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During the past year officers attached to the Mobile Recording Unit have compiled 37 half-hour dramatized programmes on various South Island towns and districts. In addition, 26 quarter-hour programmes of recordings taken by the Unit were prepared. These programmes have had a wide listening audience in the South Island. Overseas Rebroadcasts Among the outstanding rebroadcasts from overseas were messages from His Majesty the King at Christmas and on the opening night of the " Colonial Month " Exhibition held in London. Reports on the signing of the Atlantic Pact, broadcasts dealing with the Edinburgh Musical Festival, Radio Olympia, Christmas bells from famous English churches, and the speech by Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth from the Guildhall at the opening of an appeal for funds for a students' hostel in London were also broadcast. Sporting Broadcasts During the year there were many outstanding broadcasts of sporting events. Among these were the broadcast coverage of a number of major tours by New Zealand and overseas teams, and of the British Empire Games at Auckland. Extensive broadcast coverage was given to the New Zealand Rugby Team's tour of South Africa, the New Zealand Cricket Teams' tour of England, and the New Zealand Maori Rugby Football Team's tour of Australia. Touring New Zealand were teams representing Australia at Rugby, Rugby league, cricket, ladies golf, a badminton team, and an Australian Universities Rugby team. All these tours were covered either by direct rebroadcast or by announcement of results. The Rugby tour of South Africa provided special technical problems for broadcasting. The great distances in Africa from some of the playing-grounds to the transmitting-stations resulted in a considerable loss of technical quality. On one occasion over one thousand miles of relay line separated the originating point from the transmitting aerial. This, coupled with the fact that the reception in New Zealand of South African transmission is difficult, meant that the matches were not always received with clarity. The South African Broadcasting •Corporation co-operated in making these broadcasts possible. The New Zealand cricket tour of England was also fully covered by the Service, and thanks are extended to the 8.8.C. for their co-operation in providing wide coverage for the matches. The commentaries by the 8.8.C. commentators proved very popular in New Zealand. In addition to the broadcasts associated with these tours, the Service broadcast regularly local fixtures in such sports as Rugby, league, association football, racing, wrestling, boxing, tennis, yachting, and many others. In addition to the actual commentaries, the stations made Dominion-wide broadcasts of results and summaries. Overseas sporting events which were rebroadcast by New Zealand stations included the Melbourne Cup, the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, the Derby, tennis from Wimbledon, and the boxing contest between Bruce Woodcock and Freddie Mills. Special arrangements were made to cover the British Empire Games held at Auckland. The main National stations of the Service were occupied during Empire Games week with broadcast descriptions of the various events. These broadcasts appear to have been very well received both within and outside New Zealand. 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. -

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