PLEASE EXPLAIN

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 110, 1 August 1941, Page 4

PLEASE EXPLAIN

Sir,-In desperation I turn to you for enlightenment in a matter for which I realise, you are not responsible. In your issue of May 30 there appeared on page 18 a panel with the caption, " Emergency Precautions Scheme" and giving details of special broadcasts in connection with the scheme. Both 4YA and 4ZB were cited as participants in these broadcasts, so at the appointed hour I listened to the national station for the first talk, but the station did not give it, nor did I hear any explanation of its absence, or, for that matter, any apology for its deletion from the advertised programme. Neither were talks on the E.P.S. given on the other preafranged evenings. The next issue of The Listener

containing the programmes for the present week, I noted, again advertised a series of talks from our stations on the scheme, and last Monday I again tried 4YA. Following the chimes re-broadceast from Wellington, a speaker began to talk on the E.P.S., but he was not allowed to proceed very far before being cut off. Our local announcer substituted race results for this talk. Now the point is, is it asking too much of our local stations in such circumstances

to give us an apology and an explanation at times when listeners expect to hear the talks and don’t? There might have been some announcement regarding the deletion of the E.P.S. talks; if so, it must have been at a time when I wasn’t listening. I must explain that I select my programmes carefully and listen only when the advertised items tell me I am to hear something I am interested in, such as E.P.S., for instance. After all this, I revert to my opening sentence. Will you please give me the reason why the talks mentioned were not given after you had been evidently advised by the radio proerammes department that they were to take place?

E.

CLELAND

(Dunedin).

(The departure from the published arrangements was regrettable, but we are informed that it was unavoidable. The time was made available, but not all the persons responsible for the preparation of the scripts were able to have them ready, and the series was postponed for four weeks.--Ed.)