NEWS FROM THE ZB STATIONS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 39, 21 March 1940, Page 46

NEWS FROM THE ZB STATIONS

EW ZEALAND children who love to listen to the adventures of their favourite flying ace, Peter the Pilot, will welcome the news that he will begin a new series of broadcasts, of an even more adventurous nature, very shortly. "This series, which will be heard on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5.30, will start at 2ZB and 4ZB on March 26, and at 1ZB and 3ZB on April 2. "The Inns of England" Listeners to 1ZB will shortly hear a new feature, "The Inns of England." Presented by. Kenneth Melvin, this feature is a racy commentary on the fading glory of England’s old hostelries, inns and taverns. A wealth of romance, adventure and crime, associated with the roadside tavern, is found throughout English history. Jeffrey Farnol has woven some of this material into his Georgian novels; George Borrow’s immortal gipsy stories have the same setting; and so have the legends of Dick Turpin and his Black Bess. Tales like these will be told against a background of drinking songs, hunting songs, folk songs, and traditional English melodies. Nothing quite like this new feature has been broadcast over the Commercial stations, and the feature is specially welcome in that it is a New Zealand production. The first broadcast from 1ZB is scheduled for Friday, April 5, and thereafter on every Friday and Saturday evening at 7.45. Young Poetess A real champion of youth and an admirer of its triumphs is 2ZB’s Bryan O’Brien. With the eye of a Hollywood talent scout, Bryan seeks out the local lads and lasses who are making good and lets the public know about them. His latest protége was Gloria Rawlinson, young New Zealand poetess, whom he interviewed at 2ZB’s mike on a recent Sunday evening. Gloria’s work is already well known, especially her book, "'The Perfume Vendor,’ but in the interview she confessed that she likes writing short stories best and proposes to publish a book of them soon. During the broadcast she recited her poem, "QLehl the Shepherd,’ and Bryan gave a splendid rendering of "Sky Boy." Advice for "New Chums" A tour round any suburban area in Christchurch might lead one to imagine that the local gardeners must know all there is to know about shrubs and

flowers. Yet in admiring the colour and artistic layout of one man’s garden one might fail to notice the newly-wed next door perspiring between the handles of a brand new wheelbarrow or awkwardly handling his shiny new garden tools in his first attempt at breaking in the virgin soil, while frenzedly attempting to make his garden suddenly burst into flower so that it may compare favourably with his neighbour's. But " David,’ of 3ZB, after many years as a practical gardener, knows that the front garden cannot just burst suddenly into flower, or the vegetable patch suddenly become productive. He therefore conducts for

the benefit of the "New Chum" a special gardening session in which he helps the unitiated past the pitfalls that beset the raw amateur. This "New Chums’" gardening session each Thursday evening is in addition to David's usual gardening session at 6.45 p.m. on Monday. Sessions by Airini The pleasant voice of Airini Grennell is now heard over 4ZB every afternoon in the week, Monday to Friday, from 4 to 5p.m. This recent innovation is pleasing many radio fans. Airini chooses her own programmes for this hour and

annotates the recordings she plays. In addition to these sessions she is also heard on Friday evenings in a half-hour of new recordings. The "Perfect" Programme Probably inheriting some of the qualities of his famous grandfatherMr. "Kiltie" Smith, who was widely known throughout the Hawke’s BayBush district in the early days-young Doug. Smith, who arranges programmes for 2ZA, takes a keen interest in public affairs, Brought up in the. Pahiatua District, and later attending Wellington College where he distinguished himself especially in public speaking, Doug. determined to make the most of his ability, and it was not long after leaving college that he was given the opportunity of taking part in numerous plays produced by the National Broadcasting Service. He secured a position in the National Commercial Broadcasting Service towards the end of last year, and from that time he has been endeavouring to build up a programme at 2ZA which he hopes will get as near as is humanly possible to please everyone, Judging by some of the letters of appreciation received he is on the right track. One listener wrote in from Hamilton to say that he knew of no other station in New Zealand which gave such enjoyable programmes, while another person writing from the Palmerston North Public Hospital thinks they compare very favourably with Radio Luxemburg and Radio Normandie! Doug. admits that he finds these statements very hard to believe. "Quads’ " Birthday When the famous Johnson Quadrupléts of Dunedin celebrated their fifth birthday, 4ZB gave an exclusive broadcast of the birthday party at 2.15 in the afternoon. Listeners were delighted by the homely atmosphere of the broadcast, which was handled by Lionel Sceats and "Peter." The voices of Bruce, Kathleen and Mary Johnson were all distinctly heard by the thousands of listeners, although Vera was a little shy of the microphone. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson spoke during the broadcast as also did the grandfather of the "Quads," Mr. Miller. Mrs. Johnson told listeners that there had previously been an occurrence of quadruplets in the family, but it was very many years ago. The quadruplets, in that instance, did not live for very long.