TWO CBS ANNIVERSARIES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 120, 10 October 1941, Page 16

TWO CBS ANNIVERSARIES

Four Years Of Progress For ALB: Three Years For 2ZA

N Sunday and Tuesday of () next week, two CBS stations will celebrate anniversaries: on October 12, 1937, commercial broadcasting came _ to Otago, and ae year later, on October 10, 1938, to the Manawatu. Station 4ZB can look back on four years of steady progress. At first, southern listeners tuned in to the new station with a certain amount of caution it must be admitted, but soon came to enjoy its bright programmes, its varied features, and its friendly, intimate style of presentation. Local business men, experimenting with a new medium of advertising, found their enterprises well rewarded. Flesh And Blood A big factor in 4ZB’s success has been its policy of. providing flesh and blood entertainment wherever possible, and in this connection the station is fortunate in having on its staff a surprising number of talented entertainers, These artists have appeared before the Dunedin public in concerts, community sings, ,and many other functions, and have done much to build up goodwill for 4ZB. This side of the station’s activities came into especial prominence with the launching of, the first Patriotic Fund Appeal. Weekly . community, sings, arranged ,and. conducted, by 4ZB, de- veloped all the features of non-stop variety shows, with 4ZB artists .providing practically the entire "bill. of fare." Encouraged by. the ‘success of. these#@ "sings," 4ZB produced its "4ZB Radio Revels" at Dunedin’s His . Majesty’s Theatre on August 15, and 16. of..last year. It was an, ambitious, full-dress variety show, with ballet and orchestra, and there was no doubt as to its success. As one of the local newspapers said, "It must be admitted that the staff of 4ZB know how to put on a stage | show of popular entertainment . .. An absolute capacity» house sat through three hours of vaudeville fare, and the rapidity with which the lengthy programme was despatched was a tribute to the stage managership. There have been visiting shows which have had much to learn in this respect." . Special attention has been paid. to the encouragement of talent among young listeners, with groups such as the Happy Feet Club, the Sunbeams Club, the Junior Radio Players, and the Musical Army offering Dunedin youngsters instruction in singing, dancing, and dramatic art and the opportunity of performing in public and before the microphone. Three Become Thirty-Five The increase in the number of feature programmes presented is in itself a measure of 2ZA’s progress. When the’ Palmerston North station first opened, it "aired" three features a week; it now has 35.

At the outset, the controller of the CBS, C. G. Scrimgeour, announced that 2ZA would be left to develop in its own way, to acquire characteristics and personality of its own, so to speak. The station has probably outstripped the Controller’s expectations, and "The Voice of the Manawatu" is nothing if not a distinctive one. Much of this is a reflection of the personality of J. R.

Brown, who has been with 2ZA ever since it was launched, and who was its ‘first director. Station 2ZA serves an. important function as training ground for CBS personnel. Many who first learned their jobs at 2ZA are at other stations now and are holding responsible positions with an efficiency which is a credit to the studio which was their nursery.

"One-barrelled" people would never make the grade at 2ZA. An announcer who could do nothing else but announce would be something of a passenger; he must have other abilities, be able to take a turn in the programme department, or write a script. Similarly, a copywriter who at other stations is a behind-the-scenes worker, is an announcer as well at 2ZA.