ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NEW ZEALAND BROADCASTING SERVICE FOR THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDED 31st MARCH, 1948

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1948 Session I, F-03

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1948 NEW ZEALAND

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NEW ZEALAND BROADCASTING SERVICE FOR THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDED 31st MARCH, 1948

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly 'pursuant to the Provisions of the Broadcasting Act, 1936

I have the honour to submit the annual report on the operations of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service for the year ended 31st March, 1948, in accordance with the provisions of section 18 (1) of the Broadcasting Act, 1936. The New Zealand Broadcasting Service during the period under review maintained its important place in the community. Activities of the Service were expanded, and every endeavour was made to ensure that broadcasting should continue to be a significant and progressive force in our community life. There were many programme innovations, and the technical development plans were steadily advanced. It is hoped that next year several new stations will be in operation. The National Orchestra established itself as an important factor in the cultural life of the community, and its performances won high commendation from concert patrons, listeners, and the press. The Mobile Recording Unit was used extensively in various parts of the country. In particular, it performed very valuable service during the Otago Centennial Celebrations in recording items of interest for immediate programme needs or for historical purposes. The staffing position of the Service as a whole became more stable, and this was reflected in higher programme standards, improved presentation, and greater all-round efficiency. The popularity of broadcasting was again evidenced by a further increase in licence figures. There were 422,691 licences issued as at 31st March, 1948, an increase of 6,147 over the previous year's total.

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DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICE New Stations and Improvements of Coverage Equipment for new stations and replacements for worn-out parts of existing stations continued to come to hand. Difficulty was experienced in obtaining building permits for the alteration of existing premises to suit broadcasting needs, and no permits at all were granted the Service for the erection of new buildings. It is recognized that there are many demands being made on New Zealand's building resources, many of which have a higher priority than broadcasting. However, by the adaptation of existing premises for permanent or temporary use, a number of new stations should be in operation next year. PROGRAMMES Allocation of Programme Time The following analysis of programmes for the week ended 29th February, 1948, was prepared in order to illustrate on a percentage basis the amount of time allocated to various types of programmes Per Cent. Serious music .. .. .. .. .. 20.21 Light music .. .. .. .. .. 44*50 Modern dance music .. .. .. .. 8 • 95 Plays, sketches, and dramatic serials .. .. 6-29 Sporting commentaries .. .. .. .. 1-78 Talks : General, educative .. .. .. 7* 08 News and commentaries .. .. .. 7-64 Church and devotional .. .. .. .. 2-09 Children's session .. .. .. .. 1*46 This analysis reflects the increased educational facilities provided during the poliomyelitis epidemic, when school broadcast programmes were extended considerably. Otherwise the analysis would differ only very slightly from that for any other week in the year. Serious Music The increased interest which has been taken in serious music over the past few years was maintained during the year, and musical activities throughout the Dominion showed healthy growth. A considerable proportion of programme time was devoted to serious music. Selections from the work of the world's greatest composers and artists were presented, and listeners were provided with a wide and varied choice of programmes, both recorded and " live." The National Orchestra and the engagement of overseas celebrity artists provided an added stimulus for listeners to serious musical programmes. There were eighty-four broadcasts of complete recorded operas, including the new work " Alexander Nevskv," by Prokofieff, and Beethoven's only opera, " Fidelio." Special Programmes compiled in New Zealand. —Specially designed to be informative as well as entertaining, several recorded classical programmes were presented as a weekly series. " Form in Music," with each presentation in the series of sixteen programmes being preceded by an appropriate article in the New Zealand Listener, was featured from one station and subsequently repeated from another. On similar lines, the series " The Concerto " traced the history and development of that particular form. Overseas Programmes.—New Zealand listeners benefited considerably from these programmes as the works featured were in the main not recorded commercially, and otherwise would not have been heard here.

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The 8.8.C. Transcription Service supplied very unusual classical programme material; outstanding works received from this source, and presented by the National stations, included a complete series of modern British Chamber music, the Ballet Suite, " Corroboree," by the Australian composer, John Antill, and compositions by Alfred Hill and Douglas Lilburn, of New Zealand. Although no new disks have been received from the American Office of War Information, Overseas Branch, for some time, the existing programmes in this series still held by the Service were often used by National stations. During United Nations' Week, 1947, the Legations, the High Commissioners' Offices, and the various national societies situated in Wellington co-operated by supplying records of music by their national composers for incorporation in appropriate programmes. Light Music, Variety, and Bands Light music continued in popular demand, and many programmes were presented from overseas and local sources. An increasing number of local artists and combinations were included in variety and light music programmes. Light operas and musical ■comedies were broadcast. Additional programmes of this type are becoming available in recorded form from the 8.8.C. and other overseas sources. By special arrangement with the copyright-holders, Gilbert and Sullivan operas were again broadcast. Comedy shows such as " Itma," recorded by the 8.8.C., were again a feature of many variety programmes. During the winter community' sings were broadcast, and there were regular broadcasts by brass and pipe bands. Special weekly sessions of dance music by local dance bands were presented by the four main National stations, and additional dance programmes were compiled from the best overseas recordings. News and Commentaries The British Broadcasting Corporation's bulletins continued to be the main source •of overseas news, there being five rebroadcasts of such bulletins each day. At 6.45 p.m. the 8.8.C.'s Radio Newsreel was rebroadcast, although occasionally this feature was replaced by a talk of particular local interest. Reports of world events for the daily broadcast at 9.4 p.m., " Overseas and New Zealand News " were supplied by the New Zealand Press Association, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, and the British Broadcasting Corporation. New Zealand news was supplied mainly by the Information Section of the Prime Minister's Department. "When important news " broke " during the day special bulletins were broadcast. Increased use was made of the periods between 7 and 7.15 p.m. for broadcasting local news and interviews separately from each of the YA stations. New portable tape-recording equipment was a great asset in the development of this work. North Island National stations devoted twenty minutes, instead of ten minutes as formerly, to the Sunday evening broadcast of news in Maori. A session of news for farmers was broadcast from the main National stations every Thursday night; and the weekly Australian Commentary (supplied by courtesy of the High Commissioner for the Commonwealth) remained a regular item on Wednesday nights. Two sessions of background news, one international and one domestic, were added to programmes towards the end of the year : " United Nations Background" on Mondays at 9.20 p.m., and " Provincial Letter "on Fridays at the same time. For the former, the Service is indebted to the Radio Division of the United Nations and the ■Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The chief of several sources from which these broadcasts were compiled was a short-wave transmission by the Canadian Broadcasting •Corporation of news and reviews supplied by the United Nations from Lake Success.

