2ZB ANNIVERSARY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 413, 23 May 1947, Page 5

2ZB ANNIVERSARY

eir,-Un sunday, April 27, 1947, the Commercial Station 2ZB made a most awful fuss about its tenth birthday, and the only part of the programme which could really be called genuine was the speech delivered by the Hon. F. Jones; the balance of the evening was pure, if one can use such an expression in this case-TOSH. To me it appeared a very definite glorification of certain of the people who pay for time on the air, as well as establishing a precedent by giving the 100 per cent. United States firms, i.e. MGM and Warner Brothers, free publicity-and on the Sabbath at that. As ten years have passed since the station was established, surely there were -matters of Dominion importance which could have been broadcast, instead of having all those Yankee pot-hunters telling us their ideas, and wishing us, from their empty brains, good luck, etc. The United States has definite ideas of its importance in this world, without our local stations coming to their aid, and a few stories of what Station 2ZB has achieved would have sounded much better to us in Wanganui. The announcements were definitely a cheap "handout" to those movie corporations. In closing, I do not want you to tell me that the "quizzing of the Quiz Masters" was New Zealand, because I think it was about the poorest part of a voor

evening.

PUTITI

(Wanganui),

Sir,-With a fanfare of trumpets and much excitement 2ZB announced their monster 10th Anniversary programme, which we lucky Wellingtonians would have the privilege of hearing on Sunday, April 27. We six citizens in this household, being far from old and decrepit, sat in our seats and listened eagerly. But what a shock we received! At the conclusion of the announcer’s recital of wonders to be heard we looked at one another in amazement. Then we looked at the radio, to see if by some mistake we were on_ short-wave. "Surely," we said to ourselves, there were amongst the programmes at least four dealing with Hollywood’s too-too wonderful stars, to say nothing of a programme of American so-called humour. As an excerpt from this latter we were thrilled to hear a raucous-voiced Hollywood actress saying, "Hi ya Fellahs." It is kind of 2ZB to give us so much Hollywood. I suppose it would be impossible to have by way of a change New Zealand talented artists who have risen to fame in the last 10 years, viz. Oscar Natzke, or Australian talent, and impossible also to give us even one programme of British humour and stars. 2ZB apparently must stick to America -there are no worthwhile artists outside this land, or are there?

SIX OF US

(Wellington).

(The Commercial Division of the NZBS states that special programmes were broadcast over a period of 18 hours and opportunity was taken during the afternoon of featuring first-class Wellington artists as part of the celebrations. It would be incorrect to assume that all the "high-lighted’"’ material was of American origin. Possibly because of the power cuts the correspondent could not hear the various programmes.-Ed. )