Good Response in License Renewals

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 43, 10 May 1929, Page 6

Good Response in License Renewals

Convincing Testimony of Listeners’ Support DVICBE is available from the Post and Telegraph Department that the grand total of radio licenses renewed to April 30, 1929, is 36,664, consisting of 35,880 receiving licenses, 652 dealers’ licenses, and 1382 amateur transmitting licenses. This constitutes a very satisfactory response indeed from the listening public, and represents a very much higher percentage of total renewals than | ever before has been recorded. On the 3ist of March, 44,810 receiving licenses were in force, many being short-term licenses representing accretions in the latter part of the year. That all of these, except some 9000, should have renewed in the first month is gratifying. For comparative purposes it is interesting to record that at the end of April last year the total licenses were 30,175, of which approximately 28,000 odd were from the listening public. On the same date in the preceding yeat the total was 15,000. These figures carry their own testimony as to the substantial advance made in the popularity of radio and, as indicated, constitute a substantial testimony of appreciation of the service being rendered. At the same time, it is necessary to stress the point that further advance still is required to lift the radio service on to the standard which all desire to see it attain. With the technical equipment of the various stations now secured and operating at high efficiency, attention is being concentrated, as was indicated would be the case, upon programme improvement. A reflex of this is seen in the increasing development of relay services recently inaugurated, It is interesting to note that dealers’ licenses have fallen from 1509 to 652, this, of course, being due to the adjusted fees now payable. "(COMPARED with last year, the renewals havé come in remarkably well," comments Mr. A. R. Harris, general manager of the Radio Broadcasting Company. ‘While there is some leeway to make up yet, the renewals have exceeded considerably the figures for April 30, 1928. The licenses then totalled 30,175. At that time we used every endeavour to increase the roll of listeners. Among the new attractions was the formation of 2YA Orchestra, but despite these efforts it took seven months from the end of March, when all licenses expired, until the renewals reached the old total existing on March 31. The response is an incentive to us to still further improve our service. The effect of this impulse has already been evident in several important relays which we have arranged to carry out. On a recent Sunday evening we relayed a concert from Wellington to Auckland. We are shortly carrying out three relays from Invercargill to Dunedin, and on one of the occasions we will relay from Invercargill to Christchurch. Later on this month we are relaying from Hamilton to Auckland. We are enabled to carry out these relays through the courtesy of the Post and Telegraph Department, for the New Zealand telephone system is as yet not fully equipped for the carrying out of broadcasting relays which cause the Post and Telegraph officers much additional trouble. We are looking forward to this year being a record one for broadcasting in New Zealand. It has certainly begun very well and the future is dependent on how promptly the balance of license holders renew and on how rapidly the number is added to by the addition of new listeners." .