NATIONAL BROADCASTING STATION

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21419, 11 March 1935, Page 7

NATIONAL BROADCASTING STATION

I Tri IHI EDITOS. OF THE FES3T-. j Sir,-Your sub-leader on the above | subject, is soHrrpl.v indicative of a . vitv profound knowledge of the pro- | Mriu of broadcasting in country and your somewhat. vague misgivings can hardly be taken seriously by anyone who has given thought 1o the matter. There is a definite need for a station such as the one proposed, on which the Broadcasting Board could concentrate a large proportion of its income. In fact, it would enable the board to counteract the tendency to a dispersal of resources- —a x'esult Quite the opposite to that which you foresee. Such a station could have attached to it an orchestra capable of rendering adequatelv all symphonic works and in addition several talented instrumentalists who would provide us with nil the chamber music we desire, an innovation which has tor long been advocated by your correspondent "Musical." It would be necessary that all this talent be permanently attached to the board's staff at a .fulltime salary if any good is to come of it. and 1 would prefer to see a conductor imported from abroad. In addition I would like to see a company of men snd women with unquestionable dramatic gifts engaged to piesent some of the innumerable radio plays which are available. The board could also improve the national programme from time to time by the engagement of visiting celebrated artists for a series of recitals, which would be an economy on the present method of engaging one or two obscure and rather commonplace vocalists and dragging them up and down the country- A further economy would be that a national station would render the present four alternative stations unnecessary. In any case, they would be little loss, their programmes consisting entirely of a rehash of the YA programmes. The existing YA stations would orovido all the alternative pro-ni-apimes required. These stations ! could continue with their present ! pclicv of featuring recorded items ; and our so-called "local talent." In ihort, a powerful national station offers the only solution of the problem of raising the standard of our broadcasting service, and this solution has the added advantage of being more economical than present methods. Finallv. I would like to point out that in* Greit Britain, a country no more" difficult to cover from a broadcasting point of view, there are about 10 stations operating, most of which have a power of 50 k.w., and one of ■ them is a superstation of 150 k.w. In Japan, also, a country similar geographically to our own, about 14 stations have a power of 10 k.w. This gives some indication of the modern conception of adequate coverage. We in New Zealand must, of course, be satisfied with less than this; but the economy which will result with the installation of a station which will, provide a good service to all within a radius of 500 miles should be .sufficient to warrant the initial capital expenditure.—Yours, etc., E. W. WHITWORTH. Rangiora, March 8, 1935.