Auckland Notes

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 6, 24 August 1928, Page 6

Auckland Notes

(By

Listener

RAMOPHONE records, judiciously selected, are splendid attributes to a radio programme. This was emphasised here on Sunday night, when Mr. R. Strong, of the Auckland Gramophone Society, provided a most interesting hour’s recital following the usual church broadcast. It may have been Mr. Strong’s first appearance at the microphone; the manner of his delivery suggested that it was, but he handled his subject interestingly, and provided just those correct touches which made the broadcast recordings more appreciated. ON Saturday last was relayed from Eden Park a description of a Maori football contest. The game was an attractive one to spectators, but owing to the personnel of the two teams being not well known to listeners, it lost much of its attractiveness over the air, despite the able way in which it was detailed by Mr. Meredith. A SIDELIGHT on the broadcasting of race meetings illustrates how useful such information may be. A racehorse owner’ in Auckland is not the owner of a receiving set, but he had a horse running at a meeting in Sydney on a recent Saturday, and was anxious to know immediately of its performance. He communicated with a friend, who undertook to find out the result if possible. The race was barely finished before the owner received a ring to inform him that his horse had won. Australia wisely gives facilities for the broadcasting of races. ) 6 *[)NCLE TOM," Mr. T, T. Garland, . has a host of juvenile champions who look forward to his: weekly appear-

ances at 1YA. His "party" last Wednesday was a very merry affair, delightful to the youngsters. ‘Uncle Tom" has a way of introducing originality into his early evening hour, and listeners are not slow to welcome it. "WELL over three thousand miles from your coast," said. the captain of the s.s. Papanui, "I picked up KFI and 1YA on my set; both at about equal strength. I changed for a while from one to the other, but found a greater appeal in the Auckland programme, and so abandoned American entertainment for a: New Zealand one that was more to my taste." Many of the ships that sail the seven seas have now one or more broadcast receiving séts aboard, and the users of them become keen judges. of good programmes. THE "mystery night" promised for 1YA is the subject of much com-_ ment among, local listeners, who are looking forward to the novelty of it, and the competition with which it is associated. One or two isolated newspaper correspondents (anonymous variety) have seized on the announcement to voice complaints, and offer suggestions for what they consider something better, but the generality of listeners is content to await the efforts of the local advisory committee’ on programmes, who are facing the tasks ahead of them with much enthusiasm. (QUITE a number both in the city and the country, heard the afternoon announcements: of race results from Christchurch this week, and were highly delighted that the Broadcasting Company had found means of eircumventing the restrictions which had been placed upon racing news over the air. In placing these restrictions the, racing and trotting conferences seem) to have ignored entirely the interest which the female sex evinces in races. In hundreds, if not thousands. of homes here they tune in during the. afternoon to hear descriptions from Ellerslie, Alexandra Park, Trentham, aud other places. Their interest is a sporting, "but not a gambling one, and the imposed restrictions are killing it. _ ~ 4 \