RADIO SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 288, 3 September 1942, Page 5

RADIO SERVICES

Merger Of Technical Branches

With a view to releasing the maximum number of radio technicians for more important war work, the War Cabinet has decided upon a merger of the technical branches of the national aud commercial broadcasting services.

This has been done on. the recommendation of the Minister in Charge of Broadcasting, Mr. Wilson. The Minister said that both radio services had been working for many months with greatly depleted staffs, owing to the large number of male employees who qad been called up for service with the armed forces, and the only possible way in which further technicians could be released was by a merger. “Mr. J. R. Smith, who is at present chief engineer of the National Broadcasting Service,” said Mr. Wilson, wm in future be the chief engineer of the combined technical services, and as a result the National Broadcasting Service will provide the transmitting and other technical requirements of the commercial service. The technical staff of the cominercial service will be taken over, including the chief engineer, Mr. R. E. Graingl’i'.’’ . . ~ The Minister also said that consideration was being given to the elimination for the duration of the. war of any and every superfluous’ function of broadcast* ing, which would'result in a further re* lease of manpower.