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The Service is most grateful to these two Organizations for their co-operation, which r . during sittings of the United Nations Assembly, made possible the broadcasting of the voices of New Zealand delegates speaking direct from Lake Success about the progress of their work. Other talks and special programmes were recorded by the United Nations Radio Division and flown to New Zealand. " Provincial Letter," an experimental session, was designed for the purpose of keeping New Zealanders informed about current growth and trends within their own country. The Service feels it has a special responsibility in this connection. By making use of its widening network and expanding technical resources it is hoped to give listeners a fuller understanding of the life and work of fellow New Zealanders, and of the potentialities of the Dominion and its dependencies. The 8.8.C.'s weekly review ef foreign affairs, contributed in turn by several distinguished observers, was rebroadcast in New Zealand each Sunday. From time to time this was supplemented by more detailed commentaries on the news from countries whose internal politics impinge upon world affairs. Talks Talks of wide variety were broadcast. More stations included talks as a regular part of their programmes, and the year was notable for the progress made with the broadcasting of discussions, debates, " forums," and " brains trusts." All main stations now conduct at least one such session weekly. The aim of these developments in " controversial broadcasting," whatever the method of presentation, is rather to stimulate public thought and discussion than to reach conclusions. Speakers were carefully chosen to give as nearly as possible a balanced presentation of the various aspects of the question under consideration. In this way the subject was fully opened up, and by the end of the session listeners were equipped to carry on their own discussions at home. The pattern of more formal talks was designed to combine information and instruction with entertainment. Increasing attention was paid to New Zealand history, in which connection a noteworthy series was Alan Mulgan's " The Making of a New Zealander," a social history of the Dominion by one of the founders of her native-born literary tradition. To coincide with the Centennial Celebrations of the Province of Otago, the Service organized and broadcast widely three distinct series of talks. On the first night of Otago's hundredth year, Dr. A. G. McLintock, her Director of Historical Publications, spoke over the national link, assessing the province's contribution to the general growth and development of the Dominion. Later in the year Dr. McLintock traced the main thread of Otago's history in talks broadcast from Dunedin and Invercargill stations. As a complement to these, a panel of provincial historians contributed talks on special aspects of the first settlement, on some of the local communities in Otago, and on the main economic trends of the hundred years. These, also, were broadcast from Dunedin and Invercargill stations. A third series, popular talks on Otago history by Douglas Cresswell, was broadcast from northern stations. An Otago series typical of what is being done to record and broadcast the history of the Dominion generally was " The Blue Pool of Wakatipu," by " Florrie Hogarth." In keeping with the New Zealander's liking for travel, talks about the life and peoples of other countries continued to be popular. From the Canadian Arctic, Norway, and France to Borneo and Fiji; from China, through Malaya, Kashmir, and Rhodesia, to Peru, listeners have roamed the world with broadcast speakers, many of whom were themselves New Zealanders. A Service unit that visited Western Samoa with the United Nations Trusteeship Mission, primarily to record proceedings for the United Nations Archives, collected also a variety of locally-spoken material that was later built into broadcast talks on the Trust territorv.

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The Service's Mobile Recording Unit enabled recordings of similar material to be made within New Zealand for broadcasting later. During the winter educational talks were given on at least one evening of the week ; but the object again was to interest, not merely to instruct. The range of courses offered was made wide enough to embrace listeners of all ages in every section of the community—for example, Engineering : Its Place in Civilization ; The Men Behind Political Theories ; The Film and Society ; Soil Erosion ; Physical Education ; Climate and Weather ; The History of Transport in Canterbury; The Community Centre ; English Writing To-day. Notable anniversaries and great Commonwealth occasions, such as the coming-of-age of Her Royal Highness the Princess Elizabeth, were marked by special talks. The quarter-hour before nine o'clock on Sunday evening was again set apart each week for a talks-link of the twelve main National and Commercial stations, ensuring a peak audience for the distinguished speakers brought at that time to the microphone. These included Lady Baden-Powell, World Chief Guide ; Lady Nathan, Chairman of the London County Council; Mr. Eric Millhouse, K.C., President of the Australian Returned Servicemen's League ; Dr. Edgar Booth, Chairman of the International Wool Secretariat; Mrs. James Begg, President of the Plunket Society ; Sir Stanton Hicks, Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology in the University of Adelaide ; Dr. C. E. Beeby, Director of Education ; the Hon. Francis B. Sayre, President of the United Nations Trusteeship Council; Dr. Boyd Neel; Field-Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein ; the late Hon. James O'Brien, then Minister of Transport; the Rev. Professor G. A. F. Knight; His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal Gilroy ; Lieutenant-Colonel F. W. Voelcker, D.5.0., M.C., Administrator of Western Samoa ; Sir Patrick Duff, K.C.8., K.C.V.0., United Kingdom High Commissioner in New Zealand ; the Hon. Brooke Claxton, Canadian Minister of National Defence ; Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese, K.C.8., C.8.E., D.5.0.; LieutenantGeneral H. C. H. Robertson, C.8.E., D.5.0., General Officer Commanding 8.C.0.F., Japan ; Sir Hugh Cairns, Professor of Surgery in the University of Oxford ; Sir John Falconer, formerly Lord Provost of Edinburgh ; and Dr. R. C. Murphy, of the American Museum of Natural History. Our thanks are due to the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, and the Radio Division (Department of Information) of the United Nations for supplying scripts and recorded talks towards the enrichment of New Zealand programmes. A considerable advance was made during the year in providing special sessions for farmers. Experiments conducted by Station 3YA, Christchurch, proved that midday was a popular listening time on the farm, provided talks were kept short. Weekly sessions were arranged (on different days) from IYA, 2YA, and 3YA immediately after the 12.30 p.m. weather forecast. Evening farm sessions were retained at other stations ; IYA broadcast to farm listeners twice weekly, once in the evening and once at midday. The usual regular spoken sessions—book reviews, gardening talks, &c. —were continued, with slight variations to meet differing local needs. Parliamentary Broadcasts The proceedings of the House of Representatives continued to be relayed to listeners by Station 2YA. The presentation of the Budget by the Minister of Finance, the Right Hon. W. Nash, and, later, the opening of the Budget debate by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland, were broadcast by the main National stations. Plays and Feature Programmes There were 281 presentations of plays produced by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service, as compared with 242 last year, and 143 readings Of short stories. In addition, there were many broadcasts of plays recorded overseas.

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Fifty-three plays were recorded by the Service during the year. These included such productions as " The Dover Road," by A. A. Milne ; " One Fine Day," by Emery Bonett; " The Immortal Lady," by Clifford Bax ; " Saloon Bar," by Frank Harvey ; " Lord George Sanger," by Roy Plomley ; a number by the well-known English radio playwright C. Gordon Glover ; and several by the New Zealand playwright John Gundry, Other writers represented in this year's list of recorded plays were Victor Andrews,. Egypt; G. Murray Milne, Australia ; and Norman Edwards, England. Twenty-five episodes of serials and fifty short stories were recorded, including several by the English short-story writers, J. Jefferson Farj eon and W. Glvnne-Jones, and two by New Zealand writers. Special programmes recorded included a centenary programme on Edison, a play on behalf of CORSO entitled " Wang Fu's Family," and a New Zealand programme for broadcasting in Switzerland called " How the Others Live." During the year 1,056 scripts were examined. These included plays, serials, short stories, novels, continuities for recorded music, poems, and pantomimes, children's plays, and books. New Zealand writers submitted 235 scripts. Of the 318 scripts purchased by the Service, 42 were of New Zealand origin,... . The Auckland Recording Studios recorded 6 complete plays, 5 short stories, 70 episodes of serials, and 7 feature programmes for the Auckland stations. - ; Overseas Rebroadcasts Rebroadcasting again provided the means of bringing to New Zealand listeners many talks, actuality broadcasts and commentaries on. overseas events. Important amongst these, was His Majesty the King's Christmas message to his people and the associated 8.8.C. programme. Her Royal Highness the Princess Elizabeth's address to the Empire on the occasion of her twenty-first birthday was also rebroadcast. The 8.8.C.'s relay of the wedding of Her Royal Highness the Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh was transmitted to New Zealand listeners. Outside Relays op Local Events Functions of national interest relayed during the year covered many public ceremonies and functions, coo certs, festivals, memorial services, sporting highlight s, &c. They included State luncheons and civic receptions in honour of Field-Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein and Cardinal Gilroy. Other relays were those of the official opening of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Show by the United States Minister in New Zealand, the Hon. Avra Warren ; the opening of the Artificial Limbs Department of the Dunedin Hospital by the Right Hon. the Prime Minister ; and the many and various celebrations .in connection with the Otago Centennial. Commentaries were broadcast covering the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Show ; the Royal Agricultural Show at Hastings ; the arrivals of H.M.S. " Theseus " at Wellington and H.M.N.Z.S. " Bellona " at Dunedin ; the North Island Baconer Championship at Westfield ; the departure of the first B.C.P.A. Skymaster plane from Whenuapai; and the filling of the dam at Karapiro hydro-electricity station. Sporting Broadcasts The number of sporting broadcasts increased from 557 recorded in last year's report to 678. In addition to commentaries on local events, the public was kept fully informed by frequent broadcast summaries of Dominion sporting results. The Commercial stations also provided a coverage of results by means of sports flashes and reviews. *

