THEY KNOW THE ANSWERS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 87, 21 February 1941, Page 42

THEY KNOW THE ANSWERS

Odd Problems For 2ZB’s Receptionists

broadcasting stations belong to the public, they are expected to provide much more than entertainment. They must at the same time fill the role .of a check on rumour, a settler of disputes and a general source of information. And that is why the four receptionists at Station 2ZB are among the busiest people on that station’s staff. Fully half the telephone calls these "hello girls" answer begin with the words, "I wonder if you could tell me ..." They usually can. Perhaps the busiest days for the telephone operators are race days. Racing enthusiasts are seldom patient enough to wait for the results to be announced. Even if the race they are interested in has not been broadcast locally, they know that 2ZB will have the results. Of all the questions a receptionist is asked, the most general one, however, is for the correct time. Next on the list come inquiries about shipping movements. The public still do not seem to realise that this is one thing which cannot be divulged in war time. Again, if you were a stranger visiting Wellington for the first time and wanted to know the quickest way to B ECAUSE, in New Zealand,

the Dominion Museum what would you do? Ask a policeman? If you were near a telephone the chances are you would ask 2ZB. And if you were cooking a cake, and had just reached a crucial stage in its preparation, and had forgotten the recipe, what would you do? Burst into tears, or phone 2ZB? According to

carefully prepared statistics, you would phone 2ZB. If you are one of those who never make a step without seeking the advice of at least three other people, the chances are you will phone 2ZB in connection with even more trivial matters. What is the most amusing picture screening in town? What is the weather likely -to be during the afternoon? Would a frock or a costume look better at an afternoon tea this time of the year? Then there are requests which can only be classed under the general heading of oddities. What is the distance between the shore and the horizon, the colour of a certain film star’s hair, the author of a book, the width of the Atlantic Ocean? She Sang It On one occasion a listener who had been trying to remember the way a song went, finally phoned 2ZB and asked if the receptionist could sing it. She could, and did. But the classic example of faith in 2ZB is that of a frantic father who bellowed that the baby had swallowed a button-"please ask Aunt Daisy what to do." There are four receptionists at 2ZB, Reta Pimm, chief receptionist, has been at the station over three years, She was once nurse to a Wellington doctor, and is well qualified to answer the frequent calls for first aid information. Kathleen Brayshaw, whose home is in Blenheim, has had wide experience on telephone exchanges. Doreen O’Hallahan, who comes from the West Coast, has won elocution championships: and has also played in repertory productions. She started her career in Commercial Broadcasting at 5ZB, the Exhibition station. 2ZB’s newest receptionist is Beryl King, who returned to New Zealand four months ago after living in England, and on the Continent for nine years. An expert dancer, she once’ conducted a school of ballroom dancing in Auckland. ; ¢