What People Want

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 35, 15 March 1929, Page 7

What People Want

A Demonstrators Views More Dance Evenings

TRAVELLING salesman writes the following interesting letter, stating a case in regard to programme requirements from a viewpoint other than that of the individual listener :-- "T take it most of your correspoudents write as listeners pure and simple (though I know each one claims to know the popular taste), but I would like you to regard my remarks as coming from one who has constantly been demonstrating’ night after night for over four years. "In this time I have probably given more demonstrations and to a larger number of people than anyone in New Yealand, and it has been absolutely necessary, to make my business a suceess, to study what people like, and in this direction I have had exceptional opportunities of observing. Ilowever I do -not propose to suggest any particular class of item, but to put before you some general observations, with which I feel you are bound to agree. My particular reason for writing to your station, is your last Tuesday night’s programme (26th inst.), which seems to indicate that you have possibly decided on an innovation which I have long desired. (1) We have for too long suffered from a plethora of popular music on Saturdays and a dearth of it for the rest of the week. It seems unnecessary to compel all listeners to listen to dance music from all stations on Saturday night, and to withhold it from everyone for the remaining nights. Many a demonstration has fallen flat for want of a little life — dance music, a comic song, ete, and .I have times without number had to fall back on the gramophone-with consequent loss of radio sales, and benefit to gramophone companies. Last Tuesday night was a splendid programme of the right type and was directly responsible for selling a £70 outfit. Probably many other sales may have been brought about by it-all to the benefit of the Broadcasting Company as well as us dealers, *(2) Why have drums in a Broadcasting Orchestra? The best loudspeakers reproduce drums as static, or distortion and 98 per cent. of the speakers in use are of an inferior type. Try it yourself and listen to the result. "(8) A couple of Sundays ago no fewer than three stations broadcast services of the Church of Christ simultaneously. This is bad management, you will admit. I trust you will continue to make Tuesday night a popnlay programme night. Saturday is not a good night for this class of programme as it is the universal night for going to pictures, dances, ete., and many sets are idle."

HE general manager in the course of his reply wrote: "We have noted your remarks concerning our service with particular interest, as we appreciate that the circumstances under which your comments have been made are such that the latter may be considered representative of the general opinion of the listeners with whom you have come into contact. "In regard to our programmes, 4S you are aware it is not practicable for us to please everyone at all times, but we arrange our items as far as we possibly can so that a definite type of entertainment is broadcast on a definite evening. Further, the programmes from each station are so co-ordinated that on any one night of the week 4 listener with a_ sufliciently powerful set capable of receiving all our stations has the choice of four different types of programmes each evening. "Saturday evening has been set aside at each station for a vaudeville p.ogramme of the lighter type, aS on this evening more people are utilising radio for entertainment purposes than on any other night of the week. "In respect to dance music, you will be interested to learn that we have introduced an additional dance programme at each of our stations. In the case of Wellington it will be featured on Tuesday evenings, in Dunedin on Wednesday, in Auckland on Thursday, and on Friday in Christchurch. This innovation commenced with the programme from 2YA on the evening of Tuesday, February 26. "In respect to the 2YA orchestra, we are afraid that we could not dispense with the drums and obtain satisfactory results. We appreciate that on many sets the drums do not reproduce well, and in fact so much is this the case that we have found it necessary to eliminate to a large extent the drum in band performances. The position is somewhat different, however, in the case of an orchestra, although — the greatest care is taken to secure a satisfactory balance, and one which will not give a predominance of the drums. "Concerning the broadcasting of church services, we have, as you are no doubt aware, church committees cooperating with each of our stations, and services are broadcast in accordance with their recommendations. The various Sundays in the year are allotted to the more prominent denominations, and the committees, which are representative of their denominations, determine the sequence in which the services will be broadcast. Up to the present time it has not been practicable for the respective committees to co-ordinate their deliberations to the extent that an arrangement can be assured whereby a different service shall be broadcast by each station, but this is a point which will no doubt receive consideration in due course,"