RADIO APPEAL PRODUCES £12 A MINUTE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 53, 28 June 1940, Page 47

RADIO APPEAL PRODUCES £12 A MINUTE

ADIO history was made when 2ZB put over the air a telephone appeal for the Sick, Wounded and Distress Fund on Saturday and Sunday nights, June 15 and 16. On these nights, over a period of seven hours’ relaying, the amazing sum of over £5,000 was obtained. The idea originated when Major Abel, the Dominion Secretary of the Sick, Wounded and Distress Fund broadcast a review of the progress of the Sick, Wounded and Distress Fund. During his talk he was interrupted by a telephone call from a listener, who rang to offer a donation for the Fund. This apparently was an. opportunity for many. other listeners to do the same thing, and the 2ZB telephone began to buzz continuously. K. W, Kilpatrick, station director, had to get busy, and organise a system whereby listeners could ring Station 2ZB without confusion, and without having to wait several minutes for a connection. Station 2ZB took over their emergency lines, six in all, and the staff of 2ZB worked willingly answering *phone calls. There were toll calls from as far away as Auckland. "Jerry" rang from there, expressing the wish to help in the fund, and stating that, as he received only 2/6 a week salary, he could only afford 1/-, This was accepted with alacrity by Kingi-and perhaps it might be pointed out that the toll call will cose "Jerry" the remainder of his wages that week! Money poured in, and each donation was acknowledged over the air. As many as possible of the actual "phone calls were relayed, so that listeners were able to hear the voices of the donors. The sponsors of the Commercial Broadcasting Service programmes generously made their times available to listeners, so that the broadcast appeal might be continued, .

The Prime Minister rang Station 2ZB and congratulated the station director and staff on the way they were assisting the Sick, Wounded and Distress Fund, and promised to stay up and listen to the broadcast until the £3,000 mark had been reached on the Saturday night. This added to the amusement, because after the £2,000 mark was reached, Kingi, the 2ZB announcer, kept remarking that if people would expedite their telephone ringing, the Prime Minister could go to bed. As the fund neared the £3,000 goal, he told the Prime Minister over the air that he could put his pyjamas on and sit by the fire! Before midnight, the £3,000 had been reached, and the broadcast was continued on the Sunday night at 8.30 p.m. Once again there were many thousands of listeners ringing to donate just as much as they could afford. Some gave 2/6, some £25-whatever the sum, it was welcome. The appeal had only been on the air for one and a-quarter hours on Sunday night when the amount of £763/8/10 had been collected. At midnight, the total for the two nights-or seven hours broadcasting-was £5,097/4/4. The station director paid a tribute to the staff of the station, who gave up their time for the job, and at the conclusion of the broadcast the deputy-controller, B. T. Sheil, expressed appreciation of the manner in which the public had responded. Broadcasts on both nights were handled by a relay of announcers, Kingi Tahiwi, Rex Walden, Geoff. Lloyd and 2ZB’s production supervisor, Ian MacKay, On the day following the broadcasts, there were amazing scenes in the 2ZB Lounge, as the donors came in.to redeem their promises, Officials of the Fund were present, and byeily engaged in issuing receipts.