NEWS FROM THE ZB STATIONS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 71, 1 November 1940, Page 46

NEWS FROM THE ZB STATIONS

HE new arrangement for children’s programmes has commenced at 1ZB, and ] it has already proved popular. At $ o'clock each week day listeners now enjoy popular songs by selected members of Uncle Tom’s Children’s Choir. Uncle Tom’s daughter Molly, who has had considerable experience assisting her father, is in charge, and she has arranged to have boys sing on Mondays, girls on Tuesdays, mixed singers on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and on Fridays well-known children’s choir soloists arc featured. These young vocalists include June Barson and Nancy Hill. Though Molly conducts and has charge of the sessions she leaves the compering to the childrtn, who also introduce the following programme. This includes "Wings" at 5.15 on Mondays and Fridays, the Musical Army at 5.15 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, "Scout’s" News Letter

on Tuesdays at 5.22, and "Ken" the Stamp Man at 5.22 on Thursdays. The Saturday 5 till 5.30 programme each week features the ever popular Sunbeams under the leadership of Thea. Souvenirs "Musical Souvenirs," one of 4ZB’s most successful Sunday programmes, has had a change in time of presentation, and in future will be heard each week at 10.15 p.m. Bringing back hits from outstanding films, musical comedies and operettas, "Musical Souvenirs" also supplies explanatory programme notes to awaken memories of the various productions, and to add point to the musical selections presented. Story of London "Londiniana," one of the most interesting programmes to be heard on the commercial network, will commence in the middle of November. It will be broadcast every Monday at 6.30 p.m. Kenneth Melvin’s brilliant work is well known to listeners, and this is one of the best things he has done. "* Londiniana," as the Roman title suggests, is a survey of

2,000 years of the city’s history. It presents the life, the hopes and fears, the vicissitudes and triumphs of the city which is the soul of England. Kings and commoners, poetry and pageantry, science and sewage, wars and women pass in lusty life in this cavalcade of the City, the most remarkable square mile on earth. London is the focus of attention of the English-speaking world to-day, and "Londiniana" strikes a note at once topical and valuable. In England there are whole libraries on London’s history, but it is a-curious omission in most libraries in this country, and " Londiniana" may provide a corrective. Mr. Melvin hes taken a great pleasure in compiling this programme, which is the result of a survey of some 40 books on the subject. One authority was the rare and famous reminiscences of Edward Wedlake Brayley, published in 1828, from which the title of the radio feature is borrowed. Announcers’ Confessions When radio listeners are familiar with the names of announcers they hear from day to day, and can tell in an instant who is the owner of any radio voice, it is natural that they should feel a certain amount of curiosity about them. Usually listeners form a mental picture, generally inaccurate, of how each one looks, and the results are naturally incongruous. The constant stream of visitors to the ZB stations is in itself indicative of the public’s desire to see for themselves, and many

an astonishing gasp is heard. Dunedin listeners are to have an opportunity of learning a lot more about the 4ZB announcers than the difference between how they should and do look, for, commencing immediately, every Thursday afternoon at 3 o'clock, a new feature, "‘Confessions of an Announcer," will be broadcast. All members of the 4ZB announcing staff will face the microphone and, no doubt with a certain amount of trepidation, proceed to lay bare some of the facts concerning their radio careers. Whether or not the announcers enjoy this experience it is certain that listeners will find it all very interesting and amusing. More About Jerry Dudley Wrathall, alias the "Fun Man," "Dumb Dud," and other names given him by Jerry, has lately been on the sick list, but is now back at work. John Gordon deputised in the Jerry broadcasts, but even John’s dignity did not protect him. The famous beard could not possibly be overlooked, and apart from such rude remarks as "fungus," it appeared to be Jerry’s delight in tricking John into repeating sentences requiring jaw movement, for the sole purpose of seeing his beard wiggle. Dudley, incidentally, is becoming a trifle worried as. to how to keep the respect of his children. It is a common experience for him to arrive home to be greeted by one of Jerry’s choice epithets, Well of Information "Of Interest to Men," a session which fully lives up to its title, is conducted from 4ZB

by Bernie McConnell every Saturday afternoon at 1 o'clock. Bernie has a happy knack of covering briefly a wide range of subjects, from sporting events to what the well dressed young blade will wear in the approaching season.

What with this and his sporting and Anglers’ Information sessions, Bernie is fast becoming a well of information for 4ZB’s male listeners, Pioneer of Gliding "Wings," who is heard from 1ZB every Monday and Friday, mentioned the other day that many of the lads of yesteryear to whom he taught the rudiments of flying with the help of model ’planes, are now flying Spitfires and Hurricanes. Thus are the air-minded boys of to-day growing up into the flyers of tomorrow. " Wings’s " latest enthusiasm is the Auckland Gliding Club. Gliding was one activity of the New Zealand Model Club formed in 1928, but lack of facilities made progress slow until recently. Model "plane enthusiasts have moved on to form their own gliding club, and now an association of these clubs has 2,500 members throughout New Zealand, Despite the fact that many leading members are serving with the R.A.F. the club is doing valuable work in the air training of future aces. It has secured the use of the Mangere aerodrome and hangars, where two gliders are housed, and a third is under construction. "Wings" has been broadcasting regularly from 1ZB for three years now, and his ses« sions are among the most popular on the air, He was a Great War pilot and: himself a pioneer of gliding.