TOO MUCH TALK?

New Zealand Listener, Volume 8, Issue 201, 30 April 1943, Page 3

TOO MUCH TALK?

Sir--The letter from "Effigy" of Auckland has encouraged us to write and say that we feel the same. The working man awakes to news, lunches to news, and dines to news. It even follows him to bed. What good entertainment filters sparingly over the air does so during working hours (so we are told), and in such places as sawmills, chéese-factories and other (noisy) industries, listening to it is quite impossible. We do not wish to deny people the news altogether, but why have so much on so many stations at one time? Perhaps if some people didn’t talk so much, and did more, this war would be considerably shortened, Recently we listened to a Military Camp Concert relayed for too short a period from Station 2YA, and the applause given by the hundreds of servicemen in attendance should convince anyone that this is the type of entertainment to suit the majority, as it takes all classes of men to make an army. When a Parliamentary session is on the air, it is seldom interrupted for the News, then why interrupt good programmes such as the above-mentioned

concert?-

IN THE MOOD

(Eltham).

Sir-I desire te join issue with "Effigy" (Auckland), who presumes to so fully understand the wishes of New Zealanders in general, as to the nature of programmes for broadcasting, that the demands material alteration so as to largely cut out the various "talks" in favour of an endless stream of musical items, mostly records ranging from the classics to all kinds of "sob stuff." Personally I, and doubtless very many others, run through The Listener each week to see what really worthwhile information is afforded of what is happening, particularly overseas. May I assure "Effigy" that very many listeners have no desire to imitate Nero, who, it is said, "fiddled while Rome was burning."

AS YOU ARE

(Dunedin),