The Policy of Service Behind Radio in New Zealand

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 3, 3 August 1928, Page 4

The Policy of Service Behind Radio

in New Zealand

bo

A. R.

Harris

| General Manager, Ghe Radio Broadcasting Company of N.Z., Limited.

NE of the most remarkable single discoveries of the age is unquestionably radio telephony broadBe mneey +6 casting. Where it has come: from, what it will do, and where it will end: is matter for. conjecture. his ‘mysterious force travels at the speéd of light, and thus could circle the World four times in one second. That it-Zoes. on travelling is also known. Whether it will be left to human agency to fecord its history; whether on its journeying through the infinite jt will leave its own records or, still shrouded in mystery, travel on and on indefinitely for a more enlightened posterity to detect, and so unfold the story of today, is a dreum which in these days of wonders cannot be considered ag beyond the bounds of possibility. ‘That radio broadcasting will play an important part in the life of this and the coming generations there can be no doubt. Just how great that part will be depends a good deal on the methods adopted for its develop[t has come uncharted into a world of organised business. By its competition business ean be disorganised.‘ By-its co-operation business can be enhanced. Both consequences ‘have already been brought about, according to the method by which -this new and wonderful service has been introduced into. different countries. There ig no royal road to its introduction, and in New Zealand, ‘as in other countries, the effect of its influence’can only be ascertained by experiment. As far as this country is concerned, the Radio Broadcasting. Company of New Yealand, Limited, has been entrusted by the Government with that experiment. In framing the regulations under which the company operates, the Government had little precedent to go upon. But the company has now built up the nucleus of a service in accordance . with those regulations, After three yeurs of broadcasting operations in this country; and with the experience of the operation of broadcasting schemes in other countries extending over five years the policy laid: down by the New Zealand Govyernment has earned the commendation of other and: older countries in which the ‘service has not been so wisely regulated... TP: developing radio telephony broadeasting in New Zealand, the directors of the: Radio Broadcasting Company of New Zealand, Limited, had Blso- no: precedent to guide them 4 in

respect to jts progressive development. In the circumstances the greatest care has been exercised to ensure that no expedijent should be adopted that would impair the effeetiveness and economy, or impede the progressiveness of the company’s policy. — That policy is to provide the highest quality of entertainment obtainable from the talent available in New Zealand, and disseminate it in such a way as to

bring it within the range of modern receiving sets in any part-of.the Dominion for-a nominal annual license fee, and to broadcast wu service based on a spirit of co-operative effort designed to promote the best interests of all sections of the community.

POLICY such as this cannot be put into full effect at the instant. ‘Time is required for its development, which must be pursued with very eareful atten‘tion to detail. New Zealand itself is characterised by certain factors which render the exercise of prudence in this respect particularly necessary. In the first instance owing to the longitudinal shape of the country, 75 per cent. and possibly more of the transmisssions from

its broadcasting stations go ous [to sea or are in other ways unremut@rative. It also has topographical condifions that have necessitated in certain districts larger stations than was originally anticipated. These factors, combined with 4 comparitively small population and consequently limited number of potential licenseholders, make it particularly essential for broadcasting in this country to be developed on sound and economical lines. [ the circumstances it has been of the utmost importance to have the foundations of the service set right, to. uvoid expedients that may prove costly and:in a short time valueless, and to build up a national service effective and economical. Progress along these lines has beeu miude, both. orderly and fundamentally. The first step was to erect up-to-date stations |. and install modern equipment. As little as possible was spent on the old stations, which were taken over by _ the company. . As soon as the policy.in respect to ~ new stations was decided, and during the course of their construction, the organisation of the respective stations received attention. Upon investigation of this side of the service, it was found that as soon as new stations were 7 opened, correspondence, station routine, listeners’ reports, and programme organisation became factors. that if not placed on a proper footing would lead to disorganisation and chaos, Such. was the experience of other broadcasting companies. Fortunately, however, owing to the delay in the introduction. of a national broadcast scheme in this country, the company was in a position to benefit by the experience of others. | (THE established procedure of other countries, however, was not followed. Hach phase of the proposed are ganisation in New Zealand was taken in turn and investigated without reference to precedent. Correspondence filing systems were first examined with. a view to the adoption of the one best suited to the special .equirements of the service. Office and station routine were then laid out, and by taking a good deal of trouble in the first. place in défining exact requirements, u system remarkably effective in its simplicity was evolved. Every station is treated as a separate unit, and the units as cl.ssified repetitions. Forms of. standard sizes and identical aryangement for all stations are used throughout. apd enable quick and accurate comparine..Bach form designates. the exact infor mation required, so. that nothing is let to chance or opinion. ; mo ' For listeners’ reports ihe. geographical alphabetical filing system was ine stalled,.and..with every report .classis. ‘fied according to the inform mation thereae

in it is now a-simple matter to check reception in any particular district. [N dealing with programmes, it was obyious that these must be built round music, particularly instrumental music, and come central library was needed to meet the reyuirements of the four stutions. While very comprehensire systems have been arransx] for picture theatre work, they are mostly classified under tempo arrangemeut. This is not uitable for broad-

ast, purposes, and therefore, in collaboration with the manufacturer, a special system of correspondence and catalogue files and indexes had to be developed. In respeet to the or: canising of progranunes, this is done at the particular station concerned. An allocation is made and the local station director and programme organiser use their own diseretion in providing items best suited to loca! conditions, To cater for as many listeners as practicable, however, a system of various types of programmes is laid cown for all sta tions, and is adhered to as closely as possible, so that the class of programme breadcast nightly is different at each of the stations, except ou Saturday and Sunday nights, when they are of g yaudevyille and sacred char acter respectively from all stations. [THE method of dealing with the many and varied branches of the company’s service Was also very carefully analysed, and as a result it was decided to divide the duily service into detinite sessions, and allocate to the particular session those subjects best suited to the hour of the day. For example, talks for ladies ~ ‘ive e been set down for the afternoon session, chil- drev’s entertainment fixed for a spec ial session early in the evening, news, market reports and instruction oveupy a session timed for just after the even-

ing meal hour; and the entertainment session comes later in the evening. -In this way a definite time has been fixed for a detinite service, atthe most conyenient time to suit the majority of listeners concerned. In addition to the programmes organised by the company’s staff, specjal atteution is given toe public happenings, and every opportunity taken i, breadeast on relay all available funetions of public interest. . | AVING at the outset organisedthat part of its administrative policy so essential for eflicient and economical working, the company turned its attention to another important part of its policy, that of improving er widening the public utility of its. service, aud eliminating any unfair apportionment of any one or other elass of entertainment or service. With this in view the directors of the company, after very thorough examination of all existing and possible co-operative mediums for the betterment of the service, int.educed a form of "Public Relations." As this has. been dealt with by the writer elsewhere in a separate article, it is nol intended to make further reference to it here. THE building up of the service to the ~ «styndard now obtaining has taken time, In the interval there has been 4 certain amount’ of public eriticism, but the wisdom of the Government’s

policy as cxpressed in legislation: under which a breadcasting service of the greatest public utility is effi-, ciently rendered: by ‘private ‘enterprise subject to Departmental regulations. effectively safeguarding the interests" of the community, is now apparent and widely acknowledged. As a result: of this policy, New Gealand possesses. to-day breadecasting stations equal-in efficiency and progressiveness to, and: providing a national broadcast service more than double that provided, in proportion to the cost, by any other. known broadcasting concern in. the world.