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Many important overseas sporting events were broadcast to New Zealand listeners, including the tour of the New Zealand Rugby League team in England, the Indian Cricket team's tour of Australia, the visit of the 1947 New Zealand Rugby team to Australia, and the running of the Melbourne Cup. Among broadcasts of New Zealand events were relays of the South African Soccer team's tour of New Zealand, provincial and New Zealand Tennis Championships, in addition to the Wilding Shield and Nunneley Casket matches, and provincial and New Zealand golf matches with the touring Australian team and the New Zealand Championships at New Plymouth. Yachting broadcasts covered the Sanders and Cornwell Cup races, Idle Along Championships, the World Championship for eighteen-footers at Auckland, and the start and'progress reports of the Trans-Tasman Yacht Race. For swimming enthusiasts the Service covered the New Zealand Swimming and New Zealand Surf and Life Saving Championships at Dunedin. In addition; relays included bowling, motor-cycling, rowing, softball, rifle shooting, boxing, wrestling, and cycling championships. Broadcasts of Plunket Shield inter-Island and Hawke Cup matches, and the visits, of the Fijian and Australian Women's Elevens Were provided for followers of cricket. Broadcasting and the Forces The unit in Japan continued the compilation and recording of programmes for broadcasting from New Zealand stations. " With the Kiwis in Japan " programmes presented during the year numbered fifty-one. Outstanding programmes included commentaries on a Japanese Harvest Festival Sports Meeting at Yuda, the 8.C.0.F. Royal Wedding Parade in Tokio, the work of the Far Eastern International Military Tribunal, and the visit of the Japanese Emperor to Hiroshima. The Sendee continued to operate the broadcasting-station opened at Yamaguchi in January, 1947. In September a subsidiary station was opened at Chofu to provide a primary service for the troops in the Chofu and Ozuki area. These stations did good work both for the troops and the Service and became to be regarded by New Zealanders as an intergal part of their life in Japan. The tastes of the troops were catered for with a wide selection of programmes compiled largely from commercial recordings obtained on loan from the Australian Army Amenities Service. Programmes of special interest to the troops were those by New Zealand artists recorded and forwarded to Japan by the Service. Studio recitals were presented by visiting artists, and the best talent among the troops utilized in the presentation of such " live " programmes as " Local Boys Make Music " and " Kiwis on the Keys." Special request and feature programmes were arranged for the patients in the 6th New Zealand General Hospital at Kiwa. The general request programmes of five hours weekly were very popular, and at times difficulty was experienced in coping with the three to four hundred requests received each week. The service to troops included a New Zealand news bulletin cabled daily by the Prime Minister's Department, talks by distinguished visiting lecturers, and relays of sporting events. In addition, devotional services were broadcast each Sunday, and the Army Education Service conducted a session of one and a half hours per week on current affairs, rehabilitation, musical appreciation, history, and literature. The aggregate transmission time of the two stations amounted to 5,993 hours, and a programme analysis of this time shows that it was occupied as follows : Per Cent. Serious music ... .. .. .. .. 20 • 7 Light music .. .. .. .. 48 • 8 Modern dance music .. .. ~ .. 7-02 Plays, sketches, and dramatic serials .. .. 9-5 News .. .. .. .. .. 5-63 Sporting commentaries .. .. .. .. 4-92 Talks: general, educative .. .. .. 3-43

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Religious Broadcasts National policy governing religious broadcasts is determined by the Central Religious Advisory Committee, which is representative of the national bodies of all churches broadcasting regular services. In the four main centres there are also local church committees whose main function is to decide how national policy can best be adapted to meet local requirements. The Service desires to place on record its appreciation of the work of these committees and the helpful co-operation received from them during the past year. Relays of Church services each Sunday morning and evening, broadcast devotional services each week-day morning, and the observance of a silent prayer period during the chiming of Big Ben at 9 o'clock each Sunday evening were continued. In addition, during the closing of the schools because of the poliomyelitis epidemic, a weekly quarterhour Sunday school session was broadcast for children in collaboration with the Church authorities. These regular services were supplemented by a number of special broadcasts, which included Anzac Commemoration and Armistice Day Rememberance Services, the Annual Toe H Service of Re-dedication, a St. David's Day Service in Christchurch, and the Christmas Service by combined churches in Dunedin. In October the installation of Archbishop McKeefrey as Coadjutor to the Metropolitan of New Zealand was heard from Auckland. The Requiem Mass and the Funeral Service for the late Hon. D. G. Sullivan, Minister of Supply, were broadcast, together with the Requiem Masses for the late Hon. James O'Brien, Minister of Transport, and the late Hon. Mark Fagan, Speaker of the Legislative Council. The Civic Funeral Service and the Requiem Mass for those who lost their lives in the Ballantyne fire at Christchurch were relayed. Sunday evening Church relays included two services in Maori, one from St. Joseph's Girls' College Chapel, Greenmeadows, and one from the Methodist Maori Mission in Auckland, the preacher being the Rev. Maharaia Winiata. There was also a service broadcast from St. Matthew's Anglican Church, Hastings, where the sermon in English was preached by the Right Rev. F. A. Bennett, Bishop of AoteaToa, and the choral music was sung in Maori. " Men of God," a religious programme of serial type, was broadcast during the year under review and received much favourable comment from listeners. Broadcasts to Schools The general policy for broadcasts to schools is determined by an Advisory Committee representing the Education Department, the New Zealand Education Institute, and this Service. The programmes, which include a wide variety of subjects, are worked out in detail by officers of the Broadcasting Service and total two and threequarter hours each week. With the country schools in mind, where many ages and grades are assembled under one teacher, the programmes are graded to cover a wide range in age and attainment. After consultation with teachers, the time-table was adjusted this year to allow a longer period of music and rhythm for juniors. The plan for musical-appreciation lessons for the year was based on the Music Appreciation Scheme for Post-primary Schools, and the Education Department issued a post-primary bulletin in connection with these broadcasts. Each week the New Zealand Listener printed a list of the programmes in a special panel. The major social-study programme for 1948 is " New Zealand in the Making," and the Service was fortunate in having Professor C. A. Cotton, Dr. R. A. Falla, and Mr. R. Duff as consultants or writers for this series. A new series of French lessons for post-primary schools was prepared and recorded and a new booklet compiled and published.

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Special talks were added to programmes in connection with Anzac Day, Empire Day, Arbor Day, and United Nations Week. Owing to the outbreak of poliomyelitis, schools all over New Zealand were closed three weeks before their normal closing date. The broadcast programmes filled the gap by presenting series of stories and activity talks for children. Extended broadcasts of two hours each day were continued after January from the main National stations. Two Advisory Committees, with representatives of the Education Department, teachers, and the New Zealand Broadcasting Service, were set up, one for the primary schools and the other for the post-primary schools. The emergency programmes for the primaryschool children continued until the end of February, when most of the schools opened, with the exception of those in the Auckland district. From then on they were broadcast from Station IYA Auckland only. During the year the Senior Inspectors in each Education Board district contacted selected schools, both town and country, and teachers in these schools reported at intervals on the broadcasts. These reports were of great value in planning and arranging programmes. Mr. Arne Okkenhaug, Director of School Broadcasts in Norway, during his visit to New Zealand, visited schools, listened with classes, and discussed schools broadcasts with teachers. Later in the year Miss Mary Somerville, 0.8. E., Assistant Controller of Talks to the 8.8.C., visited New Zealand as the guest of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service. Until recently Miss Somerville was Director of Schools Broadcasts to the 8.8.C. She gave valuable demonstrations and talks to educationists and broadcasters in Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch, and also visited schools and discussed school broadcasting. Three publications were issued this year —a General Booklet, a Music Booklet, and a Children's Booklet. Schools receiving booklets on the 31st March, 1948, numbered 1,852, an increase of 269 on last year's figure. This gives an indication of the number of schools listening to the programmes. The policy begun in 1943 of writing notes on broadcasts for the Education Gazette, which is distributed to teachers every month, was continued. In November an outline of the general plan of broadcasts for the following school year was published so that teachers could incorporate the programmes in their schemes of work. A time-table of the programme for the year was inserted as a leaflet in the Education Gazette for February. Programmes were linked when possible with articles and stories in the Education Department's School Journal, which every pupil receives. The Education Department's Correspondence School broadcast twice weekly. These half-hour programmes, arranged by Correspondence School teachers, included talks on physical education, music, travel, &c., and also talks for supervisors. Women's Sessions The interests of women listeners, especially during daytime programmes, were catered for. The session, " For My Lady," broadcast by the National stations, gave brief resumes of the lives, and featured excerpts from the works, of many world-famous artists. Talks for women were planned for a variety of tastes, domestic and otherwise. The Association for Country Education, one of the extension services of the University of Otago, again helped by providing two talks weekly throughout the University year which were broadcast by the main National stations. Round this core, stations built their own talks programmes for women listeners. Station IYA inaugurated a Women's Newsletter; Station 3YA reinforced the domestic science side by local contributions; Station 2YA initiated a series in which representative speakers considered the place of women in a modern community. These 2YA talks were recorded and broadcast later by other stations, as also were series on speechcraft and child psychology.

