase v, as the months go by, particularly when an official announcement regarding the ■future of broadcasting is made.

If your accumulators look dirty and have "a good deal of sediment at the bottom underneath the plates it. would certainly he advisable to clean then out. This ts done by emptying out the acid, washing out, with distilled water, and relilling with acid of the proper gravity. It is not a suitable job for an amateur to carry out unless he has a hydrometer to measure the spe-fle gravity of the acid when refilling. It would be much belter to get the job carried out by a competent battery expert. Sulphnting will not be caused by cleaning the cells, hut Is usually due to letting the cells

run down on load considerably beyond the safe discharge point, or to leaving them for several months without attention. In a speech broadcast to Great Britain and America, the Prince of Wales pleaded that 7000 blind persons in the British Isles who are without, radio sets, should be provided with them before another year has passed, lie spoke at. the annual dinner o-f the "Wireless For the Blind Fund,” whicn already has supplied 13,000 sets.

After full allowance is. made for Improvements in receiver design, it la safe to say that long-distance reception has not been so strong for year* than during the last few months., Listeners who are operating the samo sets as they used a year ago, with valves which must have lost a godd deal of punnch, are able to pick up stations which were out of range last winter. 'Midget Australians romp in in every night -and, when conditions j are good, 2FG and 2BL can-be tunedj in - during - the -afternoons, ~