New Code Of Manners In Broadcasting?

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 77, 13 December 1940, Page 5

New Code Of Manners In Broadcasting?

I’m all disturbed and uncertain-thrown clean out of my stride. For one thing, after broadcasting for years by the light of naturealways, admittedly, an imperfect guide-lI’vs taken to reading books and pamphlets on " How to Broadcast." That has shaken me up, I can tell you. For another thing, I’ve taken to listening-listening to other broadcasters, and especially to those from London. And I notice that most of them plunge right into the first sentence of their talks, without so much as a nod to you and me, who are sitting thousands of miles away with pipes in our mouths and our feet stretched out to the fire. Does this represent the new code of manners in broadcasting? Are we to be all abrupt and business-like, and to give up such conventional but not unfriendly openings as "Good evening, everybody" and "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen"? And does this mean that very soon, even at a political meeting, the speaker will ignore his chairman and begin barking at his audience with some such phrase as " Now, listen, you." Of course, there’s a simpler and less mortifying explanation of the new practice in Daventry talks. And it’s this. Since the talks are directed on one wave-length at the United States, on another at South Aftica, and on yet another at New Zealand, they’re picked up by different listeners at different times of the day; it may be evening for the speaker and morning for the listener. You may prefer to accept that explanation rather than to believe that our English friends are going all blunt and off-hand. I leave it to you.-(Pro-fessor J. Y. T. Greig, "Airy Talking and Talking on the Air,’ 2YA, December 1.)