Rugby Broadcasts

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 11, 27 September 1929, Page 7

Rugby Broadcasts

-eEeP Seasons Events Reviewed Effect of Publicity UGBY football has now practically concluded ‘for the year 1929, and the sports announcers, as far as this gameé is concerned, have hung up their microphones. From a _ broadcasting point of view the séason has been a yery successful one. All the import"ant matches played in the Dominion have been described in detail, to the great pleasure of listeners who have been unable to witness the games, From the point of view of the sport, greater interest than ever before has been aroused in New Zealand’s national game. Broadcasting is the best publicity that can be given to anything. Never before has so much interest been taken in Rugby. Many people who have hitherto taken not the slightest interest in the sport now know, by name at any rate, a great many players. It is all for the good of the game. WIitH characteristic enterprise, the Broadcasting Company arranged, when the All Blacks visited Australia, for a description of the Sydney. matches to be transmitted on short wave and rebroadeast by the New Zealand stations. This was accomplished with great success. These rebroadcasts aroused enormous interest throughout the Dominion. The bettér a broadcast is, the better it is for the sport. No follower of a sport would stay at home just to listen to a description of a game or a race. He would be disappointed with a poor description, and if he heard a thrilling account he would feel that he had missed an exciting event. He would look ‘rather shamefaced when he had to confess to his mates next day that he had.stopped at home and listened-in, in order to save a shilling. There is no broadcast that can quite come up to seeing or hearing the real thing, and everyone who listens to.a thrilling account cannot fail to think that the real thing must have been much more exciting. So, the more brilliant a description is, the betwer it is for the sport, because it en‘thuses people who are not very interested and incites them to attend the sport next time. Next Saturday afternoon a description of the North v. South Island match, played in Wellington, will be broadeast by all New Zealand stations.