Heroic Christmas Gesture By 2ZB Executives

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 78, 20 December 1940, Page 13

Heroic Christmas Gesture By 2ZB Executives

HRISTMAS should mean good cheer and happiness for everybody, but it usually means an extra amount of self denial when it comes to providing continuous entertaining from a radio station. For on December 25 the routine number of announcers and technicians will have to be on the job to provide (to take an instance) the routine 18 hours of entertainment from station 2ZB. And, needless to say, an endeavour is always made to provide something special in the way of seasonal programmes. This Christmas, however, thanks to a heroic gesture on the part of the executives, the announcers at 2ZB will have a normal Christmas day with their

families. For on December 25 the executives are taking over, and the whole of the day’s programmes will be announced by them. It was a noble decision, and now the station executives are just beginning to realise what they have let themselves in for. It is said that for many of them the days between now and Christmas are being spent chewing their nails, and the nights are being spent tossing worriedly. For, to a man who has seldom if ever spoken into a microphone, the prospect of an unbroken spell of announcing is something understandingly terrifying. At the moment the executives are planning feverishly, and there is much whispering in corners and plotting of radio coups. There are rumours of high spots on the Christmas Day programme, of stunts, of a novel relay, the kind which happens only once in a life-time. Another plum is promised in the shape of a dissertation on Christmas customs by a mild-mannered executive who is obsessed with the idea of presenting the programme of the year. The job of announcing regular features such as "Easy Aces" and "Chuckles With Jerry" has been apportioned by the toss of a coin, but, characteristically, those who are humorists by inclination want to announce the serious programmes and those who are serious people want programmes which will give them scope for humour. The result will certainly be variety. Station director, advertising manager, accountant and engineer, will all be on the job, and they would hardly be human if a little of their normal, everyday tasks didn’t creep into their announcing,