YOUTH TAKES OVER

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 481, 10 September 1948, Page 9

YOUTH TAKES OVER

ROM an experiment which Station 1ZB will launch on Sunday afternoon, September 19, may emerge potential New Zealand broadcasters, playwrights and radio performers of the future. A few weeks ago the Station sent circulars to the principals of the Auckland secondary schools, suggesting that pupils be given an opportunity to learn more about the work done on the studio side of the microphone. To this end it offered to place its studio facilities at the disposal of one secondary school for half-an-hour or more ewery Sunday afternoon from September 19 onwards, and the response, the Station says, has been most encouraging. The first programme in this session called Youth Takes Over, will be presented by Avondale College. The aim of this series of programmes is to give listeners generally an idea of what children can devise and develop for broadcasting, maintaining as far as possible a balance between speech and music. What listeners will hear will be sessions prepared, produced and presented by the pupils themselves. They may be varied in form. For instance, it has been suggested that one session should be made up of standard fecordings with script continuity written by a pupil and broadcast by that pupil, or some other student better able to speak before a microphone, — Encouragement will be given to set sketches directed and presented ‘by children. It is realised that an original sketch might be a heavy undertaking for a secondary school Boy or birl: but

if the Principal considers a play submitted to him worthy of broadcasting, technical advice will be given about its

production but it will not be edited by the Station. An audience-participation section, taking the forrh of a 10 minutes’ quiz session or debate, is another suggestion, Among pupils at most schools there are one or two children who deeply interest their fellows. There may be one from some other country who is frequently cross-examined by his’ friends on school methods in other lands, the way other people live, what interesting experiences have come his way, and so on. Such children, drawn out in conversation by a colleague, can reasonably be expected to provide a good three minutes’ interview. Another idea is that the okies of Radio Review, broadcast from 1ZB on Sunday nights (in which people and news events are presented to listeners) could be adapted by children to cover affairs that interest them particularly. Talks, items by school choirs, bands and soloists are also invited. The Station thinks it unlikely that school children would be capable of handling an outside broadcast but, if they wish to try themselves out at this special form of broadcasting technique, their suggestions will be considered and, if approved, they will be provided with the equipment for a four minutes’. session. A grant of two guineas will be made to each school taking part to defray any costs incurred in preparing its programmes, such as fares to and from. the studio, It is emphasised that as thé programmes will be broadcast on Sundays, they will not be sponsored or connected in any way with advertising.