Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 52, 12 July 1929, Page 13

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 Hditor, "Radio Record," P.O. Box 10382, Wellington.

All Black Broadcast. QPERATING a. five-valve battery set which has never failed me, and tuning in to 2YA on Saturday, I again had a- perfect reception. Having a party of keen "Rugbyites" in for the afternoon, and tuning-in at 430 p.m., we were surprised at the volume and distinct announcements, and settled down for a cood afternoon. It wasn’t

for want of listening that we did not hear the ball hit the post from Nepia’s kick, and had it not been for the difficulty the announcer -was working under (the microphone being covered from -the wet) we surely would have. I would like, with the rest of the party, to offer. our thanks and appreciation for the splendid rebroadcast, and shall be looking forward to the next, being the-first Test. Wishing 2YA the same

success.-

C.P.M. AND PARTY

(Alex-

andra

Unappreciated. SoM wise "guy," I think it was Abe Lineoln or Henry Ford (or was it Walter P. Chrysler), was once alleged to have said "You can please some of the. people some: of the time, but you can’t please all the people all the time." Perhaps I may have got this wrong-anyhow, it’s true, and was brought home to me at my hore the other day. May I elucidate? Well, it fell to my unhappy lot to compose and deliver a lecturette on, say, "The Manufacture of Mixed Putties’"-that wasn’t it, but it’s near enough. I say "unhappy" lot because I am fully conscious that my everyday speech is somewhat rapid and my enunciation far from flawless. However, I did my best to speak s-l-o-w-l-y and dis-tinct-ly, by marking my "copy" with vertical pencil strokes to break up the groups of words, and by underlining the important words in each sentence. (Good idea this-try it if ever you have to speak over the air.) About a week later I was quite "bucked up" to get a letter from a distant correspondent in which I read the flattering remarks that "my lecturette was interesting and concise" (it had to be the latter in 15 minutes), "voice pleasant," "enunciation good and every word could be heard-even the g-0-0-0-0-d-night at the end." (No, this wasn’t from 2YA.) When I got this, "I says to myself, says I," "I’ll just read this out to the family; it will show them that father is not altogether the back number they think he is." I did so, but with a totally different result to what I anticipated. When I’d finished reading, my second boy said, "Hold on! Did, you hear what was said to Ted (my younger boy) at the office next morning?’ He went on, "I say, Brownjohn, there was some old geeser with the same name as yours blithering awav at YA last night for about half

an hour on ‘Pickles.’ Any relation of yours?" It’s a hard world, and I wouldn’t take on the job of programme

organiser for "quids.’-

GHERKIN

BROWNJOHN

Freaks of Static. AST Sunday evening, June 30, Dunedin and Wellington were quite free of static (but Wellington was fading occasionaliy-quite az unusual occurence for the winter) Ohristchurch, Palmerston North, Gisborne, Auckland and ail the Austraiian stations were very bad. & thought this might be of interest. 1 wonder if. any other listeners-in had the same experience?

W.

JARVIE

(Otaso)a

[Probably the signal strength from these was greater, the set less sensitive and the static less violent.-Tech. Hd.] Salvation Army Broadcast. M4z I submit a note in support of the sentiments expressed by ."Fed Up and Then Some." While not absolutely agreeing with the manner in which he presented them, I think that taking up the whole of the broadcasting hours on the Sunday afternoon in question with the proadeasting of the Salvation Army’s service was not justified. It could not have been of as much interest to the greater majority of listeners as the anticipated recital. We all agree that the Army is a wonderful institution, and nobody will suggest that their work is anything but inspired. But we can read about their doings in the newspapers. Personally I was extremely disappointed that their service was put on the air instead of the promised recital. No doubt I wouldn’t have felt so badly if I had not been "had," as "Fed Up and Then Some" was. Yd have made other arrangements for the ‘afternoon.

P.

H.

(Palmerston North).

CAN sympathise with your correspondent, "Fed Up, and Then Some." To my mind and also to every: body else I have spoken to, without exception, the Sunday afternoon gramophone concerts are absolutely the best entertainment we get over the air, and itis not a ir thing that some function, which appeals only to a limited number of listeners-in, should be broadcast to the exclusion of the regular concert, Some writers I know say that there are too many gramophone items op already, ‘and that, as many people have: their own gramophones, conse quently they do not want to hear rec ords over the air. Writing as one who has sometvhat fastidious musical tastes, I consider that the records re ceived over the air. on a good set, with power valves-this is most importan: -and : good speaker, come out with much tetter tone than the best electric gramophone can reproduce. This applies, of course. to reception from the local station using the "electric pick-up’ method of broadeasting. I would much rather listen to a good recording than to a brass band with

