Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 29, 1 February 1929, Page 29

Our Mail Bag

Will correspondents please practice brevity, as heavy demands are now made on space. All letters must be signed and address given as proof of genuineness; noms de plume for publication are permitted. Address correspondence Editor, "Radio Record," P.O. Box 1032, Wellington.

, Subsidy For Music, ‘¥ THINK most listeners will agree -with me that the Broadcasting Comany should make an alteration in their Sunday night programmes at 2YA and 8YA. My suggestion is this: that on Sunday nights either 2YA or 3YA should have a band concert on a Sunday night alternately; that is, when 2YA has a band concert 8YA broadcast the usual Sunday programme, and on the following Sunday it would be 3YA’s turn to broadcast band music, while 2YA gave the Sunday concert as at present. I think that listeners would be more pleased with that, and those listeners who like band programmes could: switch over to the band concert, and those who do not like the band could switch over to the station that is iving the secred concert. Seeing that @ about raising the fees of "listeners to hear orchestral societies has been made, I would say that I think most listeners would be only too pleased if the Broadcasting Company would pay so much to theatrical companies to allow them to broadeast operas and drama from the theatre where they are performing, say at Christchurch and Wellington: that is, to broadcast ‘say opera once a month and drama the next month, and only taking from leading companies when they visit _these shores, with boxing -and other events in between, and I think that most listeners like myself would be ‘agreeable to pay 35s. a year so as the Broadeasting Company could pay for these performances instead of giving

us so much canned music as they give us at night as at.present, when nearly half the items are taken up with records on the night programme. Now, mf Sir, I am sure that if the Broadcasting ompany was to carry out my suggestions that not one listener in New Zealand would begrudge paying 35s. a year for their license. Dear sir, may I suggest that this letter of mine be printed in the "Radio Record," and that as the company knows every one’s address who have a radio set that the company print voting cards with the suggestions for the increase in the license and send one to every listener in New Zealand, _ and have a vote recorded as to whether they would be in favour of the increase for the Broadcasting Company to pay for these dramas, operas, and orchestral societies’ programmes to be put over the air as well as band music as at present, with the alteration in

Sundav programmes as suggested.-

W.

KNOTT

40a Hawkhurst Road, Lyttel-

ton.

P.S.-Why I suggest Wellington and Christehureh stations is because most f the listeners can get these stations rith comfort: in fact, you could have this in the four centres, and with 44,000 license fees it would allow the company £11,000 for paying out. Re Time Table. I QUITE agree with "Sheep Farmer" "Radio Record’ 25/1/29, that the time table needs revising, and would also like to know when we are going to get the long-promised dinner music. Children’s sessions are too long in my opinion and I would like to see a vote taken as to how many children, apart from those personally knowing the performers, ever listen in with interest to _jthe children’s session. My children, ow that the novelty has worn off, and they do not get a present every week, take very little interest, nor do any of my friend’s children who visit the house, eyen though wireless may be a novelty to them. ‘This, of course, ap-

plies particularly in the summer months. My time-table would be:-~-6 p.m. to 6.80: Children’s session. 6.30 to 6.45: Music. 6.45 to 7 p.m.: Shipping and market reports. 7 p.m. to 7.15: Sporting results. 7.15 to 7.80: General news. 7.80 to 7.45: Music. 7.45 to 8 p.m.: Lecturettes or music. In the event of any particular news section running out of news before time, musie could be broadcast to fill in the time. I would like other listeners’ ideas of a programme, and also views of the children’s sessions. If the half hour is not lone enough, commence at 5.45

pm;

