2YA Sporting Services

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 27, 17 January 1930, Page 7

2YA Sporting Services

Saturday Summary under Review

Our mail this week has been heavy with complaints relutive to the curtailment of the sports servies from 2YA, For over a year this station has been putting on the air results of sports meetings of all deseriptions as they have come to hand. The organisation necessary to collect and summarisé all this news has been 4 éredit to the management of the station, and it ‘has been fully appreciated by listeners, as proved by numerous letters. "Now, believing the music sessions should not be interrupted, the company make the following times for Sports annouticements + 1. Announcements of results to hand at 3.80 and 4.30. 2. Resume during the news session. 3. Announcements of results of events of national importance at 9 p.m. _ Under the plan that has been operat: ing recently, the resume that was formerly given at 10.45 on Saturday evening has been dropped. We undérstand, however, from communication with the Broadcasting Company that the question of reinstating this service either at 10.45 or at 11 p.m. is under review and we are hopeful that a favourable outcome will be the result. ~ Space will not allow of our running all the lettets in full, but the major points raised are: _ 1. Sporting results are more important than continuous dance mupsié, 2. The service from 2YA has been something the company can feél proud about. . 8. Results are wanted quickly. 4, Most listeners are out of doors at 7 p.m. Se 5. Many listeners on holiday have purchased portable sets to get results as they come to hand, and hdvé been keenly disappointed, ; 6. The results of Saturday. niglit’s sport cannot be obtained till Monday. 7. Dissatisfaction is general. 8. Many threaten not to renew their licenses. Some Views Expressed. WE have greatly missed the sporting results during the afternoon sessions from 2YA. The announcing of the results of sporting events. was looked forward to, as it used to be a break from the continual music. The abolition of the sporting summary and racing results during the afternoon is an ill-advised action----A Lady Listener (Wellington). "INH views expressed: by your correspondents in this week’s "Itadio Record" concerhing the latest action of the Broadcasting Company, re the sporting sessions from 2YA ure fully endorsed by several listeners in these parts. The opinion of the station manager that listenérs would prefer dance music to the sporting summary is open to question. How many listéners arrange evenings depending upon 2YA for their dance musi¢? Very few, the old gramophono is hard at it long before dance musie is put over the alr. The sporting service from 2YA has now been in operation about 12 months, and

during that time I have rarély missed listening to the sporting news, and I can honestly state, the service was one of which the Broadcasting Company should have been justly proud. It took the officials nearly twelve months to find out that the majority of listeners preferred dance music; I hope it will not taken twelve days for them to learn we want this service maintained, otherwise there will be sorrows in the lis tenets’ camp-C. H. Robinson (Wanganui Hast). HB action of the Broadcasting Company in suspending the sporting service from 2YA is creating dissatisfaction from many listeners, Although several correspondents have aired their grievances In the current issue of the "Radio Record," the officials of the company have made no statement of their intentions. Listeners are justly entitled to learn the reasons advanced for the suspénsion of such 4 popular session. Candidly, I am of ten féd-up with some of the programmes submitted, and it is only the sporting items that have any great appeal tome. The average male listener (and plenty of the feminine sex) are interested in some class of sport, and this is where 2YA rendered & very efficient service. There is. certaintly a hefty growl coming from sporting listeners, and it is up to the company now to make some statement; so that we will know what to do in March next, ~-One of the Sports (Wellington). Décidedly Unpopular. OYA was decidedly unpopular during the holidays ‘for not giving us our sporting results during the afternoon sessions. It used to be the prac: tice of my wife to take down the results of sporting events, then telephone them to me, and I used to be the official broadcaster of the latest wup-to-the-minute results to_many who called on business. The argument that lis: teners prefer the dance music is doubtful. Generally three or even four songs are included in the dance session on Saturday evenings, and there are twelve or fifteen minutes which ean be devoted to the sporting summary, and we still have our dance session. I think the majority of listeners possess gramophones, and they do not depend on wireless for their partiesLittle Eric of Berhampore. GIR,-The action of the Broadcasting * Company in ceasing the sports service from 2YA is a drastic step, the result of which will be apparent in March next. All whom I know are more or tess interested in sport, and unless something is done to rectify matters pretty quickly the company will earn an unpopularity from which it will not rapidly recover. In fairness to 2YA I must say their attention to telephone calls has been excellent. They have been a veritable information bureau, though it must be very taxing to answer so many ¢alls and

withstand so many rebukes, for I cannot imagine anything but that happening, I. have had to wait as long as ten minutes to get 2YA on Saturday night-engaged probaby by irate listeners, How much easier to put over the results as they come to hand and again at 10.45. This, I feel, is the wish of the majority, especially as in last week's "Record" I saw several letters condemning the practice, but none applauding it. No fewer than five friends have told mé they do not ‘intend to renew theiy licenses if this state of affairs continues, These are owners ‘of crystal and small sets, but they are as much worth 80 bob as the bigger sets, which cannot be scrapped so easily. The company has but two months to decide,-Yours, ete. Ahn of the Catwhisker (Khandala . , ea ¢ °