THE RADIO TREND

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 11, 30 September 1927, Page 5

THE RADIO TREND

INTERESTING INTERVIEW , NO REVOLUTIONARY CHANGES BOQUILPING HOSPITALS AND SCHOOLS. Present visitors to Wellington are Mr. William J. Avery, in charge of the foreign sales depart: ment of the Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, U.S.A., and Mr. S. KE. Tatham, representative in Australia of the same company. These gentlemen -€@re now touring New Zealand on a businéss visit, and in the course of a conversation with a representa: tive of the "Radio Record," had some interesting comments to — make concerning the strides that _ radio is making in different parts _ of the world. *No,"’ said Mr, Avery, in tesponse to @ question, "I do not think that we. €an look for any very extraordinary advances in radio from the present Standard for at least some time to. come. No further .- revolutionary changes are looming that I cau see. E believe it to be correct to say that the Atwater Kent Company maintains the largest research Jaboratory in the world, aud I know that theit experts indicate no immediate revolutionary hanges in present radio equipment as likely, "Yhe general trend, of course, has een towards simplicity, and «. notable advance in this direction is the intro- duction of the batteryless radio set. (his avoids the complexity ef independent batteries for those who desire it. fhe whole desire has been to put the adio receiving set into the same catetory as the gramophone-so far as its being able to provide music on defmand is concerned. ‘The general pubBic, taken by and large, are not interested in radio complexities. AM! ihat they require is a_ set which, with a minimum of manipulation, will give them good reproduction of the station programme they desire. ffhat is now available with the stan@ardised one-dial control. "The advancement that has been quade in technical efficiency and stanardisation of receiving sets means, it is generally considered, that the tendlency will be for the number of manu facturers to decline, and for the production to be concentrated in the hands of the bigger organisatious. ‘he petiod of what may be termed ‘wildcat’ development has been passed, and, with the rapid strides of recent years, weak manufacturers are already being eliminated. ‘the standardisation of Sets will mean, as in the motor-car industry, the attainment of a greater degree of perfection and reliahjility. REPENTING AT LEISURE. "An outcome of the rapid strides that the industry made has been that fheavy losses have been made by those caught carrying stocks of equipment rendered out of date. To minimise foss the tendency has been for this material to be dumped into forcign countries, particularly into virgin tertitory. The reaction from this has been bad, and will take a period of time to smooth over. Chile and Japan are two countries that were very badly affected. Chile was just flooded with out-of-date stuff, and it will take another year before the disappointed population can be converted back into @.radio market. Japan also suffered. At the start of the boom. there practically every merchant bonght radio, and the whole conntry was flooded aoe

| with radio merchandise, the most of which is now obsolete, and many of the merchants haye gone to the wall." Chatting further, Mr. Avery mentioned ‘that Spain was a very fine adio country, both froin the point of view of good service and outstandingly good reception. At Cordova, in the southern part, it was possible to receive with particular clarity the United States any night desired without any trouble whatsoever. Italy, too, had undergone a ‘radio wave,’? and was very well equipped indeed. All public schools in Italy had receiving sets, and a movement was now on foot for private schools to be similarly equipped. RADIO'S GROWING SERVICE. Asked as to striking features in radio development encountered by him, Mr, Avery said that he was impressed wherever he went by the attention being devoted to cquipping hospitals and schools with radio. ‘This had been most marked in the United States, where in Chicago alone his firm had recently received an order for 500 receiving sets and 30,000 loudspeakers. It was, therefore, now possible for the school children of Chicago to be ad‘dressed as a unit, and instructed along uniform lines, or pnt in touch with such events as an address by the President of the United States: In the case of hospitals, it has been most striking how effective the installation of radio has been in lightening the pain of sufferers and facilitating recovery. His own wife, unfortunately, had been frequently an inmate of hospitals, and on all snch occasions he had installed a radio set, with a wonderful effect of lightening the hours of sickness. .The manner in which patients nearby had also benefited had been the subject of much comment. Speaking generally, the desire was for all modern hospitals to be fully equipped with receiving sets and ’phones for the different classes of patients. QUALITY PROGRAMMES TELL. Mr. Avery was able to give mnuct: interesting information regarding the operation of the broadcasting chain stations in the United States. These statiois were privately owned, and were maintained by either the company operating them as an indirect advyertising service, or were supported by the fees paid by large firms, which provided programunes for the public as a meaus of advertising.’ The outcome of this service was that the public receiv: ed _a wonderful variety of selection. "While jazz,’ said Mr. Avery, "has exercised a big sway in the States, the crazy stage is now fairly well passing, although, of course, it still has a big hold. Expericnce shows, however, that there is a big public longing for better class material. ‘This is shown by the experience of the Atwater Kent Company. Ivery Sunday evening this station broadcasts from 9.15 to 10.15 a programme embodying the services of the highest class operatic stars available, and costing, on the average, 10,000 dollars (£2000) for the hour. The quality of this programine has become so widely known that it is remarkable how people make a .special point of being at home for that hour on Sunday evening and inviting their friends to come and "‘listen-in."? This shows how, bv entertainment, broadcasting is steadily appealing to the public and widening appreciation of good music." IMPRESSED BY DISTANT ’ RECEPTIONS. Mr. Avery confessed that he had been astounded, since being in New Zealand, at the long-distance reception recorded in this country on standard sets. In:the States, owing to the number of broudcasting stations and their closeness to centres of population, distance was not a miaterial fac-

tor. The tendency was to concentrate upon the favourite local station and stay there. In New Zealand he had been shown lists of reception from stations in the States which were quite remarkable, While interesting, of course, as feats, he thought it was Obvious that exceptionally clear conditions would have to obtain before real enjoyment could be guaranteed from such distaut reception. When passing through Honolulu, where they were how building a high-powered station, he had heard Wellington quite clearly, and also Sydney and Brisbane very effectively. 2YA COMPARED WITH. AUSTRALIA. Mr. S. &. Tatham had something of interest to say in relation to the studio of 2YA. Neither Sydney, Melbourne, nor Adelaide, he said, had studio that would compare in appointments with 2YA, and he thought New Zealand was to be congratulated upon the standard being set. The New Zealand stations were received satisfactorily in Australia, particularly Wellington, although, of course, the fact that we were quiet after 8.30, Australian time, did not give Australian listeners very much opportunity of enjoying the best.