F.—3

The operational details of these stations were as follows :—

The present war conditions have made it impossible to obtain major technical equipment, and it has not been possible to proceed with the normal development programme required to give improved service to listeners remote from a transmitting-station. The limited supplies of minor technical equipment, such as spare parts, continue to be just sufficient to enable the existing stations to be maintained. However, work is progressing in the improvement of recording facilities at the various stations. A considerable proportion of skilled staff has been released for service with the Armed Forces, and accordingly it has been necessary to require an appreciable amount of overtime to be worked. Short-ivave Receiving Service.—Tbe reception of overseas short-wave broadcasting-stations, both 8.8.C. and others, has become a very important phase of the work of this Service. For this purpose a new site has been obtained at Makara in co-operation with the Post and Telegraph Department. This supersedes the temporary site near Paremata. A building has been provided at the Makara site to house the receiving equipment required, and various aerial systems have been erected suitable for reception of signals from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, and other countries. Much improved reception of overseas stations is now obtained, and listeners have benefited by increased clarity of the daily rebroadcasts of news, commentaries, and talks from abroad. In addition to providing facilities for rebroadcasting, regular monitoring of certain stations is carried out for intelligence purposes, under the direction of War Cabinet. The National Broadcasting Service is represented on the Radio Propagation Committee, which is working in collaboration with similar organizations in other parts of the world, on research into the problems of reliable long-distance transmission of radio waves. During the year nine new houses have been constructed at outlying stations for the accommodation of married officers and their families. Short-wave Transmitting Service.—Two 7| kW. short-wave transmitters originally ordered by another Department for war purposes have been made available recently to this Department. Arrangements are in hand for the installation of these transmitters and the provision of the necessary aerial arrays at Titahi Bay. Owing to their relatively low power these stations will not provide coverage in distant countries, but will give a reasonable service to the New Zealand dependencies and Armed Services in the Pacific. Hours of Transmission. —The aggregate transmission time of all the stations, both National and Commercial, amounted during the year to 79,775 hours. Of the scheduled transmission time, only 65 hours were lost. This figure includes 35| hours due to mains power failures beyond the control of this Department and 29 hours due to failures of technical equipment. This very low figure reflects the high standard of technical maintenance carried out by the depleted technical staff of this Department, particularly in view of the effect of the adverse war conditions on the supply of maintenance material. Receiving Licenses.—During the year, 379,242 receiving licenses were issued, an increase for the year of 3,789. James Shelley, Director of Broadcasting. Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (590 copies), £13 10s.

By Authority: E. V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington, —l94s. Price 6d.~\

7

o, .• Cl , . Transmitter Aerial ™ Station. Studio Location. Energy Frequency. kW. Kilocycles/sec. 1YA .. .. Auckland. .. .. .. 10-00 650 1ZB* .. .. „ .. .. .. 1-00 1,070 1ZM .. .. „ .. .. .. 0-75 1,250 1YX .. .. „ .. .. 0-15 880 2ZJf .. Gisborne .. .. .. 0-10 980 2ZMJ .. .. „ .. .. .. 0-015 1,180 2YH .. .. Napier .. .. .. 5-00 750 2YBf .. .. New Plymouth .. .. 0-03 810 2ZA* .. .. Palmerston North .. .. 0-25 1,400 2YA .. .. Wellington.. .. .. 60-00 570 2YC .. .. „ .. .. .. 5-00 840 2ZB* .. .. „ .. .. .. 1-00 1,130 2 YD .. .. „ .. .. .. 0-50 990 2YN .. .. Nelson .. .. .. 0-03 920 3ZR .. .. Greymouth .. .. 0-10 940 3YA .. .. Christchurch .. .. 10-00 720 3ZB* .. .. „ .. .. I -00 1,430 3YL .. .. ,, .. .. 0-30 1,200 4YA .. .. Dunedin .. .. .. 10-00 790 4ZB* .. .. Dunedin .. .. .. 1-00 1,310 4YO .. .. „ .. .. .. 0-15 1,140 4ZD:f .. .. „ .. .. .. 0-20 1,110 4YZ .. .. Invercargill .. .. 5-00 | 680 * Transmitting Commercial Division programmes. f Operated under contract for National Broadcasting Service. t Private stations subsidized by National Broadcasting Service.