EDITORIAL NOTES.

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 11, 28 September 1928, Page 6

EDITORIAL NOTES.

[HE increase recorded in the number of licensed listeners to the end of August is gratifying, and is, we think, certain to be main‘ained and exceeded throughout the month of September. Beyond foubt the service rendered by broadcasting in the past month has been "xceptional, and sufficient to show that, given the opportunities in the supply of public functions, the stations are ready to take full advantage hereof. Through radio, listeners-even crystal listeners-have been out in touch with a definite number of major events, and the result $ to be seen in a steady accretion of strength. We sincerely hope hat the figures for the end of September will top the 40,000 mark. [his is the figure which was set as a minimum requirement for the tandard of service which the Broadcasting Company has been renderng for a long time past. We think listeners should appreciate the act that, with a less income than was figured on for the standard of ervice set, the company has maintained and even improved the serice, and not curtailed it or required adjusted financial arrangements s might reasonably have been done. It is satisfactory that it has een possible to do this. All that is now required is for steady and sonsistent quality service to be maintained and further progress will e possible. Listeners themselves can contribute to the expansion of the service by steadily building outside interest. E must congratulate the 1YA Musical Committee on the discussion and decision reached regarding an evil that has been creeping nto programmes for some little time. This is the habit of some rtists of failing to render the item arranged for. This inevitably eads to disappointment, for it is certain that every item announced to given will be eagerly awaited by some. In many cases special trangements may have been made in connection with such an itemtiends invited to hear it or a party organised by whom it would be ppreciated. Disappointment in such cases when, without apology or xplanation, the artist has substituted another number-usually a more 1ackneyed one-is inevitable. While in some cases legitimate excuses inay be available there is no doubt that in many instances the laziness or unpreparedness of the artist concerned is responsible. The comittee did well to draw attention to this matter, and we endorse the ecommendation that the drastic course should be taken of eliminating such delinquents from the programme in the event of their inability fs perform the item contracted for. We have frequently had comlaints from readers on this matter, and action such as this would be salutary corrective.