RADIO NOTES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 89, 9 January 1935, Page 6

RADIO NOTES

4—— Dunedin’s New Station SUCCESSFUL TENDER To Operate This Year The Broadcasting Board states that Amalgamated Wireless Ltd. (Australasia) are the successful tenderers for the new transmitter ro be erected at Highcliff, Otago Peninsula. This new transmitter will serve Dunedin and the area in the vicinity. It will have a power of 10 kilowatts and will embody the very latest in transmitting technique. 'lhe aerial will be of the umbrella type, as has proved so satisfactory at the new station at Auckland. The wavelength will be the same as that used by the present station. At present no date <-au be fixed when this station will be taken into use. Tne authorities are confident, however, th.it it will be operating well before the end of the year. It is understood that at present the existing studio will not be superseded by a new one. Plans, however, are in hand for a uew studio later an. Wellington listeners can already hear the Dunedin station at good strength. The new station will be sufficiently powerful to give Wellington another local station in addition to the new station near Christchurch. Empire Sport.

Beginning on December S, it is proposed to devote more time in the Empire news bulletins to sport. Full details ot the leading events in the sporting world which take place each Saturday will he included in the news bulletins which are broadcast in transmissions four and five on that day. This sporting news will be repeated each Monday for the benefit n t listeners in transmissions one, two and three. In response to many requests from listeners in all parts of the world, the results of Association football matches in the third division and those of _ the Rugby League will be given, and it is hoped, if time permits, to include those of the second division of the Scottish League. In addition, it is proposed, tor the time being at any rate, to include a short general sports talk in the Empire programmes after each reading of the weekly newsletter on Sundays.

Coming Events. Madame Goossens-Viceroy will be heard from 4YA on Thursday, January 10, at 8.23 and 8.51. p.m Those who make a point of tuning in to the wayward happenings of that Japanese houseboy and his employer will be interested to know that a further episode will be transmitted from 2YA at 9,4. p.m. on Thursday, January 10. Empire Broadcasts.

No doubt the success of the recent Empire broadcast at Christmas time will encourage the authorities in Englund to further flights of Empire fancy. There is miich talk about the concert of nations, but judging by the success of the recent broadcast there is nothing to prevent a concert of Empire with the pianist in England, the violinist in Canada, another instrumentalist in New Zealand, and others scattered in other parts of the Empire. Let us hope that these.occasions will not degenerate into dull political events in which dreary speeches whft ever-indulged listeners into a peaceful sleep. Dominion calling to Dominion and the Mother Country calling across the waters to her that have grown up adds a new note to the cacophony of nations. There is no doubt that the idea is capable of being developed under good guidance until it becomes as much a part of Christinas as Father Christmas himself. Indeed one day this gentleman himself may be waylaid sorw W’here up in the Arctic and add his voice to the festivities. Whales. Let us hope that the prevalent idea in England at the moment is not that the staple industry in New Zealand is the catching of whales. There is no doubt as to the success of the whaling broadcast during Christmas time.. Possibly there is an idea that we rush out into the middle of Cook Strait at the cry ‘‘There she blows!” Perhaps this could have been prevented if more stress had been made of the fact that the radio authorities in England asked not for typical examples of the various Dominion's occupations, but for unusual ones. As a matter of fact, we ought to take more pride than we do in the fact that the whaling industry in New Zealand is the one and only one of that nature in the whole of the British Empire. At one time,'of course, a similar industry was carried out from Sydney and elsewhere, but the honours to-day are with New Zealand. How many people in New Zealand realise this fact? Meanwhile, the High Commissioner in England might well be asked to reveal that whaling in New Zealand is almost a one-man job; not a national romance. Auckland Testing.

Although the uew transmitter at Auckland has been operating for some weeks now, it is still, in the hands of the contractors. The radio authorities have yet to take over the station, The station, is carrying out a series of comprehensive tests, ns many listeners know. They do not know, however, that so far the station has not worked anywhere near full power. Nevertheless, good reports of reception have been received by the Radio Board from all parts of the North Island. The uew transmitter is particularly strong in Wellington, and even by day it can be received at fair strength. It would seem that the Wellington area is particularly well situated for reception of the new station, whose power is so great that there is rarely the slightest difficulty to receive them. Indeed, when the Australians blossom forth with their vastly increased power we shall be on the verge of having an interference problem all our.own. One has only to visit '•England to discover just what this means.