Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 34, 6 March 1931, Unnumbered Page

Radio Round the World

October 10 there were 3,242,000 licensed listeners in Germany, and the revenue thus derived amounted to 88 million -marks (£4,400,000). _

[® is reported that the "People’s . Commission of Soviet’s Posts and ~ Telegraphs" have devised a five years’ plan for the development of broadcasting, The erection of sixty-two further stations is provided for, and as a result of this it is expected that the . total number of listeners will exceed 14 millions. They appear optimistic enough to anticipate that the famous economic five-year plan will . allow them sufficient leisure to sit down and listen, ° . a ie = ») * -methods -for operating . its broadcasting studios are in many. ‘ways wnique. For example, at the ‘main. Paris station there are at least, six' announcers, but they are not paid’a fixed and regular salary. In the ‘United States, it is true, the annotincers receive only a nominal remuneration for their services, but they are more than compensated for this by the substantial fees which are forth‘coming from the advertisers who sponsor the programmes. It is reported that Graham McNamee, the "Prince of American Announcers," collects 250 dollars (£50) for introducing such a commercial programme. And during winter months, when radio is hooming, he may be engaged to take charge of four such programmes a week.

HE German listener misses very few woith-while relayed broadcasts, even if the studio programmes are such that they caznot be altered for the inclusion of the relay. Quite a number of German stations have their own recording plants and if, as it happens, they cannot see their way to give their listeners the broadcast of an interesting event at the time it is

taking place, they register the relay on wax and store it for future use. This idea could certainly be used with advantage in New Zealand on the occa. . sions of world-wide short-wave broadcasts of importance, such as that of the Pope’s recent address from the new high-powered Italian short-wave station. Because of the time .difference between the two countries, the relay of the proceedings were conducted by the YA stations at approximately 3.30 a.m., 2 most inconvenient time for anybody to listen-in. With a recorM®ug equipment operated by a single short wave listener, however, the whole event could be recorded and re-hroad-east at & more propitious hour.

"THE American Federal Radio Commission recently ruled as illegal an effort to broadcast in the United States radio programmes sponsored by Odnidian liquor interests. An effort was made by a Detroit station to bring such a programme into the country by wire acrogs the border and then to broadcast it over a chain of: stations. FP # * [tz has been proposed to erect in the sacred city of Mecca one of a proposed system of radio stations to form a network across Arabia. The main object of the development is to enable

King Ibn Saud to keep in constant" touch with various ‘parts of ‘his kingdom.‘ It is, however, forbidden to anyone not~-of the Mohhmimedan faith to enter the precincts of the. sacred. city of Mecca, and it has been found necessary for the contracting ¢ompany to supply.a Mohammedan engineer to instal the.transmitting and receiving equipment inside that | city. In order to provide for the maintenance of the stations after they have heen erected, the King has sent four of his subjects to Dngland to be trained as wireless engineers. = * £ A SERIES of twenty weekly plays, dealing with incidents in Canada’s history, will be presented shortly over a coast-to-coast chain of Canadian stations by one of the British Broadeasting Corporation’s dramatic producers. Radio plays have not hbeea: ‘attempted extensively in Canada, but it is confidently believed. that this new ‘series, which is being specially written, will prove both popular and entertaining. Why not inaugurate a Similar series in our own country? New Zealand yields pride of place to none in her romantic and picturesque early ‘history, and well-chosen incidents suitably dramatised would prove immensely popular. © And, incidentally, the apparently unsolvable royalty problem would be overcome.

AS§ the result of a recent competition promoted by a French wireless magazine in order to ascertain the taste, of listeners, the following was the final order of merit: (1) Comedy; (2) Operette; (3) Variety (ie, Vaudeville); (4) Symphony Concerts;

(5) Comic Opera; (6) Opera; (¢} News; (8) ,Outside Broadcasts; (9). ©hamber Music; (10). Dance Music. A’ similar competition in New Zealand would :undoubtedly produce a yery different; ‘result, a * % XCLUDED from the frequencysharing agreement in force between the United States.and Canada, the Republic of Mexico this year licensed 16 new stations. Nine of these have powers and are on frequencies which will interfere with Canadian-American broadcasters. Today. there are '35-broadcasting stations in .Mexico;: and: their, trend. is toward higher- and. higher. powers, . ‘The Hroblem of satisfactory’ frequency me: ica tion between the three coutitries, i/the | North American continent'is one which, ; from present indicatiotis,-is likely to ; lead to international :coinplications. * & * LASt November 2@ radiotelephone circuit between New York and Moscow was opened, and in December a New York-Prague and a San Fren-cisco-Shanghai: service was opened. Circuits for 1931 will extend from New York to Capetown, Mukden, and Switzerland. Recently Professor Binstein spoke from the liner Belgenland in the Panama Canal to New York, and was relayed. throughout America. * # ie ‘THOUGH perhaps best known popularly as a spiritualist, Sir Oliver Lodge is far better known in the sclentific world for his physical researches and his pioneer wireless tuning patent of three decades ago. In a recent interview he revealed. that he was working on ways and means of reliey+ ing congestion on the wave-lengths by redué¢ing the separation between them, and thus increasing their number. Dr. Robinson, former radio research chief :@f the British Air Ministry, and also prominent in the scientific world, recently successfully demonstrated his Stenode Radiostat (the word "Stenode" being derived from the Greek, meaning "narrow path’) can multiply fay number of radio :channels many old. vee -*.7 99 3S