WHY DON'T THEY SPEAK UP?

New Zealand Listener, Volume 8, Issue 184, 31 December 1942, Page 13

WHY DON'T THEY SPEAK UP?

Women Have Still To Capture The Wavelengths

OMEN have not become regular top-line broadcasters in this country, or in any country except Russia, writes Tom Harrigson in The Observer (London). Traverse the wavebands day or night, through the multiple clamour of five continents in war; on all important matters (news, talks, propaganda) you

might heéear.a minute of women for every thirty of men. Here, outside the specialised women’s programmes, the keypoints on the air are strongly held by men. This is a pity. Home broad‘casting needs the new impetus which women could give. The blame for this state of affairs rests largely with

women themselves. Lhey are the principal critics of feminine broadcasting. It is a man’s wife, his mother, his secretary, and his charlady who condemn the very idea of Lady Bartlett reading the news; not he. Clearly, however, the roots of the matter lie deeper. * * * T is partly that women have a less positive approach, a less aggressive quality and range of tone in speaking. Radio demands some degree of dynamism, if the speaker is to reach out and touch the unseen listener. Most women tend to produce a flat, impersonal feeling on the air, a lack of vocal variety, a sea-saw,

phrase to phrase, sentence to sentence, up and down in anticipatable ascent and decline. When the movements of a voice become predictable it bores. The aerial bore is the only sort one can instantly, satisfyingly destroy. " That is why the qualities of variety, vitality, and extroverted energy, the ability to visualise an unknown audience, are important in

broadcasting; a dash of threat in the voice’ ("you’d better not turn me off"), helps, too! These vocal qualities are rarer among women than men, —

ae as a t+ HERE is one ‘" Broad exception to the inadequacy of the feminine voice in broadcasting. Expressions of emotion

often come best from women, for in- | stance in poetry reading. On the serious talk side, the record is feeble. The best effort I have heard was Lady Snowden in the Brains Trust. Female postscripts are rare, too. Lady Cripps was definitely a failure. The only first-class one on my recent listening log was Ariadne Lazare, a Greek woman. She told simply of her home life and childhood at Evidrion, with informative words and no straining after effect, a message sad, yet heroic, a voice distressingly moving. Yet I cannot believe that there-are not many women who could and should broadcast, and. who deserve _ better chances. Why don’t they speak up? --