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Regular newsletters from a New Zealand woman in the United Kingdom were heard, and the short advice talks prepared by the Department of Health were closely followed by listeners. Travel found its place, too, through talks by visitors and by New Zealand women returned from abroad. Children's Sessions Entertainment for the younger generation has an established place in the late afternoon programmes of the main National stations. In addition to radio adaptations of old classics and popular serials and narratives, the sessions included a number of specially. arranged musical programmes. Eleven poems, children's books, and novels were submitted, nine being by New Zealand authors. Three children's books, all by New Zealanders, were accepted. .... i On Sunday evenings special Children's Song Services were" broadcast in' collaboration with the clergy of the various churclies. . The Service wishes to thank the many people who throughout the year have given voluntary assistance to programme organizers in the presentation of children's sessions. Recorded Programmes The best programme material available from the Overseas Transcription Service of the. British. Broadcasting Corporation came forward during the year. There was an increase in all types of programmes —music, plays-, documentaries, serials, literary, and variety shows. Outstanding among them were " World Theatre," a group of classical plays; "Men of God," a series on the great Biblical prophets; " 8.8.C. Theatre Concerts," a series of one-hour classical programmes ; " Promenade Concerts," a series taken from the famous Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts ; " The Last Days of Hitler," a documentary from the book by H. Trevor-Roper; " The Secret Correspondence of Hitler and Mussolini," from letters found after the war and from Count Ciano's diary ; and " Gilbert and Sullivan," a series Of programmes' compiled from the collaborated work of these great figures of the entertainment world. A steady supply of feature programmes was received from Australian producers. Outstanding among them was " Melba," a serial based on the life of the great singer and capably handled from a musical angle. A programme which offered listeners opera in popular form was " Opera for the People," a series of the great operas with the narration and performance in English by Australian artists. In all, seventy features under the following headings were purchased during the year Serious musical .. .. 2 features comprising 78 episodes. Light musical .. .. ... 8 features comprising 345 episodes. Dramatic .. .. .. .. 45 features comprising 1,935 episodes. Variety .. .. .. ... 4 features comprising 53 episodes. Comedy .. .. .. ..5 features comprising 286 episodes. Childrens .. .. .. .. 4 features comprising 157 episodes. Religious .. . . .. .. 1 feature comprising 1 episode. Historical .. .. .. 1 feature comprising 14 episodes. DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ZEALAND TALENT New recording-equipment at Auckland enabled the use of New Zealand artists in the production of plays, serials, and other special broadcasts to be extended. The installation of similar equipment at Christchurch and Dunedin is proposed. The studios at Dunedin are almost complete and ready for. the installation of the equipment. There is no indication at present as to when the studios, in .Christchurch will be completed, as this is subjeet to the granting of the necessary bjiilding permit .

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The activities of the Mobile Recording Unit included a tour of the Waikat,o, ,a visit to Ruatoria to record proceedings of an important Maori Hui, a tour of the Thames Valley, and a visit to the South Island for the Otago Centennial Celebrations. During the Waikato and Thames Valley tours material was collected for a number of " To wn " programmes. Recordings were made of items by nearly seventy local choirs, bands, orchestras, &c., and thirty-six solo artists. There were also interviews with more than fifty persons and various documentary recordings were made. In addition to the " Town " programmes, a series entitled " Music is Where You Find It," using recordings made by the Unit, was broadcast. Two half-hour programmes " Here and There in Taranaki," based on material collected Jast year,.were produced. The Unit's activities at the Otago Ceritennial Celebrations included coverage of the !STew Zealand Brass Band Contest and the New Zealand Highland Pipe Band Contest. The recordings made were despatched to stations for presentation on the same day as the performance. Other Centennial functions kept the Unit fully occupied in Dunedin during January, February, and March. • The appearance of local artists as concerto soloists with the National Orchestra was a notable development during the year under review. .Opportunities were taken to encourage local players of a sufficiently high standard, by engaging them to perform part or whole of a concerto. One local artist in Auckland, three in Wellington, and one each in Christchurch and Dunedin appeared in this way with ; the Orchestra in public performances. Among New Zealand artists who toured the National and Commercial stations were Christina Young, contralto, Nettie McKay, mezzo-soprano, Phyllis Williams in Maori programmes ; Margherita Zelanda, soprano ; Mary Pratt, Dunedin contralto ; Cara Cogswell, Christchurch contralto : Stewart Harvey, Auckland baritone ; Dora Drake, Dunedin soprano ; Thomas Morrison, Wellington baritone ; Rosamund Caradus, Auckland soprano ; Kathleen Sawyer, Wellington contralto ; Cecil Hauxwell, Auckland baritone ; Betty Spiro, Auckland soprano ; Shirley Austin-Turtle, Wellington soprano * Marjorie Rowley, Christchurch soprano: William Clothier, Wellington baritone; Winston Sharp, Christchurch baritone ; Raymond Windsor, Dunedin pianist; Joyce Izett, Wellington soprano ; and Tessa Birnie, Auckland pianist. In certain cases local musical combinations, such as brass bands and vocal ensembles, were recorded for presentation from several New Zealand stations. During the year 157 dramatic scripts, 67 short stories, 2 continuity scripts, and 9 scripts for children were submitted by New Zealand authors. Of these, 32 dramatic scripts, 7 short stories, and 3 scripts for children were accepted. Auditions for drama and announcing totalling 403 were conducted by the Production Sections at Auckland and Wellington during the year. The Service continued to engage concert orchestras and dance bands at the large centres. Practical assistance to local musical societies included the loan of music from the Service's library and the use of the Service's orchestras for performances by musical societies, thus ensuring a better standard of public and broadcast performance. Relays of local musical activities included Competition Society concerts at the four main centres and at Invercargill, Greymouth, and Nelson, and festivals conducted by Dunedin and South Otago schools, Auckland and Christchurch sec9ndary schools, and Auckland, Christchurch, Invercargill, and Greymouth primary schools. The radio vocal tests conducted by the Competition Societies continued to receive the support of the Service, and performances by the finalists were broadcast. With a view to encouraging local dance band talent special performances by New Zealand musicians were broadcast weekly by all the main. National stations. A new departure was the broadcast by Wellington stations "of two Auckland novelty combinations, and special shows were also inaugurated and presented at Auckland.

