Over The AERIAL

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19461, 28 December 1934, Page 8

Over The AERIAL

BY RHEOSTAT

THE COMING WEEK. Sunday. —lYA: 11, church service; 3.30, talk; 7, service from Salvation Army Congress Hall; 8.30, studio concert. 2YA —11, church service; 7, service from Salvation Army Citadel; 8.15, recordings. 3YA —11, church service; 7, service from Trinity Congregational Church; 8.15, recordings. Monday. —lYA: 11.30, Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting; 3.30, home science talk; 8, studio concert;slo.ls, dance music; 11.45, description of Queen Street crowds; 12, chimes. 2YA—Talks, 11.30 “Helpful Advice for the Home,” 3 “Home Science"; 8, studio concert; 11, relay from Wentworth Cafe; 12, description of scenes in Post Office Square and New Year chimes. 3YA—10.15, Plunket Shield cricket; 2.30, home science talk; 8, studio concert; 10.30, 8.8. C. programme; 11.55, celebrations in Cathedral Square. Tuesday. —lY’A: 11.30, Auckland Racing Club’s meeting; 8, recordings; 9.20, 8.8. C. programme; 10, dance music. 2YA—B, studio concert; 10, modern and old-time dance music. 3YA —10.15, Plunket Shield cricket; 12, Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting; 8, studio concert; 10, sports summary; 10.10, dance music. Wednesday. —lYA: 11.30, Auckland Racing Club’s meeting; 8, studio concert; 9.20, dance music. 2YA—B, studio concert; 10.30, dance music. 3YA—II, Plunket Shield cricket; 12, Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting; 8, concert from 4YA, Dunedin; 10, sports summary; 10.10, dance music. Thursday —lYA: 3.30, home science talk; 8, studio concert; 10.30, dance music. 2YA—B, studio concert; 10.30, dance music. 3YA —10.15, Plunkei Shield cricket; 2.30, home science talk; 7.35, Addington stock market reports; 8, recordings; 10.30, dance music. Friday.— lYA: 7.30, sports talk; 8, studio concert; 10.30, dance music. 2YA—B, studio concert; 9, Gilbert and Sullivan hour; 10, dance music. 3YA—8, studio concert; 9, theme programme; 10.30, dance music/ Saturday. —lYA: 7.30, gardening talk; 8, studio concert; 10. sports summary; 10.10, dance music. 2YA—--11.15, home science talk; 2, test golf match, Britain v. New Zealand; 8, studio concert; 10, sports summary; 10.10, dance music. 3YA—B, studio concert; 10, sports summary; 10.10, dance music.

BETTER PROGRAMMES. ! \ N.Z. BOARD’S RADIO AIMS. DEVELOPING BRITISH ARTS. I have spent the- last few hours of my life poring over the published programmes of the national stations for a week. It has been very hard work, hut I think worth it, writes “Ariel,” in the Press. First I typed down on a piece of paper all the evening talks for the given week, talks ranging from haymaking to the Belgian Congo. There were GBO minutes devoted to talks, and of these 680 minutes 200 minutes were expended on miscellaneous subjects, agricultural topics took 130 minutes, geography SO minutes, world affairs 60 minutes, hook, reviews 5'5 minutes, sports 50 minutes, motoring 40 minutes, and medical subjects 20 minutes. After this statistical effort I began to deal with broadcasting drama. I noted that there were 'three American sketches, one 'Continental, and two ißritish one-act plays. Light comedy was represented by two recorded 'B.B.'C. programmes, and there were two “Theme Programmes” dealing with love romances which might possibly squeeze in under this heading. When I began to regard music from a statistical viewpoint things became a shade dizzy, but it may be of interest to know that 22 minutes were devoted to the music of Elgar, ; 12 minutes to Delius, 15 minutes to Vaughan Williams, 10 minutes to German and iO. minutes to 'Kennedy 'Fraser. And I think that is quite enough of figures for the time being.

Why?

