RADIO PUBLICITY FOR NEW ZEALAND.

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 30, 7 February 1930, Page 6

RADIO PUBLICITY FOR NEW ZEALAND.

ON Sunday, January 26, the first of a series of short-wave ‘broadcasts, from America, for the benefit of New Zealand listeners, was given by 3YA. This emanated from station WENR in Chicago. There certainly is an attraction about rebroadcasts of short-wave transmissions from another country. This was shown by the intense interest taken in the recent broadcast of the opening of the Naval Conference. That, of course, was a special occasion, but experience has shown that whenever conditions have warranted the rebroadcast of overseas short-wave programmes, listeners have greatly appreciated the favour. Opportunity was, therefore, taken to cater for this demand by the Broadcasting Company, who have arranged = special series of programmes. While conditions on the night in question were not perfect, they were still sufficiently satisfactory to give not only a technical thrill, but a large degree of satisfaction to a wide circle of listeners. "THE special value of the arrangement, however, lay not so much in New Zealand, but in America. In addition to distributing: the programme on short wave, the station also broadcast on long wave for domestic American consumption. The announcer, it is recorded, had been at special pains to familiarise himself with facts about New Zealand and its history, and took full advantage of the opportunity presented to intersperse informative chat with his announcements. The value of this as an advertisement for the Dominion can hardly be excelled. It will undoubtedly serve to acquaint tens of thousands of people with information concerning New Zealand, and stimulate their curiosity. As the series of special programmes is carried to finality, the result cannot but be that that lack of knowledge of the Dominion, which is so frequently a subject of complaint on the part of visitors to the United States, will tend to disappear. WITH the same thought of advertising the Dominion to the world outside, the suggestion has at times been made that a short-wave broadcasting station-in the Dominion should be created and mainty ee ---- -- ee -_-

tained. We think the time is not ripe for this development. It may be granted that if such a station were established it would be listengd , to by a number of short-wave enthusiasts in overseas would be impossible, however, to form any opinion as to that number or their importance. The probability is that the audience would be at any rate relatively small, and hardly commensurate with the cost involved. In the meantime, at all events, we think very much greater service is being rendered to the country by the method: now being applied by the Broadcasting Company, viz., the arranging of a special programme for New Zealand consumption to be given by an American station for rebroadcasting in this Dominion. Dual trarismission of long and short-wave serves. the, purpose of reaching a very much wider audience than would be possible if the programme emanated from this country, and moreover reaches the foreign audience desired at a minimum of cost.