WANGANUI

Variation of Programmes. I THINK it is high time that complaint was made about the way the radio programmes are chopped about. Bvery evening some artist or other does not give the items advertised but substitute others, much to the

annoyance of many listeners who were looking forward to these particular items. Hven the Broadcasting Company, which should set an example, is notorious for the way in which it plays gramophone records other than those on the programme. Lven if soloists have not bothered to learn the items they intended to give there is no excuse for substituting gramophone records; they take no rehearsing. If I remember aright, it was stated some time ago that the company intended to impress upon artists that they must give the items advertised, but no improvement has been noticed. This may een, hit a minor matter. but nevera ae

theless it is very irritating

F. G.

NORTHERN

Maori Places and Names. HE incorrect way in which Maori places and names are wrongly pronounced by Pakehas, and the manner they treat and mutilate our beautiful Maori language is something appalling. I am glad the Radio Broadcasting Company has engaged the services of such a great authority, Mr. H. M. Stowell, to lecture on "Maori Place Names and Pronunciation." His previous two lectures were highly appreciated by us all. We are looking forward to another rare feast from this noted student of the Maori language. I hope listeners in other parts of the world who enjoyed listening in to the instructive and entertaining lecturettes by Mr. Stowell will be imbued with a further determination to help us, in seeing that Maori names, words, and places are pronounced correctly. Maori is spoken and written phonetically. It takes only a week to learn the pronunciation. Whereas English takes many years of laborious study. We would appreciate it very much if Mr. Stowell’s lIecturettes were extended to half an hour each, I know ‘Mr. Stowell, and I also know that he is a vast storehouse of Maori learning

and wisdom. Kia Ora.-

RORE JOHN

JOSEPHS

(Wellington).

Power of British Stations. ON reading Mr. Owen’s letter to the Wellington Radio Society, quoted in the last "Radio Record," I was surprised to learn that the power of the Daventry station 5XX is 192,000 watts and that of 5GB 610,000 watts! This makes our local station 2¥YA very "small potato" in the radio world, and even the high-powered American stations of 50,000 watts will now sink into insignificance! A paragraph in another part of the "Record" again gives the power of 5XX as above, so apparently it is no printer’s error, but in the writer’s opinion either Mr. Owen-or someone nearer at homeis confusing "watts" with "cycles," or rather "frequencies," as it seems more than a coincidence that 192 kilocycles is equivalent to 1562 metres and 610 kilocycles equal to 491 metres. Pardon my doubting the correctness of anything appearing in the "Record," but =

if I am not barking up the wrong tree then this letter may be the means of preventing your readers from being

misinformed.-

Guy 0:

HOLMES

(Mas-

terton) .

Programme Points. IN to-day’s "Record," 25/1/29, "Sheepfarmer" makes a suggestion re altering the broadcasting hours of what I take to be the YA stations. Now, in my opinion, from a listener’s point of view, this would be quite the thing, but what of the station staff? Surely they want a little time off between the afternoon and evening sessions? Also, what of the Aunts and Uncles? These splendid self-sacrificing people who take the children’s session, are, after all, only just ordinary mortals, and, being such, it is just as necessary for them to work of an afternoon as "Sheepfarmer," and it would be just as inconvenient for them to attend the studio between 5 and 6 p.m. as for "Sheepfarmer" to waste an afternoon in order to listen to the gramophone records he mentions. I have worked on a sheep farm and can quite understand the point of view taken by "Sheepfarmer," but we must consider others and try to be fair. I quite agree with him in so far as to have a few records from 7 to 7.30 p.m., and news from 7.30 to8 p.m. The programmes are keeping well up to stan- dard, but we could do with a few more mandolin and steel guitar items. It is quite pleasant to hear Lad Haywood oe

and the Palmer Trio back at 2YA. Can we look forward to the return of Mrs. Kenny and her party to this station at an early date? I would like to direct attention to the number of times .certain artists put over the same item. It is all right to repeat by request. I have asked for this myself, but some artists seem to have a very limited repertoire, and so grind the same few pieces over and over. One in particular has got me beaten, as, after putting over one or other of two items at nearly every appearance last year,.this artist is off again this year by starting away to-night with both of them as her eontribution tothe programme; said items both having got tired of shaving, have grown whiskers. Old timers are all right, but go to Ngahauranga to slaughter them. Thanking you for so much of your valuable space, and wishing the "Record" and the R.B.Co. the best

of good wishes and success,-

CHAS

H.

