Radio Keeps Pace with Southland Progress

New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 894, 21 September 1956, Page 16

Radio Keeps Pace with Southland Progress

CTOBER 1 will be a centennial year milestone for listeners in Southland. From that date, when the new Commercial] station 4ZA takes the air and the new programme plan for 4YZ is introduced. they wil] be able to choose from a greater variety of programmes than ever before Station 4ZA will have a-programme similar in type to 1XH and 2ZA-fully Commercial six days a week. Programmes from 4YZ will be partly. local as at present and partly chosen from the best broaccast by 4YA and 4YC, Just back from Invercargill, where he found a keen interest in 4ZA in the commercial field, John Mayo, Sales Supervisor for the Commercial Division told The Listener that the new station, which was being established so that advertisers could broadcast their commercial messages to the vast potential market in Southland, would carry programmes sponsored by both local and national advertisers. Among many of the most popular programmes already being heard elsewhere which would be broadcast from the new station were It’s In the Bag, Number, Please, Money-Go-Round, Scoop the Pool, Olympic Flame, Frontier Marshal, Quiz Kids, and Surf Radio Theatre. Other features of broadcasts from the new station will include Women’s Hour and Shoppers’ Session, and sports cover on the same

scale as other fully Commercial stations. Station 4ZA will be on the air from 6.0 am.. to 10.30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and from 7.0 a.m, to 10.30 p.m. on Sundays. Like other Commercial stations, it will include broadcasts by local artists in its Sunday programmes. The new station will operate on a frequency of 820 ke., and wavelength of 366 metres, and in the meantime its power will be one kilowatt, though this will be increased later. Station 4ZA will use the existing studios in Tay Street, Inver-

cargill, and both stations will use the Same aerial at the transmitter site at Dacre. Because 4YZ listeners will have an alternative programme from 4ZA, it will be possible to include a little more YC material than before in 4YZ _ programmes, said Malcolm Rickard, Supervisor of Programme Organisation for the National Division, discussing new National programme plans for Invercargill. Consequently, Southland ‘isteners should have very well-balanced radio entertainment. Mr. Rickard said that a number of sessions-the news, weather forecasts, religious broaccasts, the

Children’s Session-would continue as at present. The station would have its own Women’s Session, conducted by Jane Smith, three days a week, and on Wednesday would take the National Women’s Session as it does now. The remaining session each week, presented from 4YA, will be one specially designed for Otago and Southland listeners. Farm Sessions from both stations will be prepared by the newly-appointed Rural Broadcasts Officer at Dunedin, G. F. Curran, and will include items of special interest to the Southland farming community. Mr. Curran was until recently at 4YZ, where he was closely

associated with farming and other broadcasts. There will be three Farm Sessions in the lunch hour during the week, as well as the National News for the Farmer. As in the past, 4YZ programmes will include broadcasts by local artists, both from the studio and on relay, and on these occasions. these programmes will also be carried by 4YA or 4YC. Serials already being heard from the station will continue. The new plan to make up a big part of the 4YZ programme with items from 4YA and 4YC will give Southland listeners the chance to hear from their own station a great variety of programmes originating in Dunedin or in other parts of the country. Broadcasting hours for 4YZ will be the same as they are now. The present Station Miunager at 4YZ, H. A..S. Rollinson, will act as Manager of the new combined station. The re-cently-appointed Announcer in Charge at 4YZ, Chris Hall, who has had experience in the Commercial field-his last appointment was at 1XH-will head the announcing team for the two stations. Nan Dobson, from 1XN, will conduct the 4ZA Women’s Hour, and Marie Jones, of 4ZB, will in the meantime be in charge of the Shoppers’ Session. Other appointments include A. L. Winchester (Sales Manager), who will be returning from 1XH to his home town. For séveral departments local recruits will be sought.