RADIO AND ITS RECEIVERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1001, 18 June 1930, Page 6

RADIO AND ITS RECEIVERS

Conducted for THE SUN Oy

R. F. HAYCOCK.

RADIO PROGRESS TRANSITORY STAGE GREAT THINGS IN FUTURE Radio is at present passing through a transitory stage, according to Dr. Henry D. Hubbard, of the U.S.A. Bureau of Standards, who believes that it may be another generation before the novelty of broadcasting wears off and is replaced by something intensely more interesting in an educational trend. The dissemination of knowledge, to say nothing of news, and its accessibility will be tremendously enhanced within the next few years through the development of radio. Dr. Hubbard believes. In fact, the surface of this field has hardly been scratched, he asserts. “Radio, as I see it, when it reaches the mechanical stage where it can be used for communication more easily, will play an important role in bring- | ing to a man any information that he , desires from any part of the world in | perhaps only a few minutes’ time,” said Dr. Hubbard. “With the utilisation of television and radio in an instrument that may be called, by way of illustration, a radiograph; a man in New York may wish to get some technical data on Iron, for instance. He could communicate with a large library where this information is filed and by giving the filing number have the data before bis eyes. The library might be in Washington or Berlin or London. Memory, which was never a primary function of the brain, will be supplanted by creative imagination under this system,” he predicted, “as men will no longer have to burden their minds with a lot of facts which they may use only once in a lifetime.” With such equipment man will also he able to more nearly approach the Utopia when working hours will be cut to a minimum of time. Moreover, like the carpenter who discards his tools and his overalls at the end of a day’s work, the business or professional mail and the scientist will be able to clear their memories of much that now causes them endless worry. “Radio systems, as they spread over the world, will soon resemble the nervous system of a man’s body,” Dr. Hubbard said. “When you recall that reports from Commander Byrd at the South Pole could be received in New York within a few seconds, you have an instance analagous to that of the nervous system carrying a report of a pain in a man’s toe to nis brain.” Collecting Information Dr. Hubbard thinks that this dissemination of knowledge will be reciprocal, too, in that the hordes of listeners will respond to requests tor personal experiences or observations via radio as they now do in questionnaires or straw votes. For instance, an author wishing data on examples of intelligence in dogs could gather a tremendous amount of material by merely broadcasting an appeal, while a university class in psychology could get any number of questionnaires answered in short order. “Radio will unquestionably be linked witli the progress of the human race during the next half century or so, even more than it has been within the last decade,” he concluded. “We are just on the threshold of its period of usefulness.”

IYA COMMITTEE SONG-WRITING COMPETITIONS The IYA Musical and Dramatic Advisory Committee met at the Auckland studio of the Kadio Broadcasting Com pany. Present: Mr. F. McCallum tchairman). Little Theatre SocietyMr. T. T. Garland, Auckland Savage Club; Mr. C. B. Plummer, Auckland Choral Society; Mr. J. F. Montague Auckland Comedy Players; Mr T, rLambert. Bohemian Orchestra; Mr Y Trask, Athenian Club: Mr. A. B.*Ch,n' pell. Dickens Fellowship; Mr. K. \t kinson, Auckland Piano Students’ sociatiou; Mr. F. M. Price, Aeolian r>r~ ehestra: Mr. K. I.ake. relieving ~ non director at IYA; Mr. L. C. BarncT station director at IYA; Mr. o v’ Pritchard, programme orEranPe-’ IYA. at Correspondence was received fro m the Radio Broadcasting Company in timating that it was pleased to acopt tlio committee's recommendation regarding a song-writing competition, it is proposed to divide the competition into two parts, one prize of two guineas being offered for the best poem suitable for musical setting, the poem to be of three short eight-line verses, and a further prize of three guineas for the best musical sotting of the prize poem. The sub-commit-tee set up in eonnection with this competition is proceeding with arrangements and further details of the conditions will be announced in dup course. A motion was carried to the effect that Air. Ben Barnes, station director at IYA, be asked to give a half-hour recital. On the eve of his departure for a holiday, opportunity was taken by the committee to place on record its appreciation of the good work carried out by Mr. Ben Barnes, station director of IT A, during the past year. RADIO PROGRAMME ON DISCS Whole radio programmes recorded on discs will be one of the developments in broadcasting during 193 P. Within the uear future listeners will enjoy recorded radio programmes from all pari s of the world in a similar wav to which they now enjoy recorded gramophone music. It is probable that before very lons radio reporters and musical directors will be going from one country to another for the purpose of recording special radio programme features- for the benefit of listeners in other parts of the world, who will hear these programmes reproduced from the discs through their local broadcasting stations.

Iu the United States of America advertising by radio, a condition which does not obtain in this country, is becoming increasingly popular. Ac-

cording to official figures published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, there was considerably over a million pounds spent in the first half of 1958 on broadcast advertising with the Columbia and National Broadcasting Companies’ chain of stations.