WHEN LISTENERS LISTEN MOST

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 113, 22 August 1941, Page 9

WHEN LISTENERS LISTEN MOST

Sunday Afternoon Entertainment HILE there are ho statistics to prove it, many broadcasting oe people believe that people do more concentrated listening on Sunday afternoons than in any other period of the week. This applies particularly, of course, to ‘winter months, but it is true, none the less, of other seasons of the year. That is the reason why the Commercial Broadcasting Service, for instance, gives so much care and attention to the compiling of the Sunday afternoon programmes at the different stations, The main contribution at each station is the Radio Matinee, a two and a half hour programme which contains a multitude of varied items of entertainment. Moreover, it is entertainment unbroken by commercial advertising, ZB listeners being more fortunate in this respect than Australian listeners. To illustrate the type of entertainment offered in a Radio Matinee it is easiest, perhaps, to take a representative Sunday afternoon’s programme. At Station 1ZB on Sunday, August 24, the Radio Matineé will include seven main items. At 2.0 p.m. there is 15 minutes of selections by Rollo Hudson’s orchestra; at 2.15 items by "the Guest Artist," who this afternoon is Plunket Greene, the English baritone; at 2.30 Meet the Family, in which listeners are introduced to the symphony orchestra section by section; at 3.0 p.m. comes a presentation of organ music by Lew White; at 3.45 songs by Zora Layman; at 4.0 a presentation entitled Kings of Comedy; and at 4.15 p.m. songs in hermony by the Moonbeam Trio. Famous English Baritone The late Harry Plunket Greene, who is the afternoon’s guest artist, was one of the greatest English baritones; he was born in Ireland in 1865, and died in London five years ago. After studying in Germany, Italy and London, he made his debut in The Messiah in 1888. He specialised, however, in English folk songs, several of which he is heard singing. Lew White’s items were recorded on the organ of one of New York’s biggest movie houses. He plays a medley of sea songs, Mendelssohn’s "Spring Song," "Kerry Dance" (Mulberry) and Sullivan’s "Lost Chord." : : Zora Layman, who sings a bracket of light songs, has only recently been introduced to ZB listeners, but she is well known over the air in America for her ability ‘to sing anything from opera to hill-billy and comedy songs. One of her comedy numbers, "Seven Years with the Wrong Man," sold over 100,000 copies. The Modabanas Trio, a pleasant light vocal combination cirected by George Shackly, sing Grieg’s "Ich Liebe Dich," "Home Sweet Home" and " Moonbeams," a composition by George Shackly. At other stations, of course, the. ingredients of the Radio Matinee will vary, but it’s a hypercritical listener, the ZB’s claim, whom they can’t amuse, inform, and generally entertain on a Sunday afternoon.