AN ERA OF THE PIONEERS

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 40, 25 May 1965, Page 13

AN ERA OF THE PIONEERS

The early 1920's in broadcasting in New Zealand was the era of the amateur operator wlio did most of the pioneering work in the field. Dr Robert Jack, of the University of Otago, was the first person to receive a permit to engage in the research on the transmission of musical and vocal items. Within a year there were several more experimenters in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. In the North Island, one of the earliest stations was set up in the Taihape Brewery building. Later, lnterest was stimulated in the entertainment possibilities of the medium and a number of radio organisations and societies established their own stations. The first of these to be licensed was 1YA in Auckland, in 1923. A national broadcasting service later come into being under control of the Radio Broadcasting Companyvof New Zealand. This was a five-year agreement reached between the company and the Minister of Telegraphs, in 1925. During its existence the company set up stations in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin. These stations and private ones gave a large coverage and set licence holders increased by December, 1931, to about 70,000. Broadcasting administration tended to become more centralised after this period until, in 1962, it was handed over to the Broadcasting Corporation.