GREETINGS From The Broadcasting Services

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 130, 19 December 1941, Page 4

GREETINGS From The Broadcasting Services

From Professor J. Shelley, Director of Broadcasting. ‘THE National Broadcasting Service wishes its listeners the Season’s Greetings. What mixed feelings will invade our greetings this year. This should be the Season to celebrate the miracle of birth, the communion of the family -to rejoice in the upspringing of life; but many of us are heavily burdened with the thought of death and the disruption of homes. "Peace on earth" sounds strange to a world at war-and yet "Peace on earth to men of goodwill" can-have a very real meaning at all times, and especially at this time when the " ill-will" of men. has aroused and brought about an organisation of the goodwill of men on a scale never perhaps known before. For surely those men and women who are in the forefront of this fight against evil, in the very midst of their dangers experience a mystical peace which comes from the realisation that they are instruments of goodwill. True peace is no passive thing of easeful sloth, but the joy of willed pursuit of good with carefree mind and heart. In so far as we are men of goodwill-just so far do we truly know peace. And so let us rejoice in this season of birth -the awakening of feelings and ideas in multitudes of people that answer to the neighbour-love teaching of Christ. And yet-and yet-we are human, and we cannot keep our minds from wandering off to those poignantly dear ones overseas, and wondering just what they are doing-rejoicing or suffering. Could we but see them for a few moments,*and speak with them the simple phrases that mean so little and tell so much! And here the Broadcasting Service has tried in a small way to ease the heartache of those who are dear to the men overseas. We have brought to the people at home the voices of their sons, and the stories of the life they are living, of the work they are doing, of the simple pleasures they are sharing. Few of us had thought before how precious and full of meaning could be the simple words, "Hello, Mum, hello Dad," and the staff of the Broadcasting Service are very happy indeed to have been able to dispel a little that feeling of remoteness and separation that hurts so much. As with individuals, so with nations broadcasting can be a most powerful instrument for bringing them together, and creating that intimacy and _ understanding which brings peace on earth, but, alas!

broadcasting can be used by men of ill-will as well as those of goodwill. We can only hope that the peoples of the world will soon realise that it is too powerful and far-reaching in its effects to be allowed to be used for evil purposes. Meanwhile, may the National Broadcasting Service of New Zealand be instrumental in creating goodwill among men, and so contribute its mite to the bringing of peace 9 this tortured earth. From C. G. Scrimgeour, Controller of the Commercial Service. ON behalf of the staff of the Commercial Broadcasting Stations it is my pleasure to extend to all readers of The Listener our cordial good wishes for the Festive Season. Throughout the year it has been our privilege to contribute something like 30,000 hours of broadcast . entertainment and we have been happy indeed to serve in this manner. On Christmas Day, each of | the personalities who have become known to our listeners will take his or her part in presenting a share of the musical greetings we wish to extend

to all. We are only sorry that some of the most popular of them who are absent on active service will not be able to take their accustomed place at the microphone, but we include their greetings to you with our own. We are looking forward to 1942 in anticipation that we will be able to serve you even better in the New Year, for we have in hand extensive plans for utilising local talent and presenting New Zealand artists to New Zealanders. In this connection the new station at Auckland with its modern appointments and Radio Theatre will be of great assistance to us, It is a good thing that radio in our country belongs to the people and is operated solely for their benefit. Although the Commercial Broadcasting Service earns its revenue from advertising, we feel that our advertisers too would join in our good wishes, for the listeners are their friends as well as ours. We all unite in wishing you "the best there is and then some."

"Letters from. Listeners" will be found on Page 9.