Final Preparations

New Zealand Listener, Volume 22, Issue 553, 27 January 1950, Page 7

Final Preparations

EFORE the battle, the wise general concentrates his artillery where he can best use it; before the Empire Games open the NZBS will have concentrated its electronic artillery in Auckland. To the disc recorder and two tape recorders already at 1YA, there have been added four new disc recorders and two tape recorders, eight portable tape "recorders, and the mobile broadcasting unit, which contains two more (tape recorders. This armament has been based at three headquarters in Auckland, which will be occupied by the BBC, by the ABC, and by the NZBS, which is also acting for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and the South ee Broadcasting Corporation. Zero Hour, G Day, is 1.25 p.m. on Saturday, February 4, when listeners will hear the Royal Guard and Marine Band entering Eden Park to take up positions facing the saluting base im-

mediately in front: of the dais from which the captain of the New Zealand team with take the Oath of Amateurism on behalf of all the athletes participating. The timing of other highlights from the impressive 8pening ceremony includes: 1.30, arrival of the GovernorGeneral and Lady Freyberg; 1.40, following a fanfare of trumpets the March On of athletes will begin; 2.5, the Gov-ernor-General will read a message from His Majesty the King; 2.7, His Excellency will declare the Games open; 2.11, fanfare of trumpets followed by salute of four guns signalling the raising of the British Empire Games Federation Flag, and. as the flag reaches the mast-head a massed flight of pigeons over the park will be released; 2.20, the Oath of Amateurism will be taken. By approximately 2.46 the ceremonial opening will be over, | and the grounds cleared for events to begin. Results and stories about the Games, quite apart from press cables, will flow out from our shores through the radio

telephone and Radio New Zealand between 3.15 a.m., when a summary "will be sent to South Africa via Australia, and 11.45 p.m., for a total of two hours five minutes broadcasting time every twenty-four hours. Overseas coverage of the Games starts on January 28. The NZBS has made available recorded descriptions of fields and arenas where Games events will be held. The BBC uses this. material in Radio Newsreel, while the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation asked for a record of the Canadian team’s impressions of the voyage, how they were housed in Auckland, and of

the country in general. This was aire mailed to Canada by the NZBS. Each morning of Games Week, there will be a conference of broadcasting officials at 1YA to survey the day’s requirements, co-ordinate the activities of the various people involved, and see that equipment is used to the best advantage. Shirley McNab, talks officer at 1YA, will interview many of the women competitors and use these interviews for Auckland Women’s Hour programmes. The Commercial Division of the NZBS, which will present summaries of results at 12.30, 1.30, 6.45, and 10.30 p.m., will also concentrate on recording material for subsequent broadcasts. One of these will be at a peak listening hour on the Sunday following the Games, when a half hour of the week’s highlights will be broadcast. Control of Organisation N spite of careful preparation, it is always necessary where organisation is complex, to have responsible officials on the spot. From the Wellington Head Office of NZBS will go C. Marshall, who will be in charge of the staff performing the necessary presentation, ae clerical work, G. H. Stringer, assistant secretary, looking after broadcasting liaison, the chief engineer, W. L. Harrison, in charge of the technical side, and J. H. Hall, supervisor of talks, who will be responsible for editing and presenting the summaries. It is highly unlikely that these people will see much of the Games; but it is only through their ceaseless activity that listeners both here and overseas will receive the end product of the most extensive broadcasting assignment ever attempted by the NZBS.