Why thisu’ush of figures? Because an official pronouncement has been made on the policy of the New Zealand Broadcasting Board. 'Here it is, ■straight, so to speak, from the horse’s mouth. The objects of the board are to develop in every way 'British culture, art, language, and humour. It is also hoped that New Zealand broadcasting will be influential in acting as a bond of Empire. It is very pleasant to be able to record so straightforward and sensible a policy. ■Mr 'Macfarlanc, a member of Hie Broadcasting Board, is to be congratulated on his honesty of statement. As he so wisely said, there had been a lot of nonsense talked about the cultural aspect of broadcasting in this country. And now that we know that the board stands for the encouragement of 'British culture, art, language, and humour, programmes in future will be vastly different from programmes at present.

Very interesting it will be to watch and listen to Hie programmes week by week and noting the encouragement of British culture. I lake it that British culture consists of the British interest in social literary, artistic, and religious problems of the past, flic present, and the fi\‘ure. The objects of tiie board are in future to encourage a similar interest in this country. And here my statistics of the given week’s programmes will prove useful. The encouragement in the week reviewed consisted-of three talks, one of fourteen minutes and the other two of twenty minutes apiece. One of these was entitled “’.Man’s Outlook on History"; another was tiic story of the Tolpuddlo Martyrs, and the third was a talk entitled "Plays and Play Actors.’’ When those talks are divided in time among the four main stations we find an average of 14 minutes a week devoted to the encouragement of British culture. The cost of these three talks 1 estimate at approximately fff, which sum does not seem extraordinarily vast to devote In one of the main objects of broadcasting out of a total income of considerably more than £IOO,OOO.

It seems very reasonable to expect yet further encouragement. British Art. To encourage 'British art in New Zealand is the second ideal of the broadcasting board. This is perhaps not the place to enquire into questions as to “What is art?" But I think it may be said without fear of contradiction that the board intends to give to New Zealand listeners examples of British art which will tend to develop an artistic sense in them. Here again is a glorious goal for which to strive. In the week reviewed I can And no time whatever devoted to encouraging .British art! There are, it is true, 's's. minutes’ devoted to book reviews, but the books reviewed are not necessarily British books. The encouragfUmenit of British language is treated perhaps, a little more generously. The object of the board is, presumably, to set an example of good diction and imaginative vocabulary. To this end there was a talk lasting 20 minutes from Auckland dealing with “The Speaking of Verse and Prose." Dividing the present time devoted to the -encouragement of the British language among the four main stations we And exactly Ave minutes weekly to be the extent of this encouragement. British Humour. When compared with IBritish culture, 'British art, British language; British humour fares fairly well. For the week there are 24 minutes of recordings of British vaudeville programmes, and there is our own Will Bishop. Strangely -enough, British humour is not swamped by American humour, as is the case with British dance music. And as there are literally dozens of genuinely funny records to be heard from the alternative stations, I think it may be -said that the board is deAnitely encouraging British humour. It will be seen from this review of one week’s programmes that the policy of the board as outlined by Mr Mac-fa-rlane is indeed revolutionary. At present the encouragement of British culture, art, and language is about equal in effort and merit to the encouragement of -Melanesian Mi/sions by the man who puts a halfpenny-’in the offertory box. Nevertheless, now the public knows what it is to get in future, it is to be hoped that there will not be too much -restlve-ness. There will undoubtedly be complaints, but the board will be wise in Qot paying too much attention to them. And there will be a great sigh of relief from countless listeners when the revolution is accomplished, when culture will be encouraged, when art will be encouraged, when language will be encouraged.

1 wish to be just in my survey of programmes, and it is only fair to mention that recorded music of the better class is reasonably well provided for. More -especially from Christchurch, listeners (time permitting) have a well-chosen classical hour the which to enjoy. There is also a chamber music -session once a week. Nevertheless, there is little “encouragement” on the part of the board when the afternoon classical hour is not even digniAed by being itemised on the programmes.