THE B.B.C. BROADCASTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24420, 4 October 1940, Page 4

THE 8.8. C. BROADCASTS

TO THE EDITOR Sir, —Before the advent of New Zealand summer time last Sunday, the majority of listeners in New Zealand, I venture to say, listened with intense interest to the ‘ Headline News” which was followed by a commentary, in rotation, by Messrs A. G. Macdonnell, Vernon Bartlett, and George Slocombe. I personally had the feeling that I was listening to experts who knew what they were talking about and were also at the heart of things. This feature was broadcast direct from London at 12.30 p.m. and rebroadcast from a recording at 1.15 p.m., so that most people could listen in during their lunch hour. Since last Sunday, however, this feature has been eliminated, and we are now served up with a late lunch-time news bulletin which appears to have been kept warm from a previous broadcast. It appears to me that the National Broadcasting Service still has no idea of what listeners want. The majority of people want to hear McDonnell and his colleagues, and it would be interesting to know what explanation those responsible can make for the elimination of the most interesting item of the day’s broadcast. It surely must appeal more to the listening public than, for example, the hotchpotch of hashed up and badly read news which has been a feature at 9 p.m. during the last few evenings.—l am, etc.. Ariel. Dunedin, October 1. ' j'

[Certain changes in the times of broadcasts have been necessitated by the introduction of daylight saving, but the matter to which bur correspondent refers has already been referred to the Director of Broadcasting. Ed. 0.D.T.l