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Engagements were given to such local artists, societies, and musical combinations as had attained a reasonable standard of performance. There were 2,291 broadcasts by local artists, 901 recitals by local musical societies and bands, and 2,157 broadcasts by local speakers. THE NATIONAL ORCHESTRA AND CELEBRITY CONCERTS During 1947 the National Orchestra continued its inaugural tour and became known, recognized, and appreciated by the concert audiences and radio listeners of the whole country. The first concerts given in Christ church, Dunedin, and Auckland received a full measure of support, and, together with the earlier series given in Wellington, did much to achieve a high prestige for the Orchestra with former critics and the general public alike, who recognized it as a significant factor in the expansion of musical awareness and general culture of the nation. Three evening concerts were given in Christchurch during the first visit, two conducted by Andersen Tyrer and one by Dr. Edgar Bainton as guest conductor. The opportunity was taken to give two afternoon concerts for school pupils. Later the Orchestra gave two evening concerts in Dunedin, and again two afternoon concerts for school pupils. During the first Auckland season, within less than three weeks, the Orchestra played to five capacity houses in the Town Hall. The first two concerts were conducted by Andersen Tyrer, the second two by Eugene Goossens, and the final one by Warwick Braithwaite. The opportunity was taken to invite Mr. Goossens to conduct the Orchestra on his way through Auckland to take up his dual appointment as Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Director of the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music. Mr. Braithwaite, a New-Zealand-born conductor who had spent many years in England, was engaged to undertake a tour of the four main centres as guest conductor of the Orchestra. In addition to the final concert of the Auckland season, he conducted two concerts in Wellington, two in Christchurch, two in Dunedin, and made a final appearance with the Orchestra in Wellington. After its first concert tour the Orchestra was broken up into its four groups, one group being attached to the studio in each of the main centres. In addition to giving regular broadcast performances as separate groups, they joined the local studio orchestras for studio broadcasts, and were also required to supplement the studio orchestras when called upon for assistance by local societies. The groups devoted a considerable proportion of their time to the preparation of new works to be included in the repertoire of the National Orchestra. To strengthen the Orchestra Mr. Tyrer, in October, undertook a further audition tour, which was widely advertised. Every effort was made to find suitable players, but those known to be of sufficiently high standard did not wish to accept engagement as professional musicians. It was obvious that unless steps were taken to engage overseas musicians it would not be possible to keep to the plans to commence the full orchestral season in March, 1948. Accordingly, Mr. Tyrer was sent to the United Kingdom to engage suitable musicians, and at the same time to undertake other work on behalf of the Service. During less than a month in England Mr. Tyrer succeeded in engaging from a large number of applicants the two flautists, four violinists, and one French-horn player required. He also completed final arrangements for the engagement of the two main principals for the opera " Carmen " proposed for production in June, July, and August of 1948. It had been found impossible to arrive at satisfactory arrangements by correspondence, but Mr. Tyrer was able to resolve the difficulties by personal interview. From other viewpoints, too, Mr. Tyrer's visit to England was of great benefit to the Service. He investigated the market for high-quality concert grand pianos, of which there has been a severe shortage in New Zealand for many years, with the result

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that negotiations are now in hand for the purchase of several instruments. Mr. Tyrer was also able to make arrangements with a number of publishing houses for special-hire music to be placed permanently in the library of the Broadcasting Service. This will relieve the restriction on repertoire formerly imposed by our distance from firms which normally release these works for short terms only. The Orchestra reassembled in Wellington towards the end of January to commence combined rehearsals for the concert season, which was to commence in Auckland early in March. The Orchestra being better prepared with a larger repertoire and with the benefit of the first year's experience, it was possible to arrange a much more exacting performance schedule than had been called for in 1947. Between 2nd March and 22nd March the Orchestra gave eleven public concerts. Two evening concerts, with the distinguished British soprano Isobel Baillie as guest artist, were given in Auckland, together with a lunch-time concert of lighter music. In Wellington there were three evening concerts, the first two with Miss Baillie as guest artist and the third with John McCaw, a clarinettist member of the Orchestra, as concerto soloist. Two lunch-time concerts of lighter music were given, and the removal of the poliomyelitis restriction on the assembly of children allowed the reinstatement in the schedule of three concerts for school pupils. The players engaged by Mr. Tyrer in England did not arrive in time to appear at the first concerts of the season, and it was necessary in the meantime to engage local amateur and semi-professional players who, though unable to commit themselves to full-time membership of the Orchestra, were willing to accept a short engagement. The Service is grateful to these musicians and to their employers, whose co-operation enabled the Orchestra to function from the beginning of its scheduled season. By the end of March the newly arrived members of the Orchestra were in their places. The presentation of lunch-time concerts, comprising lighter orchestral works at a time and price which encouraged a new audience, was an experiment which proved most successful. Attendances were good, and hundreds of people saw the Orchestra performing for the first time. A less-successful experiment was the arrangement of an evening concert of lighter works in Wellington. In addition to a Mozart Clarinet Concerto, such items as " The Blue Danube " and " Peter and the Wolf" with Dermot Cathie, English actor, as narrator, were included in the programme. The fact that public support for this concert was considerably below that for concerts of a more classical tone indicates that the demand for concerts of lighter works is not as great as was supposed. The number of free concerts for school pupils is being extended this year to permit a proportion of senior primary-school pupils to hear the Orchestra in addition to those from secondary schools. The allocation of seating at these concerts continues to be in the hands of the Education Department. The second Dominion concert tour by the pianist Lili Kraus was already in progress at the commencement of the year under review. During the tour Madame Kraus gave a total of ten public recitals in the main centres, each recital being broadcast in full. The next artist engaged for a public concert tour was Isaac Stern, a young American violinist who arrived in September. In the space of ten days he gave six public recitals, appearing in each of the four main centres, and one studio broadcast just before his departure. Stern is an artist of the highest attainment, and his tour was an undoubted artistic success, although the public support for his concerts was not as great as had been hoped. The concert tour by Miss Isobel Baillie, which commenced in March, 1948, was successful from all viewpoints. In addition to the many appearances with the National Orchestra and with local societies, as mentioned earlier in this report, she gave six public solo recitals, and fulfilled a number of studio broadcast engagements, being received with enthusiasm bv concert audiences and radio listeners alike.

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Well-advanced plans for the 1948 concert season provided for a greater degree of ■co-operation in musical productions witli local choirs and musical societies than has been possible before. Late in March the Royal Wellington Choral Union was assisted to give a notable performance of Handel's " Messiah "in the Wellington Town Hall. The Service provided an orchestra of good quality, and made available the services of Miss Isobel Baillie. Proceeds from the performance were given by the Choral Union to the Food for Britain Fund. The most ambitious musical undertaking of its kind yet planned for the Dominion will take place in the Christchurch Cathedral on 22nd and. 23rd April, when, by arrangement with the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral, and the Christchurch Harmonic Society, the National Orchestra, the Harmonic Society Choir, Miss Isobel Baillie, and local soloists will be associated, under the conductorship of Mr. Andersen Tvrer, in presentations of Bach's Mass in B Minor, known as one of the greatest of all works in the choral repertoire. . Preparations are also well in hand in all centres for the production of the opera *' Carmen," which will commence a Dominion tour in Dunedin on 27th May. In each centre the opera will be presented by a local society, but the Broadcasting Service will provide the Orchestra, and make available to the local organizations the services of Mr. Andersen Tvrer, as Musical Director ; Miss Janet Howe, English mezzo-soprano, as Carmen ; Mr. Arthur Servent, English tenor, as Don Jose ; and two New Zealanders, Miss Dora Drake and Mr. Bryan Drake, to fill subsidiary parts in the cast of principals. ■Singers for the other principal parts, and the chorus, will be provided by the local organizations, which will retain responsibility for all advance arrangements for the opera seasons in their respective centres. OVERSEAS ARTISTS In addition to the overseas artists mentioned in the previous section who were brought to New Zealand by the Service, studio recitals and tours of the National stations were arranged for a number of artists visiting the country under their own auspices or under private management. Not all artists on concert tours of the Dominion are available for broadcasting, but whenever it is possible to make satisfactory arrangements they are engaged by the Service. An event of major significance in New Zealand music was the appearance of Colin Horsley in three concerto performances with the National Orchestra. Mr. Horsley is a young New Zealander who has made a name for himself overseas as a concert pianist of high rank. His performances with the Orchestra provided an opportunity for the highest recognition to be shown him by the country of his birth. He was also engaged during his tour to give a total of twelve studio broadcasts from the main National stations. Among other artists and combinations heard this year were Alan Eddy, Australian baritone; Senia Chostiakoff, Russian tenor; Jenny Howard, English comedienne; Dr. Edgar Bainton, former Director of the State Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, in lecture-pianoforte recitals; Anna Jacobovitch, Australian pianist; Dr. Fielden, pianist, and Examiner of the Royal Schools of Music, London ; Ninon Vallin, French soprano ; Rosina Raisbeck, Australian soprano ; the Boyd Neel Orchestra and Max Gilbert, principal 'cellist, and Frederick Grinke, violinist and leader of the Orchestra ; the Kathleen Sturdy Quartet of the Boyd Neel Orchestra ; Clement Q. Williams, Australian baritone, with Enid Conley, pianist and accompanist; John Charles Thomas, American baritone ; Simon Barere, Russian pianist; George Formbv, English comedian ; Ella Shields, English comedienne ; the Bridges Instrumental Trio of Australia ; Bruce Skurry, Australian harmonica virtuoso; and Claire Ward, Australian soprano.