flat cornets, or a nasal trio, polluting the ether with sloppy American jazz songs, or some elocutionist spouting hackneyed recitations, with false emphasis, and apnatura? modulations. Unfortunately. if the Company waé «@ give more recorde there would be a howl from the mental "hicks" and other morons that thie wae being done to wave fees. Now I have absolutely uo brief for the Radie Broadcasting Company, there are a lot of things that chey have done-mostly im the early daye-tnat I "have had my knife into them" for. Consequently. 1 am able. with an unbiased mind. to suggesi that an improvement could be made by using more records, and use the money saved in fees thereby to get orches-

tral arrangements to accompany the singers, who would also be the best obtainable. Some of the alleged "artists * who are appearing now should never be heard outside the bathroom. The ones I mean are those who "scoop," sing threugh the nose-for the sake of euphony, they call it "nasal resonance" -and the vibrato and habitually mis pronoince their vowel sounds. I would also recommend discontinuing 1elays ¢f local shows, and similar funetions, unless it is desirable to show by nantrast how good the regular pro-

grammes are.-

BEETHOVEN

JONES

Rebroadeast of 2YA. pS reply to "Variety" I would like to point out that a large number of listeners in Dunedin have only crystal sets and cannot tune-in a station other than 4YA; so we are very grateful that we have one night a week on 2VYA or 3YA. This leaves "Variety" six nights to tune-in where he (or she) likes. I hope 4YA will go on with the good work. We have a good station, and in my opinion the best announcer in New Zealand and a good service. The only thing that puzzles me is why the weather report is given twice over between 7 and 8 and 8 and 10, Crystal users have to listen both times, or per-

haps .0se the item following.-

CRY

STAL

(Dunedin).

Dinner Music. I SHOULD like to congratulate the managers of station 2YA for giv-

ing us such a splendid programme of dinner musie each evening from 6 to 7. Almost every record put on is a gem, and the reception here in Christ-. church is, generally speaking, really first class, Indeed, on my own set, which is a home-constructed threevalve one, I think the reception of 2YA igs better than that of our own station, 3YA. I also especially like the way that the programme is arranged. At 6 o’clock precisely the music starts, and there are two records put on, taking about ten or twelve minutes. Then there is a few minutes’ interval, and the music starts again at exactly a quarter past, and so on each quarter throughout the hour.- To my mind, this is exactly the right thing. It is orderly and precise, and it gives a little +ime for conversation, etc., without spoiling the music. About a year and

a half ago I myself suggested to the company that it would be a good thing if the sessions were more broken up with short intervals of silence between, instead of running on continously for two hours or more, as they usually do. Apparently the idea did not meet with approval at the time, but I am very glad to see that 2YA has adopted practically the same idea with regard to the

dinner music.-

G.

I.

(Christcharcb)

Town Selfishness. . 1. ‘BEG to differ with R.F.A’s- letter re broadcasting football matches. As he is very sympathetic towards. women and children, he says football 4s excellent to watch. Why. does he. not take his family to see the game, and yet he. condemns the broadeast? Why not try a little exercise during the broadcasting of matches, if he does not like listening-in, and do some weeding in the garden, instead of weeding out the programmes? We get. music seven days a week, and sport two hours. What about we country people? . We cannot get out to see a match. Our country women and children do. not want music all the time. They waat a change from music sometimes. © Do the boys out-back on sheep and: cattle stations want music on a wet Saturday afternoon? No.. They get. it: seven nights a week. The broadcasting of matches ‘premotes enthusiasm for the game into our country children, and what is better or cleaner for the morals of the children than Sport? We have too many lers in our radio circle, and I agree with R.F.A. that a vote be talten and I feel sure football will come out top. Carry on, Broadcasting Company, You are doing O.K., and remember. it takes all kinds of people to make a

world.-

BUSH WORKER

Hunter

ville).

A Difference of Opinion.

HAVE read with interest your article on the subject of criticism. one "Eos" and the reply of the Radio Broadcasting Company. There are‘two points I would like to mention, First, that the dinner session is very much appreciated here, and is one of the features of 2YA most enjoyed by listeners -a fact which is forcibly ‘bronght home by the gap which makes itself so felt on Wednesday-2YA’s silent day. ‘ Secondly, that gramophone records are often the pick of the programmes. Let me add in conclusion how much we appreciate the 2YA announcer, Our nearest station, 4YA, cannot be relied on after dark, but we are looking forward to an improvement when the plant

is . reconstructed.-

JUVENIS

(nrer

eargill).