OFF THE AIR

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 7, 2 September 1927, Page 5

OFF THE AIR

2YA’S POWER LINE BREAKS When a broadcasting station is in full ‘swing, when everyone for hundreds of miles around is listening to a voice that seems to be speaking in the very room, there would seem to be no more power ful means of communication. But ounce ‘the source of power for the station is cut off there is nothing more helpless an that same station. Its voice has been such an anuihilator of distance hat there is nothing else that.can take its place, and a station with its electric power cut off is inarticulate and Aead. Thatis what 2YA was last Tues day week, and it could not tell people what was wrong, which was what everyone wanted to know. From 3 o'clock till after 9, the tele. phones in the office were ringing cot. tinuously. The attendants answered in relays. They gave every inquirer .&@ brief reply, hung up the receiver; ute hooked it again at once, answered the next inquirer, rehung the receiyer and so on. There were hundreds of inauirers upto nine o'clock, at whicks time 1VA was able to send out ‘a’ messare explaining the misfortune that had

happened to 2YA. , A broken power line to Mt. Victoria was the reason for the silence of 2YA, "he Blectricity Department of the Wellington Citv Corporation rang up 2YA just before the afternoon session was to . commence and advised the station. of the mishap. Strenuous efforts were ~ made to repair the damage but at 9° o’clock it was: realised that the work could not be done till next day. Next morning repairs were effected. Tt is unlikely that such a catastrophe

will occur again for it is the inten. tion of the electricity department to St up an emergency line for another sub-station. The artists engaged for ‘Tuesdav’s cott‘ert waited on in hopes that the station would vet go on the air, and whem it was found that this was impossible hev all expressed their willingness to nerform next day, which is usually OY A’s silent dav. It was an action ott heir part which the Broadcasting Comnany and listeners greatly appreciated. we information was broadcast frome TYA. One touch of ironv about the contre. temps was that during the afternoort ‘here was to have been on address on cooking by electricity. This was postnoned for a week. The cause of the mishap was a boy with a pea rifle who "notted" one of insulators on the nower line.