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SPECIAL SERVICES AND CO-OPERATION WITH OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS National campaigns, such as the Aid for Britain and health stamp appeals and (in preparation as the year closed) the United Nations Appeal for Children, were supported by considerable broadcast publicity from all stations. As .required, the Service assisted the work of many other Government Departments by providing a means of immediate communication with the public. Announcements regarding missing persons and vehicles, broadcast at the request of the Police Department, totalled 1,221. Such services as navigational announcements for the Marine Department, time-signals, flood and road reports, in addition to national and local weather reports, were continued. Notices were broadcast for the Railways Department regarding delayed arrivals of express trains and the Economic Stabilization Commission's " Consumer Time " was a regular programme feature. The Service assisted local Power Boards by broadcasting announcements asking listeners to avoid using power unnecessarily, and, at the request of the authorities responsible for the conservation of electricity, broadcasting was again curtailed. From the Ist April to the 2nd June, 1947, broadcasting was restricted on week-days to 6 hours 30 minutes per day from each station. Following an improvement in the power situation, this was increased on the 3rd June to 9 hours 40 minutes, and on the 27th August stations reverted to their normal broadcasting hours, but were still subject to •daily close-down periods at times of peak load. THE NEW ZEALAND LISTENER The New Zealand Listener increased its circulation and extended its influence during -the year. The scarcity of paper compelled The Listener to restrict its size and turn away advertising, and the high cost of paper —now nearly three times the pre-war level — was not offset by any increase in advertising or circulation rates. In spite of these •obstacles, and substantial increases in outgoings, including the rates paid to contributors, The Listener balanced its budget. Until the world situation allows it to accumulate •enough paper to carry all the advertising that is offering it must maintain its present conservative policy in all departments. COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES Advertising , The general increase in some consumer goods was reflected in advertising sessions, ■where the institutional programmes associated with the war years had disappeared, .and sponsors were once again anxious to attract the maximum audience. As in previous years, sponsored programmes continued to include a wide diversity of types, including ■quiz, comedy, musical, variety, sports, and drama. Once again the Commercial Division was unable to place all the advertising offering, and some firms have been on the waiting-list for years. As the Service has been operating on a full schedule for a considerable time, and there were very few cancellations by sponsors, the possibility of accommodating these potential advertisers is remote, and the waiting-list is being added to each year. The twelve months under review brought many difficulties since drastic reductions in broadcasting hours, due to the power shortage, resulted in a considerable loss of revenue. At one period the loss was approximately 40 per cent, of normal revenue. Head Office Sales Organization was strengthened by the appointment of a Supervisor of Sales, whose duties will be to give advertisers and agencies even better service than they have had in the past, and generally to supervise time sales.

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Programmes Studio Presentations. —The extent to which ZB programmes are associated with listeners is sometimes overlooked. In addition to the many New Zealand artists who broadcast performances, a large number of individuals joined in audience-participation programmes. The following figures indicate the number of people who appeared before ZB microphones :

Station-built Programmes.—The programme and script writing staff supplied a great number of station-built programmes comprising either script and recordings or spoken material. The following figures give an indication of the extent to which these sessions contributed to the daily programmes :

Studio Interviews.—Many overseas visitors gave interviews or talks on a variety of subjects. These included Mr. Colin Horsley, New Zealand pianist; Madame Ninon Vallin, French soprano ; Messrs. Eugene Goossens and Warwick Braithwaite, overseas conductors ; Mr. Mierowski, pianist; Captain John Stewart, eye-witness account of the Texas City explosion ; Miss Violet Palmer, of the British Council; Mr. Boyd Neel; Miss Ruth Park, winner of the Sydney Morning Herald Literary Prize ; LieutenantCommander S. M. Smits, of the Netherlands Navy ; Miss Bathie-Stewart; Mr. Clement Williams, Australian baritone ; Dr. Carlson ; Sir John Falconer, former Lord Provost of Edinburgh ; Mr. Arne Okkenhaug, Director of School Broadcasts, Norway ; and Miss Mary Somerville, 0.8. E., Assistant-Controller of Talks to the British Broadcasting Corporation. Overseas Artists.—The Russian tenor, Senia Chostiakoff; Allen Eddy, Australian baritone ; and Nettie Mackay, New Zealand mezzo-soprano, toured the ZB stations and were very well received by listeners. Other visiting overseas artists who contributed to ZB programmes included John Charles Thomas, whose final New Zealand concert was given a Dominion-wide hook-up, and George Formby, who donated his services to the Aid to Britain Council for a nation-wide broadcast. In addition, there

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Station. Studio Presentations. Audience-participation Programmes. Total. 1ZB 452 1,002 1,454 2ZB 114 600 714 3ZB 599 260 859 4ZB 56 64 120 2ZA 96 196 292

Advertising Programme Non-advertising To tcil. Scripts. Programme Scripts, j 1ZB 200 100 300 2ZB 760 309 1,069 3ZB 811 640 1,451 4ZB 192 260 452 2ZA 228 193 421 2,191 1.502 3,693

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were Herta Glaz, Metropolitan Opera singer; Rosina Raisbeck, the well-known Australian artist; Simon Barere, world-famous pianist; the Whitehall Players ; and variety stars Ella Shields, Jenny Howard, and" Minnie Love. New Zealand Artists on Tour.—Marion Waite, soprano, and John Parkin, pianist, made a successful tour of the ZB stations, and it is hoped in the coming year to arrange tours of other New Zealand artists. The New Zealand baritone, William Clothier, also broadcast from the ZB stations during the year. Special Programmes. —A highlight of the year's broadcasts was the wedding of Her Royal Highness the Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, and ZB stations remained on the air much later than usual to cover this event. Other outstanding programmes included the Norman Corwin series " One World Flight," containing a special episode on New Zealand, and another Corwin programme entitled " The Time is Now," a world survey of United Nations' accomplishments. Another interesting documentary, from the Columbia Broadcasting System of the United States, was " The British Crisis," which comprised actuality broadcasts from the British Isles by the Right Honourable Clement Attlee, the Right Honourable Winston Churchill, the Right Honourable Ernest Bevin, and other important public figures. From the British Broadcasting Corporation came the documentary " Battle for Britain," commemorating the anniversary of that event. Favourable listener reaction to this programme was very marked. Other programmes dealt with such subjects as Easter customs ; the need for the utmost conservation of electric power ; origin of Friday the 13th ; the arrival of the British air-freighter ; leap year, under the title " Leave it to the Girls " ; the postmen's drive in the sale of health stamps ; the story of the Victoria League ; a story of the arrival of Santa Claus ; a descriptive survey of 1947 fashions ; singing by the Fijian cricketers ; the origin of April Fool's Day ; His Majesty's mails, portraying one hundred years Post Office history in Otago ; and the broadcast of the re-enactment of the landing of the pioneers at Port Chalmers ; the broadcast of the Centennial fireworks display in Dunedin ; and the covering of the New Zealand Brass and Pipe Band Championships. Considerable interest was taken in quiz programmes, and the Inter-Dominion Quiz between New Zealand and Australia was certainly a highlight of the year's programmes. The New Zealand team of four competitors included three who had taken part in various ZB quiz programmes, and, a lthough the Australian team won by a margin of two points, the decision was in doubt until the final round. Special Events. —Some stations, in association with advertisers, devoted time to entertaining children on the sth November. At IZB a very successful function was broadcast, and an ambitious fireworks display took place on the top of Mount Eden. It is estimated that some fifty thousand people witnessed the display. The Commercial network also made a special effort to provide Christmas cheer for orphan children, and listeners were asked to assist by contributing suitable toys and books. The results were very satisfactory, and several thousand articles were brought into the stations. In many instances listeners purchased goods for donation to this appeal. In one centre well over three thousand suitable books were donated by listeners, and more than two thousand assorted toys, some of them of a valuable nature, were distributed. Unfortunately, the poliomyelitis epidemic restrictions prevented the arranging of entertainments at the various orphanges, but in every case the toys were distributed. Women's Sessions. —-Women's sessions carried the maximum amount of advertising permitted, and, as with other sessions, there was a waiting-list of advertisers wishing to purchase time. A commencement was made with the complete reorganization and consolidation of women's sessions, and a Supervisor of Women's Sessions was appointed

