Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 12, 4 October 1929, Page 9

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 1082, Wellington.

*ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDEN'ES. "Blind Listener." -In response to your request Mr, Marshall will sing the ool from station 2YA on November A Good Hefty Growl. ERE is another good hefty growl from Invercargill. First, the children’s hour. The atmosphere achieved is excellent and the work being done magnificent, but why force "Uncles" and "Aunts" with no idea of singing in tune.and no voices to sing with? The result of their efforts to keep in tune is painful to a musical ear, and I am sure the remarks passed by listeners would be highly embarassing to the person concerned. The Radio Broadcasting Company is trying to make people believe that they are a benevolent institution, but one station relaying another. is merely a cheap way of getting a programme. None want to listen to the same programme from two or three different stations. They tried hard to make people. believe that the establishment of B eclass.stations would be against their interests and. they succeeded. They persist in saying there is no monopoly in New Zealand. There must be, otherwise the B class stations would have been licensed. We are still awaiting the Postmaster-General’s — statement. If no part of the listeners’ fees is. to be given to the B stations, how ean their establishment be inimical to the listeners’ interests? It simply means that a supplementary service is being provided for nothing. For if they are to be a financial success they must provide good programmes for listeners, in order to advertise their sponsor’s wares. It is certain that the form of advertising will be no more than simply stating that the programme is being supplied by So-and-so Co. Lis. teners will not be forced to listen to them. The Radio Broadcasting Co. use this form of advertising themselves. Why do not the Broadcasting Company publish a balance-sheet? They have been asked for one ever since their inception, but have remained dumb on the question. I wish to support ‘ ‘Disgusted" in his contentions. The Broadcasting Co. has begun dinner music from three stations. What do we find? ‘Tacet" coming on at the same time from all stations. The lack of initiative is astounding. It is operating the stations as separate units, not as a whole, system, in accordance with the best prac-

tice in other parts of the world. Why cannot the sessions be so arranged as to provide continuous music from, say, 5 o’clock till 7.30? The children’s hour and news session can be worked. in so as not to clash with each one from the different stations. The company has the opportunity of providing variety, but has not the foresight to put it into practice. If a person wants to listen to lectures all the time, well and good. He can do so. Why doesn’t the company put on musical items until 8 o’clock? From 7 to 8 is the emptiest hour of the evening. If the company doesn’t pro- | vide service how can it expect to get | more listeners? | The use of your paper as a safety valve is better than bursting the valves

in my set in disgust.

Shielded Grid

(Invercargill. )

A Suggestion for News. SOME time ago the R.B.C. stated that linking Invereargill with 4YA would be of considerable advantage to Southland. As a Southland farmer I offer a suggestion. . As Wallaecetown stock sale reports are those upon which Southland depends for valuation, would the R.B.C. arrange to have these broadcast from 4YA? I consider that radio is of greater service to farmers than to any other section of the community, and I am engerly looking forward to hearing the

new 4YA_ station

W. F.

Harrison

(Tuatapere)

Come North, Young Man! HAVE just been reading a letter by "Disgusted" (Invereargill) in your Mailbag Page, 18/9/29, and can as sure him he’s not the only one that’s disgusted. I’m disgusted to think — there are people like him who are never satisfied. Evidently he’s growling from Monday until Sunday at all the YA programmes, and thinks the Aus: tralian stations are just the thing What’s the matter with him selling his set and buying a steamer ticket to Ans tralia and stopping there? Failing that, come North, old man, and get a bit of sunshine, then you'll have a brighter outlook on life. In a way. he has my sympathy. IT lived near Invereargill myself yenrs ago. Td like to ask "Disgusted": (1) Could he get a better programme than the recent Maori pageant at any of the Austra lian stations? (2) Could he get a better concert programme than the reeet Wanganui Band concert? (3) What’s wrong with the football, wrestling, and boxing descriptions from the YA stations? You're hard to please, "Disgusted." What a-contrast, his let-

ter is to "Satisfied Listeners’ (Dunedin), on the same page. Well done, "Satisfied Listeners," I endorse every word of your letter. The passage I take the greatest exception to in "Disgusted’s" letter is his question (4) When will the silent day become an active day? In the first place, he says "he wouldn’t advise his friends to buy 2 radio. set to listen in to YA stations,’ and yet he growls because they have a silent day! Secondly, does he think the station staffs should work seven days a week without a spell? I bet he likes his day off. . Personally, Mr. Editor, I’m one of the "backblocks satisfieds," and if by any chance one of the YA stations is not to my liking 1 just repeat Mr. Drummond’s goo-00d night and go to another YA. Once again,.I would :ad-

vise "Disgusted" to come North into the sunshine, and can assure him that when he goes home after a day’s work and tunes in 2YA he won’t hanker after Australian stations.-I am, ete.

