Carnival By Radio From the City Beautiful

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 24, 30 December 1927, Page 16

Carnival By Radio From the City Beautiful

The wonderful success of the broadcasting of events associated with Auckland’s week of Carnival has given radio an additional fillip which should result in increased sales during January. Those who have nct had experience of carnival broadcasts could not believe that such a diversified programme as has been given from 1YA this week, could be successfully handled.. In thousands of homes throughout the length and breadth of the country radio has added an additional joy to the festive season, and has brough the holiday spirit to many of those who are unable to join in the gaieties of the Christmas to New Year period. :

RE UCKLAND, rightly designated the City 41 Beautiful has given itself over to carnival this week. With its many parks and its wealth of scenic beauty, it would be difficult — to imagine any centre better fitted for the entertainment of the thousands who have flocked there this week. Auckland, has been fortunate in the many endowments secured from citizens who have felt the necessity for providing open spaces for the children of the future. It is especially beautiful at this time of the year, when its thousands of wonderful gardens are bedecked with flowers. Ellerslie, the particular spot of attraction this week is always a show place for visitors, but never more so than when the Carnival programme is at its height. SPLENDID HOLIDAY RESORT. As a holidav resort, Auckland has always appealed to

the seeker of pleasure for its beautiful beaches, and its wonderful harbour presents an appeal that is impossible to resist. The development of the coastal areas some little distance from Auckland, has been particularly due to its wonderful climate and the popularity of the district. There are so many beauty spots to appeal to the visitor, that a week is far too short in which to see them all. Among the special attractions must be listed the Auckland Zoo, second practically to none in the Southern Hemisphere. While it is true the Sydney Zoo is somewhat more extensive, the general layout and natural beauty of surroundings of the Auckland Zoo make it more spectacular. -Few of Auckland’s visitors this week have failed to visit the Zoo, which has now attained a Dominion-wide reputation. ) Despite the fact that the City today is packed to the utmost, with hotels and boarding houses lacking sufficient accommodation for guests, there are hundreds, possibly thousands, who would be there but are prevented by innumerable ties. To these, radio-greatest wonder of this

twentieth centure age of wondershas brought the Carnival. Listening in at his outback farm, the settler has been able to visualise the progress of events throughout the week. Though not actually present he has been able to join in the revelry and gaiety associated with this "week of weeks," and he has felt his isolation disappear as if by magic before the waving wand of radio. VARIED PROGRAMMES. Station 1YA has given of its best during the week, and from the host of good things which it has broadcast, it is impossible to select that which has most appealed to its vast audience. Already, appreciative comment is being made on the service rendered, and it is apparent that the sporting broadcasts-particularly seasonable at this time of the year when all are imbued with the holiday spirit-have directly appealed to those many thou-

sands of people who are debarred from being present in Auckland to witness the races and other Carnival features. Morning, afternoon, and evening, station 1YA has been on the air, sending forth racy descriptions of the daily programmes and giving a bright entertainment in the evening, to fittingly wind up the day. It was by a particularly happy combination of circumstances that the wealth of new talent recently engaged for 1YA, made its initial appearance during this holiday period when sets are working overtime. The evening programmes which have been broadcast during this holiday period, have been both bright and varied, and augur well for the entertainment which will now be available to listeners from this station. Elsewhere in this issue, we have referred to the outstanding advances which have been made in.radio in the Dominion this year.

Could anyone, a year ago, have imagined the extension of service to include the whole of a carnival, such as is taking place in Auckland this week? SPORTING BROADCASTS. It is natural that sporting broadcasts do not appeal to all listeners, but the programmes this week have assuredly been sufficiently catholic to embrace something for everyone. The bright descriptions of lawn scenes at the races-while doubtless appealing but little to the average male listener-have carried thousands of country womén back to the Ellerslie they knew one, two, or three years ago. The daily outline of events given in the morning has enabled visitors to carefully arrange their daily programme, while descriptions of the state of roads, etc., are naturally of greatest assistance to all visitors who

have been fortunate enough to make the trip to Auckland in their own car. THE RADIO DEALER. There is another, and most important aspect of this Auckland Carnival, to which it is fitting to refer. The service rendered has naturally meant a splendid boost to radio, and dealers who have taken full advantage of the facilities available, have had a particularly busy time. Auckland dealers were to the fore in making it a "Radio Christmas" and the success of this week’a broadcast should ensure them a "Radio New Year." Throughout last week, 1YA was on the air from noon until 5 p.m. daily, dealers thus being given the opportunity of demonstrating sets the whole afternoon to hundreds of would-be buyers who flocked to the shops. There are dozens of hesitant buyers who, unable to make

up their minds before Christmas, will, in the face of this special Carnival service, be prospective purchasers of sets. Radio sales will not slump in the New Year, and dealers will be wise to make specially attractive displays. "RINGING IN THE NEW" To-morrow, New Year’s Eve, will be a fitting wind-up to the Auckland Carnival and the excellent programme to be broadcast from 1YA is fully in keeping with the frolicsome spirit of the hour. Gay dance items from two special orchestras will be "put on the air," and in hundreds of homes throughout the province, this will provide the necessary music for those gay parties which invariably herald the approach of another year. Next week will see a big exodus from the City Beautiful, but Carnival memories will linger not only among those who witnessed the various events, but also with those, who, though far removed from the centre of gaiety, listened to the many features "over the air." It is not perhaps out of place to refer in this survey of Auckland’s gala week, to the prospects for radio during the coming year. The pro-

gress made during 1927 has been so rapid, that 1t is diimcult to visualise step by step, the improvements which have been effected. With the actual number of listeners nearly trebled in the short space of twelve months, it is but natural that programmes should have been vastly improved during the year. This is the second comprehensive carnival service carried out by the Broadcasting Coy., the first, equally successful being given from 3YA during November. It may be confidently anticipated that it will be by no means the last of these happy events to be "put over the air." As time goes on there will be greater appreciation of the value of this type of publicity to the carnival itself, and this will allow further development. It is ridiculous to suppose that those who could be present at these events would be content with a broadcast description however perfect, it might be. ,