2—F 3

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towards the end of the year. In these sessions the announcers were encouraged to include interesting material quite apart from the advertising matter, and every attempt was made to secure interest by way of interviews with women visiting from overseas. Controversial Broadcasting.—Towards the end of the year a start was made with a weekly session entitled "ZB Citizens' Forum." This session was conducted from public halls in the four main centres with a competent citizen as chairman. A panel of speakers was selected to support and attack the subject being discussed, and comment was permitted from the audience. No scripts were used by the speakers, but a great deal of preliminary work had to be handled by the station and chairman. Some of the subjects debated were : " Should Large-scale Immigration be Encouraged " ; " Should We Have a Staggered Forty-hour Week " ; "Do New Zealand Men Lack a Clothes Sense " ; " Should War Memorials Take the Form of Playing-fields " ; " What Can be Done to Prevent the Exodus of Highly Trained New Zealanders Overseas " ; " What Should We do to Check Rising Prices"; "Is Our Education System Satisfactory"; " Should Import Restrictions be Continued " ; " New Zealand and the Movies " ; " Should Married Women Work " ; "Do You Believe in Miracles Sports Sessions.—As in previous years, the Commercial network concentrated on the provision of an efficient sports result service, broadcasting results as received. On Saturday afternoons and holidays half-hourly summaries were broadcast. Sports sessions of general interest to sportsmen were also broadcast, in which the special announcers were encouraged to bring to the microphone people prominent in various sporting fields. These broadcasts included such items as the welcome back to New Zealand of the 1947 All Black Rugby Team ; interviews with Tom Heeney; Doug Harris, New Zealand athlete ; and Horace Lindrum on billiards. Other broadcasts featured Bos Murphy on the eve of his departure from New Zealand ; Dorrie Leslie, Olympic Games Starter ; and the South African Soccer Team. Special arrangements were also made by the Commercial Division to carry the full commentary on the world's heavyweight title fight between Joe Louis and Joe Walcott. The entire commentary was taken from the ringside to Wellington by radio telephone, and rebroadcast by all ZB stations. Coverage was also given to the overseas activities of the New Zealand boxer, Bos Murphy, interviews and summaries of his fights being brought to listeners. From Sydney a special programme featuring the All Blacks during their Australian visit was broadcast, while members of the Australian Women's Cricket Team and the Fijian Cricket Team also appeared before the ZB microphones. Services Session. —The Services' Sessions on the ZB stations were identified with those organizations working for the welfare of returned men and women from both wars. The outstanding highlight of the year was the visit of Field-Marshal Yiscount Montgomery, who broadcast greetings. Concert parties were taken to hospitals, and some broadcasts actually originated from hospital wards. Special dawn Anzac programmes were broadcast, together with special broadcasts later in the day. The session was available to Service organizations for notices of meetings, postponements, &c., and leaders of these organizations were accorded time on the air to broadcast in connection with their work. Feature Programmes. —During the year 10,132 quarter-hour programmes were auditioned, comprising 137 series. The countries of origin were as follows: 80 Australian ; 32 New Zealand ; 15 American ; 9 Great Britain; 1 Canadian. In each case the American programmes are merely continuation rights of features purchased some considerable time ago. No new American feature programme has been purchased since 10th September, 1946. It is interesting to note that a British firm is entering the feature business, and some of their programmes have been purchased by the Commerical Division. This is the first time that feature material from the British Isles has been available for sponsorship in New Zealand.

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Public Services The association between Commerical Broadcasting and public bodies extends through, national to local bodies, and station Managers are encouraged to take part in committee work in the public interest. Commercial station time to the value of many thousands of pounds was made available free or at greatly reduced rates during the year to help worthy causes. Organizations assisted included Red Cross, National Savings, Food for Britain, Aid for Britain, War Amputees' Association, British Empire Cancer Society, British Sailors' Society, Free Kindergarten, School Jubilees, Repertory Theatres, Merchant Navy, Royal Society of St. George, Children's Health Camps, Competitions Society, automobile associations and local bodies with flood warnings, National Orchestra, Y.M.C.A., Police Department, Post and Telegraph Department, St. John Ambulance, Association for the Blind, Plunket Society, Victoria League, &c. Special appeals were made in connection with road safety, leper comforts, and prevention of forest fires, &c. Commercial stations played an important part in the Royal Society of St. George Appeal, which took the form of a Miss New Zealand Quest, and also devoted considerable energy to the Aid for Britain Campaign. Special programmes have been presented in connection with various aspects of the campaign, highlights being progress broadcasts of the non-stop trip of the barque " Pamir " to England with supplies. Poliomyelitis Restrictions Poliomyelitis restrictions reduced the number of studio presentations from all stations. At the height of the epidemic North Island stations made special preparations for entertaining junior listeners, and some success was achieved in this field. Technical Recording facilities were improved, and each ZB station equipped with the latest portable tape recording machine which enabled stations to obtain much more " on the spot " material than previously. FINANCIAL REPORT Audited accounts for the year will be published in parliamentary paper 8.-l [Pt. IV]. Summarized information is given below, with figures for the previous year shown in parentheses : National Division Income for the year was £507,320 (£490,635), including radio licence fees, £478,274 (£459,515), and net profit on publication of the New Zealand listener, £3,938 (£4,632). Programme expenditure totalled £163,029 (£144,029), payments to members of the National Orchestra and other orchestras accounting for £70,958 (£45,491) of this amount. The total also includes £37,282 paid for talent and miscellaneous charges, £54,789. General administrative and running expenses cost £190,641 (£172,283), and the total expenditure (including provision for depreciation) amounted to £380,417 (£334,728), leaving a surplus for the year of £126,903 (£155,907). Investments remain at £1,830,000. Commercial Division Reductions in broadcasting hours throughout the year, due to power-restrictions; caused a reduction on sales of station time to £248,392 (£303,114). With the addition of miscellaneous revenue, £6,379 (£6,626), total income amounted to £254,771 (£309,740). Local and national community organizations were granted free announcements to the value of £2,461, and Government Departments and non-profit-making organizations were allowed rate concessions valued at £8,790.

