Broadcasting Religious Services

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 18, 18 November 1927, Page 4

Broadcasting Religious Services

THE PROBLEM OF A PROGRAMME GENERAL CONFERENCE TO BE HELD THIS MONTH With the question of the broadeasting of religious services now Somes what prominent, a brief explanation of the position may be opportune, In response to numerous requests the Broadcasting Company has endeavoured to accede to what would seem to be the simplest solution of the problem, namely, a fair rotation of the various principal denominations with no two of the same denomination on the air at any. two of the New Zealand stations on any one Sunday night. ‘This would seem to be easy to arrange, but in practice it has so far failed. At best this solution wonld please only a small percentage of the minority of listeners throughout New Zealand who have valve sets. Only @ small percentage of those with valve sets would be concerned with any particular service. So it follows that the number of listeners to whom the rearrangement ot the services would be a satisfactory solution would be very small. ‘Ihe great majority of listeners have crystal sets, and these listeners would not be affected by the regrading. Also, it may be pointed out that even some of those listeners with valve sets in the cities would find it in practicable to tune in to the station they wanted if their own station were on the air. These facts show that very few people would benefit from such an arrangement, even if it could be satisfactorily carried out. As a matter of fact it would break down at once, The same number of denominations do not broadcast from each station, In two cities there are five, in two seven. In certain cases a church, while strong in one city, is too weak in another to be able to broadcast. Where it has a strong membership it is fullv entitled to a turn, but as the number of broadcasting churches is not the same a set rotation cannot be followed, Then, also it has been found that in numerous instances churches cannot or do not want to take their turn and a church of another denomination has had to fill the breach. ‘hus it might heppen that two, three, or even four stations might be broadcasting services by the one denomination on the one night. ‘The defanit of one church to take its turn throws the whole rotation ont of order and when this happens repeatedly it is not possible for such az arrongement to last. AN INDEPENDENT ROTATION. All that ihe Broadcasting Company can do is to be undenominational im this matter and to work each station independently, giving each church @ turn regardless of its numerical strength; but the churches do not always desire to be broadcast in the order arranged. Some prefer to arrange amongst themselves. for various reasons of their own-perhaps because Of special (such as anniversary) services--and others again have been very jndifferent in taking advantage of the opportunity to broadcast their services THE ANGLICAN CHURCH PROPOSAL. One can take it as a further tribute to the power of broadcasting that the Church of England is now considering the erection of a transmitting station for the purpose of broadcasting religious services. The Church of England has been very slow in recognising the value of broadcasting as a means of disseminating the Gospel and has not ayailed itself of the oppoitunities which the company has offered it. Other churches have gladly accepted every chance to broadcast, and this state of affairs has resulted in the impresson geting abroad that the Broadcasting Company has been differentiate ing against the Church of Engiand. Nothing of course could be further from fact. The Broadcasting Company has been, is, and will be absclutely impartial. The Broadcasting Company will certainly state its case to the authorities in regard to the application by the Church of Iingland to secure @ broadcasting license, and that will be tantamount to protesting agaiust the granting of the application. It is in the interests of all listeners that such a station should not be erected. If a license were granted, the purpose of the Act would be denarted from and a precedent would be set, so that every denomination and sect in New Zealand would seek a license. The result would simply be chaos and it would seem unlikely that a license for such a station as the Church of England people are thinking about will ever be granted. By far the great majority of Hsteners have crystal sets of poor selectivity, what would be the result when several such stations were broadcasting simultaneously? It will be far better for all concerned if the Church of England will agree to work in with the other churches in regard to the broadcasting of services. For months the Broadcasting Company has had under consideration a proposal for reaching a working basis among the ptincipal denominations. ‘Ihe Broadcasting Company is quite impartial in the matter of which church service it broadcasts, It thinks that it is up to the varous religious denominations to agree amgngst themselves as to the best way t> take advantage of the great power which has been placed at their disposal for spreading the Gospel. The Broadcasting Company could do no more than it has done and can do no more in an impartial way than it offers to do The first conference between the various churches will be held ia Christchurch this month, and it is to be hoped the Church of England will send a representative, and that an amicable arrangement will be arrived at, when the Broadcasting Company will be only too pleased to lend what help it can,