Sports Coverage By NBS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 352, 22 March 1946, Page 11

Sports Coverage By NBS

"What are the cricket scores?" (Abruptly and obviously in a hurry). ... "Are the cricket scores through yet?" (The simple question without any frills). . . . "Sorry to trouble you, but would you mind telling me the cricket scores, please?" (This cheers up the hard-worked operator a lot). ORE than 250 inquiries of this sort were received at Station 2YA’s telephone switchboard on the first day of the Australian XI’s match against Auckland; and probably there were just as many at some of the other stations. On the days following there was again a-large crop of inquiries, both about cricket and other sports. During the war, sporting activities of all kinds were very much restricted by the controlling bodies. There were few men left to take part in them, and few spectators. But now that so many have returned from overseas, and footballers, cricketers, hockey, and tennis players, racing followers and others are getting back into their normal peacetime routine, the NBS has increased its sporting coverage very considerably. All this involves a large amount of programme planning. Allotments of broadcasting time must be made to give adequate broadcasts of the many events that make up the New Zealand. Saturday. But the best is done with the time available to give service to all types of. listeners, the sporting fans and also those interested rather in music and general entertainment. On a recent Saturday there were so many sporting commentaries that to give listeners not interested in sport a chance to hear music, Station 2YC was brought on the air at noon instead of the: usual time of 5.0 p.m., and presented a purely musical ‘programme. The morning was

wet, so cancellations of sports were summarised and broadcast by 2YA just before noon to save inconvenience to ‘intending spectators’and listeners. But all the National stations were on the air at mid-day to rebroadcast, from Auckland, the cricket match with the Australian visitors. These commentaries were done in five quarter-hour spells. Then, in addition to racing results as they came to hand, 2YA was occ va pied with relays throughout the aft noon from Wanganui, where the New Zealand athletic championships were being contested. The calendar of sporting events that day was so heavy that only Wellington sports results and the results of ‘six race meetings were broadcast at 6.50 p.m. At 7.0 p.m. the main National stations linked up to give the New Zealand athletic championship results from 2YA. The broadcast subsequently passed to 3YA for the results of the New Zealand Surf Life-Saving championships, and when these finished, 1YA took over with a cricket review by H. G. Vivian, the former Auckland -and New Zealand representative player. The same afternoon there had been open-air boxing, conducted by the Hutt Valley Boxing Association at. Petone. Though it was not possible to find time to broadcast a running description of this fixture, the result was announced immediately it was received at 2YA, which was the next best thing. In the South, in a new service for racegoers and followers, Station 4YZ is now broadcasting the meetings of the Invercargill Racing and Trotting Clubs, and later in the year intends to broadcast the Riverton Meeting. The NBS -now: gives a wide sports coverage, but it is expected to become still more comprehensive as the year grows older,