Radio Station for the Far North

New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 528, 5 August 1949, Page 24

Radio Station for the Far North

O visit the district north of Auckland is to "look at New Zealand’s first pages,’ wrote |"Sundowner" in The Listener early in 1947. What is now called ‘Northland was the scene of some of the fiercest of the inter-tribal con- | flicts among the Maoris. When there | were few white men in what are now ‘the four main centres of New Zealand, | missionaries had been established in the | far North, and other pioneers had built anaee there. For generations the population figures hardly changed, while those in other parts of the country rose rapidly, but, in the last few years, the Whangarei area has attracted much | attention, and the town itself has to- | day a population of 10,000. Soon Whangarei should become even better known, for it has now acquired its own NZBS station, 1XN, which will be opened officially on Saturday, August 27. The studios-converted hospital units from the Pacific-are at the corner of Rust Avenue and Alexander Street, and the 165ft. radiator ‘mast of | lattice steel is at Tikipunga. The power of the new station will be two kilowatts. Whangarei is 110 miles north of Auckland by road, through native bush flanking the sea coast, and at one point on the way both the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean can be seen. Though thé average width of the Northland peninsula is less than 30 miles, the area offers a great field for the agriculturist, pastoralist and fruitgrower. The foundation of the wealth of the district is the dairying industry. In the last few years butterfat production has increased considerably, and other exports are wool,

coal, timber and cement. The kauri forest of Puhipuhi, of beauty and large extent, is about 20 miles to the north of Whangarei. Kauri gum digging is associated with the timber felling and a fairly considerable trade in gum is still carried on. As with other new NZBS_ stations opened recently, the first programme at 1XN Whangarei will consist of speeches by notable visitors and residents, followed by items by local performers. : Wanganui Station in September At 2XA Wanganui technicians are installing electrical equipment in the studios and this station will be in operation towards the end of September. If delivery of equipment from Australia is not delayed by industrial troubles, the new» station at Gisborne, at the corner of Gladstone Road and Prel Street, should be ready to go on the air by the end of October. Like the other twokilowatt stations, 2XG will use programmes from its library of 6,000 recordings, augmented at various times by the inclusion of local performers. The transmitter will be at Wainui, three miles from the studios. : The Whangarei, Wanganui and Gisborne stations, like 3XC and 2XH, will broadcast partly commercial and partly non-advertising programmes. "The commercial sessions will be from 7.0 a.m. to 10.0 a.m. and from 6.30 p.m. to 7,30 p.m. on week-days, The non-advertis-ing programmes will be heard from 7.30 p.m, to 10.30 p.m. on week-days, and all the time on Sundays. NZBS plans also include an increase of power at 2ZA Palmerston North from 250 watts to two kilowatts.