NEW FROM THE ZB STATIONS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 56, 19 July 1940, Page 46

NEW FROM THE ZB STATIONS

sé HE MAGICIAN" will make his first appearance in the Children’s session at 2ZB next Friday. This new "page" in the Young New Zealand Radio Journal promises to be an extremely interesting one. "The Magician" will speak about the early history of magic- @ most romantic and thrilling narrative. He will tell of great magicians of the past, of magic in the wild places all over the globe; of strange practices, cults and_ societies, It would be hard to find any single subject so steeped in romance and adventure as the subject of magic. The magician will also tell us of modern magicians and their exciting and adventurous lives. Some of their feats of illusion have died with them, some they have passed on to others. The session will range all over the world. "The Magician" will take listeners, in fancy, to places and peoples almost unknown to the great majority of us.. We have often wondered just how a magician manages to take a whole menagerie out of a single hat, and now we shall have the opportunity of finding out just how it is done. Tricks will be performed in the studio, and it won’t be long before some of us will be having our first lesson in practical magic, over the air. A Letter from "" Jerry"

Auckland, The Station Director, July 8, 1940. Station 2ZB, Wellington. Dear Sir, I am enclosing the shilling I rang up and promised for your Sick; Wounded and Distress Fun appeal, a good few weeks ago now.

This might seem 2 miserable sum to you, but itis quite a bit out of my wages. I receive 2/6 a week you know. "George" is meaner than my Uncle Stint, and I thought that was impossible. He only pays me 2/6 a week! That is why I have been so long saving up the 1/-. All the same, I helped to collect a few

pounds during my appearance at the Air Force Relations Concert in Wellington-so don’t think too harshly of me! Give my love to Aunt Daisy, Yours to a splinter, JERRY. Dunedin’s " Musical Army " One of the main factors in the rapid growth of the "Musical Army" in Dunedin

is the fact that the teachers of the various sections are thoroughly capable tutors. Rapid progress of the rank and file is therefore assured, and enthusiasm is still running high, for shortly concert performances are to be

given. The piano accordion section, under the expert guidance of Miss Muriel Caddie, has made rapid strides lately. Miss Caddie is recognised as one of the foremost exponents of the piano accordion, and her playing has been praised by critics from overseas. She is also a well-known concert artist. Car for 6d! Marking the culmination of the two biggest enterprises conducted in Dunedin for the Red Cross-St. John Appeal, which closed some weeks back, there occurred at the Garrison Hall the other day the solemn cere-

mony of deciding what tickets would win the Hillmian-Minx car and the many valuable prizes in the £500 Art Union. It was a Satur-

day afternoon, and a large crowd attended, many of whom optimistically clutched their tickets, ready and anxious to display the evidence of their hoped-for-win. The sale of tickets had been so wide that one can safely assume a record listening audience hung on every word spoken by Don Donaldson, 4ZB announcer, and H. L, Paterson, of the Patrietic Council, as these two covered the happenings for the Southern Commercial Station, 4ZB. The winner of a valuable fur coat, one of the major prizes in the Art Union was present in the Garrison Hall, and the lucky lady who collected the Hillman-Minx for 6d was speedily located by 4ZB and interviewed by Lionel Sceats during the early evening programme. She was the wife of a local fisherman, and told Lionel that they once owned a car-fifteen years ago! Naturally, she was "all of a dither" at her wonderful stroke of luck, and listeners were able to share her excitement in some measure, for incredulity was apparent in her somewhat breathless delivery of words. "Star-Maker" Song Contest The 4ZB "Starmaker" Song Contest ter‘minated on a recent Saturday with a gala performance at the Regent Theatre, Dunedin. Appearing on the stage to a capacity house

were the sixteen finalists, who were introduced to the audience by "Peter." Their ages ranged from nine to fourteen years (the contest was open only to girls). A little lass whose photo appears in this paragraph, was judged the winner. Her name is Maureen Keenan,

aged mine years. She faced the footlights as to the manner born, and, to the delight of the audience, sang "Tales from Vienna Woods," by Strauss-quite a difficult selection for a finished singer, let alone one so young. Already with a lengthy repertoire of recitations and songs to her credit, Maureen has played. in juvenile operettas, and is looked upon as one of the real "finds" in radio. She has appeared in the 4ZB Children’s Hour on numerous occasions, singing with the orchestra-no mean feat for a girl of nine. "Men and Motoring " The session, "Men and Motoring," which is heard from 1ZB every Thursday evening at 10 o’clock, is steadily growing in appeal, and the telephone calls and mail in connection with the session are reaching large numbers. Since its inception, the character of the session has been slightly altered, and the motor-

ing section of it occupies only a small part, the remainder being devoted to men’s topics, such as fishing, shooting, and-apparently-the commencement of a Tall Story Club, judging by the narratives sent in for broadcast by listeners-particularly those dealing with fish-

ing. Strangely enough, although the session is primarily for men, it has proved to be very popular with women listeners. Perhaps the type of recording featured has something to do with itl "Music For Sunday " The "Music for Sunday" programme, from Station 3ZB, Christchurch, is meant primarily for the very large number of people (a number that has increased immensely during the last few years) who, though they are not in any way connected with music as a profession, and frequently are not even performers on any instrument, have come to find that listening to music affords one of the most permanently and completely satisfying occupations of leisure. On Sunday, July 21, this session from 3ZB will include among its selections the vivacious "Poupee Valsante’-an orchestral rendering of Poldini’s ""Waltzing Doll," which is always a delight. There is also Mozart’s "Minuet," and ane other favourite by May Brahe, who is at present in Sydney, entitled "Bless This House." May Brahe’s latest composition is "Pray for Peace," the lyricist once again being Helen Taylor, who wrote the poem for "Bless This House." This is a thirty-minute programme, combining graceful composition, dignity, familiar appeal and contrasting rhythm.

| "THE SAND MAN" | A fantasy serial programme, designed to have special appeal for the children, is now "on the air" from Station 3ZB. Tune in, kiddies, to "The Children’s Session"