SOUTHLAND RADIO

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 150, 13 July 1937, Page 13

SOUTHLAND RADIO

No Delay in Erection of New Station PR0F. SHELLYS PR0MISE A promise that there would be uo unnecessary delay iu establishing the new broadcasting station in Invercargill was made by the Director of Broadcasting, Professor James Shelley, in an address to members of the Southland Listeners' League. He explainel that everything depended on the contractor for the equipment, and tenders would be received for this from Australia, England and America. Professor Shelley expressed his admiratiou for the way in which listeners had looked after broadcasting in Southland, despite the faet that the proviuce was more or less "shut in." "May I also say how pleased I am to be down here," he added. "I think we can promise you that when the new station is up you will have a first-clasa service in Invercargill, Gore, Bluff, Riverton and all other important places in Southland. Certainly your studio will be in Invercargill, but for the sake of Invercargill itself the station itself will have to be outside. as otherwise you would not receive any other station but your own. In the English towns the stations have to be at leasl 16 miles outside — that it, for transmitting. One of the important things as far as broadcasting was concerned, Professor Shelley declared, was an opportunity to develop New Zealand 's own native culture and he would like to look on the studios as the cultural centre of the whole district and - the point where all the best linguistic and musical culture should meet. The treatment of the present station, he said, depended a little on whether the Government bought it oi not. He was not in a position to say whether the Government would buy it, but whatever happened they would be in a better position. It was his intention to try to develop the sort of service they would have when the big station came. "The putting of the new station on the air will not be held up one minute. The whole thing depends on the contractor for the broadcasting equipment. We have to call tenders from Australia, England and America. As soon as these are in they will be decided straight away, the order will be given and the equipment will be made. The equipment has to be put together in the country where it is made and tested scompletely and then dismantled for export. When it does come out here the buildings "will all be ready to receive it, so it won't be held up in New Zealand. "Your attitude now is one I rejoice in," Professor Shelley continued. "You know how difficult it is to find out what listeners really want for often when a man tells you what the majority of listeners want he generally means what he wants and the two or three who were an the room with him at the time. A listeners' league of this kind which can make itself informed of what people do want can be of great service. It all depends on the demand. Invercargill being of the south has, of course, a high standard of culture, and the best' reeords will be available. The service has 80..000 reeords and all the great works, and if Invercargill wants that service dt can get it. "I hope the Listeners' League will retain that spirit of help because there is no doubt that broadcasting is going to be one of the greatest cultural faetors, if not the greatest, in the world. Hitler says that the Nazis went into power by broadcasting and not by bullets, and dt was stated in England that llje factors in the next war would be the navy, the army, the air force, and broadcasting. By broadcastings yop can put an idea in the mind, of a whole people in one day, and it provides a closer bond between people than anything you could find in cold p^rint. " Everything depended, he said, on, how it would be developed — whether dt would be a magnificent community service or a trivial entertainment that would be seized upon for baser ends.