Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 35, 14 March 1930, 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 Hditor, "Radio Record," P.O. Box 10382, Wellington.

Friday’s Programme. LATELY we have heard a great deal eoncerning the quality of the programmes from 2YA, and to my mind much of the adverse criticism is due to the arrangement of the programmes; in particular those on Friday night. On this night 2YA is at its best, and most of the listeners are out. Here in Petone most of them are shopping, as the local industries make this night "pay night." I think that if the quality of the Friday night’s programme were transferred to, say, Thursday night, much of the unjust criticism would become hushed. — ‘Change Over" (Petone). Banning "All Black" Broadeasts. TPHuE Rugby Union has emulated its sister sporting (?) body the Racing Conference and prohibited Saturday broadeasting. It does seem as if the, sporting bodies are losing sight of the sporting side of the game, and are eoncentrating on the financial side. From what I can see of sporting bodies a large number of them seem only too keen to seek the help of the broadcasting authorities to popularise’ their particular branch of sport. Immediately the radio has done its share to build ‘up their game they take a very selfish view, and by prohibiting broadcasting try to force a few more town people to patronise their sport, without any regard for the thousands of people

throughout the country, more particularly in the back-blocks, who are unable to attend. More particularly does this seem selfish and parochial at a time like this when the Government is trying to popularise country life and encourage more people to leave’ the towns and its comforts. I landed home from the war at the age of 21, and immediately went into the back-blocks and trod the hard and narrow path. Though through the war I am totally unfit to play the good old game, I take a keen interest in Rugby, mostly per medium of radio. You can imagine, then, the feelings of one situated as I am, when the daily paper announces the refusal of the Rugby Union to allow broadcasting because it may affect the receipts at club fixtures. Besides. the many country listeners, let me appeal on behalf of the many soldiers and others in hospitals. Then, again, Australia broadcast our All Black test -are we not under an obligation to them to broadcast our international fixtures. Perhaps it is not too late for the Rugby Union to reconsider its decision in favour of the popular feeling of the general public, and so demonstrate that they are indeed a sporting body.-Digger (South Canterbury). Broadeasting the Sound Film. BELIEVING that others agree with my views, I write to thank the Broadeasting Company for being good enough to relay certain execrable items from sound picture theatres of late. 1 have many listener friends who resent the company’s action in broadcasting such poor entertainment, and who can not bring themselves to believe it right that their license fees should be employed on film advertising of such a blatant kind. Proprietors of silent picture theatre houses, too, feel that an injustice is being done them by this form of.advertising, in which they cannot participate. In any case, we are a British community and, wishing to preserve British ideals, do not want to

be surfeited with American nasal twang and cheap and nasty forms of American "music," either vocal or instrumental: . the Americanisation of Australia and New Zealand has gone too far already without the Broadcasting Company furthering the process. If thousands of misguided people do patronise the American sound pictures, they do so voluntarily, but wireless listeners have no option but to switch off their sets when these are broadcast, particularly as they are unable to grasp the nature of the picture in the absence of tele-

vising apparatus. Let the Broadcasting Company leave the sound film alone; they are run by powerful business interests who should be kept off the air, even if they are prepared to spend generously in their method of renting and rending it-K. Swiney (Northland). Rugby Broadcasts. RBAD with disgust the action of the Rugby Union in deciding to forbid the broadcasting of the matches in connection with the tour of the British os

team this year, and especially in nat allowing the four Tests to be broadcast. As an old footballer with no possible chance of seeing any match, I was consoling myself with the, fact that I would be able to hear a running description of, at least, the tests, but, alas, it is not to be. Messrs. Deans and Co., in their wisdom, have decided that if one lives in the country and cannot attend any matches, one will have to be satisfied with a report in cold print, instead of a lively description by .an excellent narrator, with the shouts of the crowd thrown in, The reason given for the ban .is that club football will suffer. I wonder! If, say, the tests were broadcast, the club matches in the country districts on those days would probably suffer, but not so the city clubs, because it is a certainty that all players living in or near the city in which a'test is to be played, and able to attend, will do so, I wonder whether Messrs. Deans and Co. will practise what they preach. It is up to all country players, and others, who wish to hear a broadeast of at least the tests, to bring pressure to bear on the Rugby Union with a view -to having the ban lifted-‘Fan" (Kaikoura). For "TRIALS IN TACT" (See page 27.)