Radio Committee Wants Settlement

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 649, 29 April 1929, Page 10

Radio Committee Wants Settlement

CITY COUNCIL FIRM BAND CONCERT DISPUTE To explain publicly the details of the deadlock between the City Council and the Radio Broadcasting Company of New Zealand, Ltd. on the question of Municipal Band concerts, the Musical and Dramatic Advisory Committee of IYA has released for publication its correspondence relating to the sub ject. On April 10, Mr. K. Atkinson, chairman of lYA’s Musical and Dramatic Committee, forwarded to the town clerk and the general manager of the Radio Broadcasting Company copies of a resolution carried at a meeting of his committee on April 5. This resolution asked what reasons, if any, prevented a contract being entered into for broadcasting the Municipal Band performances only, since relays of organ recitals unfortunately had proved most unpopular with the listeners, and the city organist has long ago freely expressed his opposition on artistic and musical grounds to broadcast the organ recitals, declaring it was a caricature of the real thing. The letter closed with an assurance of the committee’s desire for a speedy, amicable and satisfactory settlement COUNCIL’S REPLY In return the town clerk wrote stating that the City Council at its meeting on April 18 directed him to reply that the only reason preventing a contract was the non-compliance by the company with the council’s requirements for the payment of £SOO a year. Mr. A. R. Harris, general manager of the company, replied, also, and expressed his sympathy with the committee’s desire to see the band music made available. The company, he said, had made earnest endeavour to arrive at a reasonable arrangement. The City Council originally made no charge for the broadcasting of the band’s Sunday evening concerts. Later the council asked for payment, and, rather than disappoint listeners, the company agreed to pay £3OO a year for the right to broadcast all band and organ recitals exclusive only of the performances given at the zoo. Last year the council demanded £750 a year for 37 band concerts, only 11 of which were to be Town Hall performances; also a number of organ recitals. To these terms the company could not agree. A few weeks ago the company again approached the council and submitted an offer of £352 16s for a minimum of 48 performances—4o band concerts and the balance organ recitals with Municipal Choir —these being the only performances suitable for broadcasting. The City Council submitted a counter-proposal of £SOO for 80 concerts, including 37 organ recitals. NOT AT ANY PRICE The council did not suggest that £352 16s was inadequate payment for 40 hand performances, so that it is clear that the additional payment demanded was intended as payment for the organ recitals which the great majority of listeners do not Avant at any price, and which therefore the company could not make use of. The company’s offer represented £7 7s a broadcast, including the 20 Sunday evening concerts from which the council derives no revenue at all. Figured on the basis of those concerts for which admission is charged, the company’s offer represented approximately 15 guineas a concert. The council’s alternative, covering 80 performances, works out at a lower cost to the company a performance, but included some 35 performances quite unsuitable for broadcasting and which, consequently, the company could not use to the satisfaction of listeners. “It need only be added,” says the letter, “that the council declined to consider the question from the broad community service point of view; disregarded the great publicity value of broadcasting to the city; failed to realise that broadcasting would hav* helped materially to justify the continued maintenance of the band at the expense of the ratepayers by making the band’s services of interest and value to an immeasurably larger number of people; and, in its attempt to grasp the shadow of an excessive fee, deprived the ratepayers of the substance of a reasonable contribution toward the cost of maintaining the band.”