Notes and Comments

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 13, 12 October 1928, Page 29

Notes and Comments

By

Switch

A FRIEND informed the writer that 7ZL, Hobart, was "back again," the other day. ‘Switch’ went after our old "Tassie" entertainer and found him coming in with fair loudspeaker strength, but this was after 11 pm. With 2BL reading 493 on the dials, 2FC on 724, TZL was found on 89 on the tuning dials. The Hobart station is on 516 metres, which is the longest wavelength of any of the Australian or New Zealand broadcast stations excepting 6WF, Perth. The Western Australian station is on a wavelength well above a thousand metres. DURIN G a ringside description of an amateur boxing contest in Brisbane the other night, the announcer remarked: "There are several well-known citizens here to-night. On the last occasion I mentioned some names, but there was some objection to this afterwards." Of course, when hubby has told wifey that he cannot take her to that bridge party as he has some work to do at the office it is rather emberrassing when wifey tells him, on his return home, that she heard his name mentioned on _ the radio as being present at the boxing contest that night. HF boxing contests are very poorly described from the ringside by 4QG, Brisbane. Here are some examples of the stuff: "Smith is making it willing now." "Jones is rallying well." "There was a good dead of ‘pep’ in Jones’s punch, then." "They are now sparring in the middle of the "ting." "The crowd are shouting encouragement to the _ boys." (AS though listeners could not hear the uproar.) "Jones met Smith’s attack very well." "Smith got a good one on to Jones, then." "Jones evaded another one from Smith." And so on, not a punch being described, .no mentioning of where the punches landed. It was nearly as bad as descriptions we used to hear over here when the ringside describer would insist on telling us "The referee has ordered them to break," while the stentorian roars of "break" nearly shattered our loudspeaker diaphragms. Common sense is indeed a rare commodity. "T SEE someone is bewailing the absence of jazzes and fox-trots from 2YA programmes on Sunday afternoons," remarked a _ hard-boiled listener the other day. He suggested "Seeing that it would be undesirable to desecrate such fine programmes on Sunday. afternoons with jazz, etc., possibly the management could see _ its way clear to make some concession to this solitary objector by running, say, the cornet solo, ‘The Holy City,’ backwards at treble its normal tempo. The illusion would be complete-the objector could enjoy synthetie jazz, and we, who relish decent music, would find comfort in the knowledge that/one, lone, solitary listener is made ‘oy for the moment." "Mm ONSTRUCTIVE criticism" is the slogan for listeners. A friend who describes herself as a "Constant Listener" suggests that instead of running all the dance numbers towards the end of 2YA’S week-day afternoon programmes that the dance numbers be evenly sandwiched between the other records. She says, "If there is any-

thing more desirable than another in broadcast programmes, it is that humble attribute, variety. Mix the type of music as much as possible. Surely this is patent even to the meanest intellect." OOR paterfamilias who loves a bit of sporting stuff on the radio is to be pitied where petticoat government in the home desires music when he wants to listen to a ringside description of a wrestling match from 2BL, Sydney. It’s all a mistake to call some of these affairs "wrestling matches" ; they are plain man-mangling combats. Take that exciting encounter recently, when after the Greek, Kolonis, had suffered the indignity (and pain) of his opponent placing his foot on the former’s head, the Greek chased after him and punched him a staggering blow on the back of his cranium. Naturally the spectators raised bedlam, and some of us listeners wished we could have been there to see the fun. "THERE is not the shadow of a doubt that these ringside descriptions of boxing and wrestling events whet the listeners’ appetites to see the real thing. Ata recent radio meeting an official said he had never witnessed a boxing contest, but after listening to the ringside description of one from 2YA he had decided to be present at the next contest. [t was an old-time joke when roller skating first came in, to tell a novice, after he had completed half a somersault and raised a lump on his scalp, that he should first take a series of lessons by correspondence. Now 3AR, Melbourne, has commenced a series of talks on why everybody should be an active member of the "Learn to Swim" campaign. Why not go one further and tell the novice how to learn the natatorial art? The majority teach themselves to swim, and a few useful hints would help a lot. QGELDOM is a man called upon to deny a widely spread report of his death. Mark Twain underwent this experience, and allayed public concern by announcing that the report was "very much exaggerated." Mr. H. F. Wood, whose well-trained and sweet, tenor voice has been heard by many thousands of listeners from 2YA, Wellington, was widely reported to have passed away. ‘True,-he was seriously ill. However, 2YA came to the rescue splendidly by broadcasting the glad news that Mr. Wood was not dead. He has now completely recovered, and we may hope to hear his tuneful voice again on the radio in the near future. A radio acquaintance reports the peculiar action of his cat when the loudspeaker commences to operate. She brings her three-weeks’ old kitten in the typical mouth-grip, up from the wash-house, to the parlour, and lies on the hearth-rug with the kitten, until the end of the sessions. Puss then goes out ae the night, leaving the kitten on the rug for somebody to e i back to its box. y anry

"TALKIN G.of the effect of broadcast listening on animals, a friend told me the other day that his Fox Terrier takes a keen delight in the children’s hour. When his kiddies sit around the loudspeaker just before the commencement of the juvenile session, "Pip" barks and scratches at the back door to be udmitted. He is allowed in as a special privilege, and he squats down, looking up at the loudspeaker. When the kiddies laugh and clap their hands "Pip" barks with obvious enjoyment. He’s another radio nephew. When the session concludés he makes

for the back door as contented as any theatregoer who has énjoyed the show. NOTHER acquaintance has a cockatoo which is generally rowdy in the day _ time, ealling the children and the _ eat, imitating whistles, chattering and screeching, but when the afternoon session frori 2YA Wellington, commences, he closes down. "Cocky" then settles himself into a listening attitude and does not stir or emit a sound until the session concludes. The football relays generally get "Cocky" excited," and he sometimes raises his voice above that of the announcer.