notes and comments

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 39, 11 April 1930, Page 13

notes and comments

By

SWITCH

HE enormous crowd which attended the Sarron y. Donovan fight at Wellington, variously estimated in the newspapers from 14,000 to 20,000, was striking proof of the efficacy of broadcasting as an advertising medium for sport, The writer met \many people who attended the contest and who stated they would never have thought of being present had not the description of the previous fight at New Plymouth been broadcast. The vivid commentary from New Plymouth so fired their curiosity that they made up their minds to see the contest at Wellington. Another win for broadcasting! "SWITCH" attended the historic fight at the Wellington Speedway between Pete Sarron and Tommy Donovan, and, as one whose experience in boxing extends over 35 years, must compliment Mr. Aldridge, who gave the ringside description of the contest for the big broadcast. A careful note of Mr. Aldridge’s description of the combat was shown to "Switch," who has no hesitation in stating that it was a most faithful aceount of what happened in the ring. All praise is due to Mr. Aldridge for his splendid account! "QWITCH" would like to have a word with listeners who have neglected to renew their licenses. This broadSHTTATEETE UAT ESET RELA R EGR ERAETAEEERTE CR TEESREREELEE

casting is a community affair; every listéner is a cog in thé wheel of the great broadcasting machinery. A listener who is illegally using his set is not only robbing the Government and the Broadcasting Company, but is also robbing his fellow listeners. The thief is avoiding his just contribution for the common good, and as such is an outlaw in the community. If he finds himself "spotted" and duly fined he has only himself to blame. A WELLINGTON man who recently returned from a visit to the Chatham Islands informed "Switch" that radio is proving a wonderful boon to residents on the main island. The few who own receiving sets have, of necessity, to use battery-operated outfits as there is no recticulation on the island. Although 500 miles distant from Wellington, 2YA is received during the afternoon sessions with full loudspeaker volume. As weeks elapse between the arrival of mails, the news sessions from 2YA Wellington are in regular demand. In addition to ordinary broadcast receivers there are some short-wave sets on the island, and they are capable of bringing in stations at tremendous distances.

R. CLIVE DRUMMOND, announcer at 2YA, Wellington, who has been on holiday leave, has resumed duty. He was greatly missed by listeners during his absence. fa A WHLLINGTONIAN who has just come back from a trip to Sydney and Melbourne informs ‘Switch’ that there is still a big demand for batteryoperated sets in Australia. Dealers informed him that for every all-electric set sold, two battery-operated receivers were purchased. Vast well-popu-

lated up-country areas in the Commonwealth are not reticulated and battery-operated sets are the only practical type in such districts,

O.M. (Wellington) informs the * writer that a statement made in last week’s "Notes and Comments" concerning the pronunciation of Schenectady, is incorrect. I agree with him. He states that he has been listening to stations 2XAF and 2XAD, Schenectady, for several years, and he has never heard the name pronounced in any other way than "Skenectady." "Switch" regrets the error, but the words were misplaced by the typesetters. R. OSWALD ANDERSON, studio manager of 2FC, Sydney, almost since its inauguration, and a gifted composer, has resigned his position to aecept an engagement as studio manager for Messrs. Paling and Co’s Sydney "B"’* class station, 2UW. qt is recorded that during the reign of Charles I a country girl went to London to find her husband, and walked up and down the streets calling out his name in an effort to trace him. Nowadays, if a country girl came to Wellington to find her missing husband it is probable she would discover him by means of an announcement by 2YA, Wellington. A few years ago a Sydney man was found in Wellington through a local listener hearing 2BL, Sydney, asking New Zealand listeners to deliver an urgent message to him. AUSTRALIAN S are keen on the mouth-organ, which strangely enough has never caught on to any extent in New Zealand. There are a number of mouth-organ bands in the Commonwealth, and they sound well when broadcast. A mouth-organ band competition held in the Town Hall at Cobury, a suburb of Melbourne, was broadcast by 83AR, Melbourne, on Monday evening, April 7. ‘ THE studio concert by the Wellington Regiment (First Battalion) Band at 2YA, Wellington, was a credit to performers and conductor alike. This band, by the way, does not hurry through a march in the perfunctory manner of some other bands, but plays the repeats in each instance. WHEN 2YA, Wellington, was thrown off the air on two evenings recently the accident was due to a moth on the first occasion, and to a "daddy longlegs’’ on the second night. There is a safety spark gap between the two 11,000-volt mains, and the intruding insects made contact across the spark gap, thus receiving 11,000 volts through their bodies and causing an electric spark about a foot in length. Both insects, of course, disappeared from human ken. The moth blew out a small fuse, but the "daddy longlegs"

went one better and melted the main fuse. About three years ago "Switch" was listening to 4QG, Brisbane, when the station suddenly went off the air. In about a couple of minutes if was back again, and the announcer explained that a moth had electrocuted itself and had blown a fuse. A RADIO enthusiast has suggested that a welcome novelty which could be introduced at 2YA, Wellington, would be a graphologist who could read the character of listeners from their handwriting. Mbhis, he ‘urged, was done at one of the Australian stations. The subject of graphology is taken seriously by many educated people, but is not universally accepted. Some time ago the editor of "Science and Invention" stated: "We do not believe in graphology; we do not believe that it is possible to analyse a person’s life or character from his ‘handwriting, nor do we hold _ that there is anything in phrenology, physiognomy, astrology, numerology, or any of the other fortune-telling systems. While it is true that some analyses of the handwritings of certain men seem to indicate their character (as graphologists point out), the character reading is of an exceedingly superficial nature. Such character readings generally flatter the man who submits his writing for examination, to the extent that he gulliby believes he possesses the attributes with which the graphologist endows him." '

RECEPTION TABLE

Fo R the guidance of those who: wish to cheque their reception of the Australian stations "Switch" has prepared the following table showing the average relative strengths with which he has obtained reception at 11.30 p.m. during the past week:2BL, Sydney COCCS Se OS EOeO OBS 2FC, Sydney eeceseeoevcessoae 38L0O, Melbourne @eeoeesosccos 4QG, Brisbane ....ccececeecs 2UE, Sydney eeoceeeeeeseeoeesr 38DB,Melbourne eecccccccccccs 2GB, Sydney ....cecccscecess 38UZ, Melbourne Terereee ey ee SAR, Mellourme .......00.BCL, Adelaide ....ccceccccces 2HD, Neweastle .....cccecece QHEY, Sydney .....ccccceccecs The above figures are the points assessed, with 10 as the maximum. he GH eH -_ LOO RORMOUMUIWO