F—3

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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