"Easy" Ways to Earn a Living

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 135, 23 January 1942, Page 5

"Easy" Ways to Earn a Living

T one time I used to think that keeping bees was about the easiest way of earning a living known to man. The bees worked hard all day making honey, and then you just collected the honey, sold it and perhaps built another hive or two with part of the proceeds. Then I met a bee-keener and

found out that it wasn’t such a sweet proposition after all. Nowadays, people know better, of course — they know that radio arfnouncing is the easiest job in the world, not bee-keeping at all. And this is where I do a bit of disillusioning on my’ own account. Apart from the fact that an announcer often has to work very awkward hours, the job entails far more than the mere

reading of announcements and playing of gramophone recordings. Most announcers on a Commercial station conduct two or three special sessions, the preparation of which occupies a considerable portion of the announcers’ time when not actually on the air. Then, even when he is handling a period of ordinary sustaining programme, the announcer is far from idle. After he has announced a recording and closed his microphone, he must put his next recording in position on the second turntable; change the needle, test the length of the run-in before the music begins and set the pick-up accordingly; enter the time played, title, artist, composer, number, and make of the previous recording on his log sheet; stamp the date of playing on the record cover; and, if a commercial announcement is to follow, read it through carefully. All that, my friends-and the standard 10inch recording plays for just three minutes! You still think it’s an easy job? That’s all right-I still don’t think there’s much fo bee-keeping, either!- (" Behind the Mike," 4ZB, December 17.)