F.

Carter

(Bay of Islands).

More Subdued Accompaniment. Desired. YES, we are enjoying radio, and we should not like to be without it, but would enjoy it better if, when an artist is singing, the pianist played much more softly, Why was wavelength altered to kilocycles? My machine reads wavelength. Would it not be better if you stated both wave-

length and kilocycles?-I am, ete,

W.

Coker

(Napier

[Station allotments are made in kilocycles, and as most of the newer models

have dials graduated in this, we make a practice of giving both. © WaveJength should not be confused with dial calibration in degrees.--HKd.] A Country Fireside Scene. I must express my appreciation of Station 1YA in broadeasting the wrestling matches from the Town Hall on their silent night. ‘Their action in going on the air shows that they .are making an honest endeavour to_ give the listener his money’s worth, Just a little suggestion. Has the station ever thought of broadcasting a typical farm fireside scene? There we would have Dad and Mum and the children all gathered round the fireside, talk could be introduced between musical items and good effects could be worked into the setting. The latest gramophone records could be worked off by dad telling little Joe to "give us a tune on the gramophone." There would be no difficulty in arranging a sufficiently . large programme as there could be no limit (in reason) to the size of dad and mum’s family. Hoping the suggestion is worth

following up.

W. K.

McLean

(len

‘Massey).

Objections to Tacet. ‘A§ to tacet, I quite agree with Mr. B. M. Friis and "Dreamer." Why did the Broadcasting Co. adopt this idea. One does never hear it in Australian dinner music. We country listeners cannot afford to listen to the carrier wave of 2YA while the set is.lapping up the good old juice. If the set is turned off every time it is tacet it gives one indigestion jumping up and _ switching off, All country folk eat heartily and enjoy meals too much for such exercise. We hope to see it called off, and the musie run on without a stop. Also hearing the station call gives one a fright or else some "spook" ealline out:

te one-

Country Listener

(Okato). :

aterm enernenment renee cee snetrmmneencin arr amen I certainly agree with Mr. B. W. Friis and "Dreamer" that the tacet in the dinner-musie is objectionable. Ail my friends are of the same opinion. I would suggest that it be done away with for a month, at say, 2YA, as a trial. If its omission proved popular it should be cut out permanently at all stations. I must express my appreciation o. the description of the wrestling contest on Monday night by 2YA’s announcer. Sa vividly did he describe the different holds and positions that one obtained a perfect coneeption of the eontest seated at the

fireside.-

Regular Listener

(Upper

Hutt).

(Continued on page 12.)

Our Mailbag (Concluded from page 10.) _A Suggested Alteration. E appreciate the introduction of the dinner session music. We have enjoyed the programmes from the different stations, but I would like to make a suggestion for the benefit of the farming community in general, and "coweockies" in particular. .Do you think that the reversal of the times of the dinner and news sessions from a central station like 2YA would be more popular? As the farmers finish work late during the summer months and have late dinners, I am sure a late tmousie session would be much appreci-

ated.

J. T.

Hargreaves

(Hautapu).

Wrestling Bouts. TH wrestling match relayed by 2YA on Monday, September 23, was a great improvement. Mr. Announcer, of 2YA, is certainly good. He did not miss a grip or a hold, and the contest was easily able to be followed. We hope that the "Goood. night man" will be at the microphone at all future relays. The relay from Timaru by 3YA was also very good-absolutely no line hum or distortion. I quite agree with Mr. Martin (last week’s Mailbag) regarding Mr. Announcer at 2YA, and I think that Wellington is indeed fortunate in having him, -"Robpuni." Good DX Season. DURING the last few weeks the distant stations have been coming in at great strength. Here are some new additions to my log. 6WF, Perth, R.6. KOA, Denver, 361 metres (8.30 kilocycles), 12.500 watts, R7 to 8. 2ZD, Masterton, 244 metres (1230 kilocycles), 5 watts. The last-mentioned has been verified. The American sta tion comes in between 2BL and 3L0O, and some listeners might have heard him on Sunday, 22nd. My _ reception of him was at good loudspeaker streneth. Mv set is the latest type

seven-valve All-Hlectric

S.

Ellis

(Otako).

Park Island Installation. yy connection with the recent installation of a radio set in the Park Island Home, I would like to state that since then we have received numerous American stations, and the following have been authenticated. (Here

Mr. Hay-Chapman adds a list of seven

sta tions )

R.

Hay-Chapman

Hawke'&

bay).

[A report which the correspondent kindly enclosed appeared last week.Hd.]