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Programme expenditure amounted to £31,765 (£32,660). Commercial stations also made use of talent and recorded features supplied by advertisers at no cost to the Service. General administrative and running expenses (including provision for depreciation) amounted to £193,536 (£181,454), net profit being £29,470 (£95,626). After providing a reserve of £17,300 to meet taxation on the year's profits, the accumulated balance of Appropriation Account as at 31st March, 1948, stands at £179,349. ENGINEERING SECTION Development The plans approved in 1946-47 for the establishment of new stations and the increase in power of many of the existing transmitters are being proceeded with. The necessary steps have been taken to order the technical equipment, arrange studio accommodation, and acquire land and buildings for the transmitters. Transmitters.—Of the orders placed for the transmitters, six of the 2 kW. transmitters are now in New Zealand, The manufacture of 60 kW., 10 kW., and other 2 kW. transmitters is proceeding in Sydney. Larger transmitters are to be installed in the transmitting buildings at Henderson, Titahi Bay, Gebbies Pass, and Highcliff. To accommodate the additional aerial systems required for use with these transmitters it has been necessary to purchase further land at these locations. For the Bay of Plenty and West Coast (South Island) transmitters, sites have been obtained at Paengaroa and Kumara Junction respectively. In the case of the smaller stations a departure is being made from the practice of installing the transmitters in the cities and in the same building as the studios. Under these conditions it is difficult and often impossible to erect an aerial radiating structure which performs efficiently according to modern standards. For this reason it has been decided to locate these transmitters some two miles or so from the cities, in a position where it is possible to select an area of land suitable for the-175 ft. mast radiator and adequate earth-screen. The removal of the transmitters from the city areas in this way will also make it easier for listeners in these areas to receive distant stations. In order to economize in technical staff these small transmitters will be controlled remotely from the studios and will operate unattended. Aerial Radiating Systems. —At the four principal transmitting-stations arrangements have been made to improve the efficiency of the present radiating systems by the extension of the ground screens to- conform with the best practice. As additional transmitters are being installed at these stations it is necessary to provide further aerial radiators, and these will comprise a 500 ft. mast at Henderson and 400 ft. masts at Titahi Bay, Gebbies Pass, and Highcliff. These masts will be sectionalized and electrically loaded. This enables a smaller mast to be used than would otherwise be necessary, resulting in a considerable saving in cost. Owing to the shortage of steel in Australia, the manufacture of these masts has been delayed, and it is likely that some of them may not be in operation until the end of 1949. Arrangements will be made, however, to use temporary aerial systems in the meantime, but these will not be such efficient radiators and will not provide such good coverage as will be obtained with the final masts. As a further economy measure it is intended to operate two transmitters simultaneously from each mast system. To enable this to be carried out satisfactorily it is necessary to change the frequencies of some of the stations.

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Changes in the cases of a few other stations are being made at the same time to give improved, coverage and reduction of interference from Australian stations. A conference between the Australian and New Zealand Administrations was held in Melbourne in March for the purpose of determining suitable frequencies for both Australian and New Zealand stations so that they will interfere with each other to the least possible extent. Buildings.—At Whangarei, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Rotorua studio-sites have been purchased. Temporary studios constructed from war assets' surplus buildings are being provided at Whangarei and Rotorua, but at Hamilton, Wanganui, and Timaru accommodation is being leased. Recording New disk-recording equipment was provided at the studios in Christchurch, and similar equipment is being manufactured for Dunedin. Additional accommodation was arranged at the Burns Hall, Dunedin, and is now being modified for use as recording studios. Mobile Recording Van. —The mobile recording van underwent a successful year in service, and travelled both in the North and South Islands. For use with this van it was found necessary to design and manufacture special recording-machines which would withstand the vibration involved while travelling throughout the country. The van is self-contained with all equipment for disk-recording, and when being operated in areas remote from power-supply makes use of an engine-driven electric-generating plant mounted on a trailer. Tape-recorders. —An innovation in portable recording equipment now in use at the principal stations is the magnetic tape-recorder. Considerable success is being obtained with these recorders owing to their freedom from the many troubles experienced with the portable disk-recorders previously in use. A more advanced high-grade model for studio use is being obtained from England to enable its performance to be compared with our present high-grade disk-recorders. Electric-power Conservation Throughout the year, but to a greater extent in the winter months, special cuts in broadcasting hours were imposed by the Dominion Electricity Controller. These cuts are for the purpose of conserving electrical energy, and the principal saving is effected by the switching-off of listeners' radio receivers, as their power-consumption in the aggregate reaches appreciable proportions. The power consumed by the broadcastingstations themselves, however, is negligible compared with the total load throughout the Dominion. It is estimated that there are about five hundred thousand radio sets in New Zealand, and if half of these are being used at one time the approximate total power-consumption would be 15,000 kilowatts, spread over the whole of New Zealand. As opposed to this, the total power required to operate the broadcasting-stations is about 550 kilowatts. Navigational Aids Aircraft in New Zealand make frequent use of the broadcasting-stations as navigational aids, particularly in bad weather. Special arrangements are sometimes made at the request of the Air Department for certain transmitters to be put into service at times when thev would otherwise be shut down.

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Short-wave Service The installation at Titahi Bay of the two high-frequency transmitters and the first set of aerial arrays was completed during the year, and temporary studio accommodation has been arranged in the city. The aerial arrays which were installed will direct transmissions in a north-westerly direction, and a second set to transmit in a north-easterly direction is planned, but progress is held up owing to difficulties in getting suitable steel masts. This second set will improve the service which can be given to the Island Territories in the Pacific. Test programmes were radiated nightly for one week during November, and reception reports were obtained from many countries. Reports from Australia, India, Malaya, Japan, and the Pacific Islands were most gratifying and show that a useful service can be provided to these areas. It is expected that the regular service will commence later this year.

Stations in Operation The following stations were in operation during the year :

Hours of Transmission The aggregate programme transmission time of all stations, both National and Commercial, amounted during the year to 72,438 hours. Of the scheduled programme time, 20 hours were lost due to technical defects in equipment and 28 hours due to failures of the mains power-supply. This does not include time lost through shut-downs for the purpose of electricity-conservation.

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Station. Location of Studio. Location of Transmitter. Frequency. Power. Kilocycles/sec. k.W. 1YA Auckland Henderson 650 10-0 1YX Auckland Auckland 880 0-15 1ZB* Auckland Henderson 1,070 1-0 1ZM Auckland Henderson 1,250 0-75 2YBf New Plymouth New Plymouth 810 0-1 2ZJt Gisborne Gisborne 980 0-25 2ZMJ Gisborne Gisborne 1,180 0-09 2YH Napier Opapa 750 5-0 2ZA* Palmerston North.. Palmerston North.. 1,400 0-25 2YA Wellington Titahi Bay 570 60-0 2YC Wellington Titahi Bay 840 5-0 2 YD Wellington Wellington 990 0-5 2ZB* Wellington Wellington 1,130 1-0 2YN Nelson Nelson 920 0-03 3YA Christchurch Gebbies Pass 720 10-0 3YL Christchurch Christchurch 1,200 0-3 3ZB* Christchurch Christchurch 1,430 1-0 3ZR Greymouth Greymouth 940 0-1 4YA Dunedin Highcliff 790 10-0 4Y0 Dunedin Dunedin 1,140 0-15 4ZB* Dunedin Highcliff 1,310 1-0 4ZDJ Dunedin .. Dunedin 1,010 0-06 4YZ Invercargill Dacre 680 5-0 * Commercial Division stations. t Owned by New Zealand Broadcasting Service and operated under contract. J Privately-owned, but subsidized by New Zealand Broadcasting Service.

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Samoa Acting under authority, the New Zealand Broadcasting Service arranged for the purchase and installation of a broadcasting-station for the Administration of Western Samoa. The station is located at Apia and operated in the usual medium wave broadcasting band with an output of 2 kW. on a frequency of 1,420 kc./s. It commenced regular transmissions on 31st January. Special battery-operated radio-receiving sets were provided for the Native villages. Frequency Modulation Inquiries are being received from time to time as to whether New Zealand is going to adopt " F.M." (frequency modulated transmissions). The advantage of this system lies not so much in the improvement claimed in modulation, but in the use of high-frequency transmission, thus opening up a new broadcasting band with many additional channels. In the principal overseas countries there are many more broadcasting-stations than can be accommodated in the normal medium-wave band, so that a further group of channels is of considerable value. In New Zealand, however, this situation does not occur as there are still many channels available for new stations. Disadvantages in the use of these high frequencies are, firstly, the limited range obtained, usually not much more than a clear optical range ; and, secondly, the necessity of listeners purchasing special receiving-sets. The sets now generally in use throughout New Zealand, even though fitted for short-wave reception, are not suitable for " F.M." reception. In these circumstances it is considered that the expenditure of money on this new system is not justified under the present conditions in New Zealand. Television Although progress is being made overseas in the improvement of television, universal standards of operation have not yet been agreed upon, and considerable development work is still being carried out. Owing to the very high costs of equipment and programmes, combined with the short range of the transmissions, it is impracticable to introduce a television service in New Zealand in the immediate future. The advances which are being made overseas are, however, being closely watched with a view to its installation when costs are sufficiently reduced. James Shelley, Director of Broadcasting.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (713 copies), £46

By Authority: E, V, Paul, Government Printer, Wellington. —1948.

Price 9d.~\

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