Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 29, 31 January 1930, Page 10

Our Mail Bag

. Silent Nights. — RE the proposal fo increase the hours of transmission, and eliminate ‘silent. nights, I would like to give you my opinions, based on my experience as a dealer, travelling over.a great part of the North Island, and on the opinions expressed. by a large number of customers. As regards the silent night, this is only of importance with 2Y¥A, The other stations are, on the whole, of only local importance; 2YA is the standby. of the whole country. My experience is that 90 per cent. of listeners, except those in the immediate vicinity of 1YA (I-refer to the North. Island) listen almost exclusively to 2YA. Few dealers in the country care to risk a demonstration on 2YA’s silent night. You have hitherto had to.consider the users of crystal sets, but this situation is no longer of great

importance owing to the diminishing number of these sets. Consequently, I think that the vast majority of listeners would be satisfied with the elimination of 2YA’s sil-. ent night. As regards daylight transmissions, we dealers badly want something earlier than 3 p.m. For demonstrations and service our day has to begin at this hour, and a few hours’ earlier transmission would be invaluable. This would, of course, be necessary from all stations, owing to limited daylight range. Reverting to silent nights, I . think the great majority of Auckland listeners (also 3YA and 4YA) would appreciate one silent night from their local station so that they might listen to 2YA,. _ As regards 2YA listeners,

they would be condemned to 7 nights per week of 2YA, but who could wish

them any better fate?-

C. J.

Fleming

A Criticism of 2YA Artists, M4* I beg a little space in your columns to air a grievance about the programmes we have had to suffer of late, especially during this last week? Well, it is not quite correct to put it that way? my complaint is levelled against the artists (?) who have performed them. During the whole of the week, with the sole exception of Saturday, the 18th inst, there has not been a night upon which some singer or. other has. not been either singing flat, straining his or her voice above its natural range, or else been about a bar.and a half either before; or behind the accompaniment. Now, once in a while one can under.) stand a happening such ase this, but to: be inflicted with the same thing night after night is, to put it. very mildly, disgusting-and to make mat:ters worse one item like this seems to "sour" the whole programme. I cannot recall any of our overseas artists,

or tor that matter any of the visitors who have sung from 2YA, ever being anything but artists in every way as far as radio reception is concerned. Let me disclaim here any pretensions of being a musician-I am not-but I do know when a singer is hopelessly © flat or a mile ahead of the score. Is the trouble occurring because there are no very good singers in Wellington, or is’ the fee offered not sufficient to make it worth while for good artists ‘to sing? "If we cannot have better artists give us more records. Please do not think that this criticism applies to all 2YA_ singers. Certain artists and combinations are wonderful and I have sent a letter of appreciation to the Broadcasting Company concerning some. The station is quite the best in the country. Now, having a good station, fine announcing an? some artists, why not let us have all things "just so" and do away with some of the -fifth-raters? Why, very often one hears songs much bétter sung at the children’s session than at the 8 p.m. one! And here just a word of praise for Aunt Gwen, whose cheery voice, mirthful personality and sympathetic understanding will be missed by some very "big children" who have children themselves. Trusting I have not occupied too much of your space, I will, with apologies to Mr. Drummond, ~ say "Goo-o0-00-0d night,"-

William

Vinten

(Wanganui).

[We have excised certain portions of this letter referring to ‘certain artists.-Ed. ]