BROADCASTING STATION FOR THE BAY OF PLENTY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 35, 20 December 1948, Page 5

BROADCASTING STATION FOR THE BAY OF PLENTY

Link To Whakatane Studios Mentioned The expansion plans of the National Broadcasting Service in providing new broadcasting .stations in various districts throughout the Dominion is going to affect Bay of Plenty listeners, A new station, with a call sign IYZ, is now in the course of construction; the transmitter at Paengaroa and the studios at Rotorua. Later, it is intended to link with other studios at Tauranga and it has been mentioned that there is a possibility of studios being constructed at Whakatane to also link with the transmitter. However, this has not been mentioned officially and up to the present very little has been heard - of the suggestion of including Whakatane in the network. Work Proceeding Work on the new transmitter is proceeding steadily and the foundations for the new 500 feet aerial mast are already laid. Buildings are being erected too. Te site of the operations is.a distance of approximately 23 miles from Tauranga and is a triangle formed by the junction of the Whakatane, Tauranga,and Maketu roads. It is a short distance only from the Paengaroa, Railway Station, being situated to the north-west of the railway line.. The main feature of the project will be the construction of the mast and, at 500 feet, it will reach into heights previously unheard of for any type of structure in the Bay of Plenty. The tallest mast- in New .’Zealand carries the radio beams from - the 2YA station in Wellington. Its height is 710 feet. The mast at Paengaroa will compare with the one for IZB, in Auckland. The strength of the transmitter will be 10 kilowatts, the same as IYA, Auckland. Erection Of Buildings The building will be L-shaped, with a floor space covering 3240 square feet, and includes the transmitting station, which is a temporary structure, a workroom residential quarters providing four single "bedrooms and the usual amenities of a private residence. Nearby, a "three-bedroomed’ dwelling has alTeady been erected, and is practically ready for occupation. The mast :is eight chains from the studio. The original, intention of the National Broadcasting Service was to have the station in operation in time for the Royal Tour, which has since been postponed. Although this deadline does not now exist, it is thought that radio waves will be transmitted from Paengaroa Within te first four months of _ the new year.