RELIGIOUS SERVICES AND BROADCASTING

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 12, 7 October 1927, Page 4

RELIGIOUS SERVICES AND BROADCASTING

CONFERENCE PROPOSED BETWEEN CHURCHES AND COMPANY The General Manager of the Broadcasting Coy., Mr. A. R. Harris, has made the following statement in regard to the broad- _ casting of religious services: . "Bishop Welldon wrote recently that ‘If the clergy were to refuse or neglect such new means of communication as science affords, they would commit the same mistake as might have occurred many years ago had they failed to make use of the printing press or the steam engine." Radio broadcasting offers to the Christian churches a wonderful opportunity of delivering their message to individuals who are reached. by no other medium, and most churches: are alive to the value of this opportunity and are eager to avail themselves of it. "The Radio Broadeasting Company also is desirous of fulfilling: to the greatest possible extent these obligations as a public utility, and in these it includes the broadcasting of religious services. "In discussing any subject in relation to broadcasting there’ ar@ three aspects to be considered: (1) Its desirability from the point.of view of public utility; (2) Its acceptability to the great mass of listeners; , (3) Its practicability with regard to the operation of the station. "The desirability of broadcasting religious services may almost be taken as axiomatic, for the great majority of churches is argeed as to its value, though even in these churches there are individuals who disagree. Of its acceptability to listeners the Broadcasting Company and members of the clergy have received ample evidence. Many letters have been. written expressing gratitude for broadcasts, both of the special children’s services from the studio, and relays of church services, and telling of the joy that hag been brought to listeners. These letters have come from people who through deafness have not heard a church service for many years, but who are able to hear perfectly through the use of head phones; from others who through infirmity are unable to attend church; from construction camps and dwellers in the back country living many miles from the nearest church, _ "Assuming then the desirability and acceptability, it is necessary to decide as to the most effective way of accomplishing the desired. end. Good work has been done in the past both by the churches, who have in many instances put forth special efforts to present a bright and helpful service to listeners, and by the Broadcasting Company; but it is felt that the time has arrived when an improvement can be effected by closer co-operation between the various churches and the company, and by a full and frank discussion of the problems that present themselves. "Tt must be remembered that the company broadcasts under license, and that it works under certain limitations which are defined in regulations published in New Zealand Gazette No, 17, March 12, 1925, from which the following is quoted: , "29, (1) A broadcasting station shall not be used for the dissemination of propaganda of a controversial nature, but shall be restricted to matter of an educative, informas tional, or entertaining character, such as news, lectures, useful information, religious services, musical or elocutionary entertainment, and other items of general public interest as may be approved by the Minister from time to time. (2) The licensee shall supervise with all reasonable care, to the satisfaction of the Minister, the matter broad« cast, and shall carefully select the matter to be broadcast, in order to give effect to the requirements of this regulation."

"Subsection (2) throws upon the Company the onus of supervising the matter broadcast, and the Company therefore must exercise control to this extent, and those who are privileged to use the broadcasting ser vice should accept their responsibility in conforming to the requirements of the regulations. "There are many denominations in New Zealand, most of whom desire to have their service broadcast. The question then arises as to the proportion of broadcasts to-be allotted to each. As a basis some suggest the numerical strength of each denomination as disclosed in the census; others the number of churches; others again consider strict rotation, to ke followed without regard to census statistics, "Objections can be raised to all these suggestions, and when a decision has been reached there still remains the question of practicability. Many difficulties arise when a service is to be-relayed from 8 church. For instance, the acoustic properties of the building itself may be such that a satisfactory broadcast is almost impossible, the internal arrangements in the church, such as the seating of the choir, the relative positions of the choir and organ, and the positions taken up by the officiating clergyman, may present problems, for all these matters bear important relationship to the success of a relay. These difficulties may be overcome to some extent, though not entirely, by the use of several microphones-in some cases aS many as five have been used for one service. "Tt is held by some that many of the difficulties may be overcome by broadcasting a special service from the studio, a plan which has already been adopted with great success at one of the stations in regard to children’s services. The following advantages are claimed: The service can be made undenominational and suitable for all listeners; The possibility of outside interference is obviated; The broadcast is under the direct control of the station staff, and therefore placings will be correct and transmission balanced; , The order of seryice can be made more suitable than the ordine ary church service for broadcasting; The time may be arranged so as not to interfere with the sere vices of Iocal churches, "This lost claim is based on the contention that when a service is relayed some people who otherwise would go to church stay home and listen, but that if it were from the studio and after the conclusion of the local church services, these people would attend church, and would then go home and listen to the studio service, which would be supplementary and not substitutional. "The objections offered to the studio service are:-That it is nod a church service, that it lacks the church atmosphere, which cannot be reproduced in the studio, and that listeners who are church members and are unable to attend their church do not hear the service they desire, "These are some of the questions which arise when broadcasting of church services is considered, and it is hoped they will be fully discussed at the proposed conference to be held between representatives of the churches and the Broadcasting ‘Company with # view to closer cov " operation." are | , open Leger ee bh Tee eae ee TH iS seeeeeri edd