RADIO BROADCASTING

Otago Witness, Issue 4029, 2 June 1931, Page 62

RADIO BROADCASTING

PROBABLE CHANCE OF SYSTEM: NETWORK OF RELAY STATIONS, WELLINGTON, Alay 28. The lease of the Radio Broadcasting: Company of the major stations throughout New Zealand expires on December 31, and as adequate notice will have to be given to the company should the Government decide to alter the system of control it will be necessary for Cabinet to decide upon the future policy concerning radio broadcasting in the Dominion at an early date. It is understood that the Government contemplates changing the present system and legislation providing for this will probably be prepared for presentation to Parliament next session.

Speaking in the House last year the Postmaster-general (Air J. B. Donald) outlined a scheme providing for relay stations which would form a network throughout the whole country, so that the owners of small sets would be able to listen in to practically every partof the Dominion. It is understood that it is proposed to adopt this scheme, at least so far as its main essentials are concerned, although no official information is available as to the future policy of ownership or control. Broadly speaking, there are three principal systems of wireless control in vogue in other countries. In the United States the stations are licensed, but no license fee is charged to listeners. The broadcasting companies there obtain their revenue by various methods of direct and indirect advertising. In Australia there is a system of divided control under which the State has charge of the technical side, while private companies attend to the programmes. In Great Britain broadcasting is in the hands of the British Broadcasting Corporation, an independent body free from political control. This corporation handles the revenue from the licenses which are issued at a charge of 10s a year. Which of these schemes is at present favoured by the Postmastergeneral is not known, although when speaking on the question in the House Air Donald seemed inclined to the view that the State should control the service, either partly or wholly. The Radio Broadcasting Company lias been given to understand that its license will not be renewed, although official notice has not been given to it. An important feature of the proposal to establish minor stations throughout the Dominion will be that the whole of New Zealand will be brought within the range of a crystal set. The proposal is to run land-lines to the small stations in towns where there is at present no broadcasting apparatus. Air Donald said in the House that these minor stations would be set up at Whangarei, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Napier or Hastings, Wanganui, Timaru, and Invercargill. They will receive programmes by land-lines and broadcast these in the ordinary way. At present 2YA, Wellington, has an installed capacity of 5000 watts in order to prove of full utility in time of national crisis. It is possible that under the new scheme the stations at the other centres will have their capacity increased from 500 to 2000 watts.