(Kaiwarra ) _

Southland Sports in Trouble. YES, I am one of the growlers, but not the type who wants better programmes, more variety, etc. What I am complaining about concerns practically the whole of Southland, especially the sporting fraternity. Owing to our geographical position 4YA is the only YA station we receive satisfactorily. in the daytime, especially during the summer months. Now this is where my growl comes in: 4YA was scheduled, according to the "Record," to broadcast sports results at 4.25 p.m. on the 22nd. inst. I, with some friends, listened from 8 till 4.35 p.m. close down. Sports results were not mentioned and, mind you, this is the day of the big gallops at Wellington. Again at 7.15 p.m. we listened but not a word about them, although the scratchings for Forbury trots were mentioned. This js not the first time 4YA has let us down. I would suggest that 2YAwhich can always be relied on after dusk-broadcast racing results at 9 p.m., when the weather report is broad-

cast

R. F.

CLOUGH

1YA Mystery. ‘Your issue of January 18 just to hand. I notice a question by a correspondent signing himself M. R, Cardon (Auckland) asking if the music which comes through during the news session, 7.15 p.m. to 7.45 p.m., is connected with the studio at 1YA or is a separate station. This music is in no way connected with KHJ, the Californian which causes the heterodyning on 1YA’s wavelength, and is easily raised when the local station is not working; but comes from a nearby orchestra, just as the motor-car horns of passing cars can be heard from 2YA any time that station is working. This can easily be proved any Tuesday evening, as this music comes on the instant 1YA switches on and stops immediately on closing down at 7.45 p.m. The company would do well to investigate the cause of this interference. I suggest it may be due to some fault in one of the land lines from one of the private theatres connected to the studio. . This question has been asked by several previous correspondents, but always answered as an American on the same wavelength. This is not so, as I work 1YA with one valve cut out and volume and filament cut down to lowest, where it would be impossible for me to pick up any but a local station. With apologies for the length af this note. T trust this may be of

some use to you:

JOHN

LUKE

(Clevedon).

The Unmusical Tremolo. WAS intensely amused with your correspondent T. Proctor in your issue of January 18 styling this particular brand of singing as the outcome of "voice production." On showing this particular letter to an authority on voice production I was informed that a bad guess had been made and that the real reason for this "tremolo-cum-wobble" was for the purpose of disguising a rotten voice. This seems to me to be nearer the mark, and if the R.B.C. must engage this class of singer I respectfully suggest that they all sing on the one night, preferably

Wednesday so far as 2YA is concerned. It is certainly painful to listen to.-

ANTI-WOBBLE

Programme Improvements. As one who greatly appreciated the mid-day sessions during the Christmas holidays, may I suggest that these mid-day sessions be continued in lieu of the afternoon sessions? The afternoon week-day sessions are but little availed of, most of the community being away at business, the children at school (or wanting to play) and even -the-housewives mostly out visiting or marketing. For the benefit of the thousands of "home-to-lunch" business people mid-day sessions, 12 noon to 2 p.m., would be a boon, and would lead .to a big increase in listeners. Gramophone selections and two operators working in shifts from 12 to 1 and 1 to 2 would surely not be a difficult matter. I should like to add my quota of appreciation, as an Australian con-servatorium-trained musician, of the gramophone items, which gain so appreciably over the wireless that my dislike of the gramophone direct has been turned into the warmest appreciation, thanks to radio. For that reason alone it is worth keeping on, for those musicians who would not have a gramophone in the house. The lectures could be made a great educational and advertising factor, in the way of graphic descriptions of scenic resorts in New Zealand, and I would commend same to the Tourist Department, who should be prepared to pay a substantial subsidy for such broadcasting. Lectures, stories and speeches of an educational, amusing or historical nature could be much extended, and would be much more appreciated than

newspaper articles.-

L.

G.

Wellinz-

ton