Distance Lends Enchantment

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 39, 10 April 1931, Page 5

Distance Lends Enchantment

'@) UST as distant fields always appear to be greenest, so distant broadeasting stations have an attractiveness all their own. A Southland radio writer recently made very disparaging remarks concerning the dinner music from 4YA. He said :- "The reversion to standard time has brought about a notable improvement in reception conditions in the early evening during the last fortnight. One of the most pleasing features is that the 2YA dinner music hour is available, and it is only after having endured an almost unending repetition of , very second-class records from 4YA ‘during the summer that one really apRueclates the high standard maintainei for this hour from 2YA." The writer also remarks that "it becomes very monotonous to hear the same records repeated in almost the same order week after week, and in some cases at more frequent intervals." . A critic can safely express an opinion as to the attractiveness of programmes, for that is essentially ‘a mattér of opinion, but he should walk warily on the question of dinner music. There, he has to contend with figures, in black and white, for the Broadcasting Company’s filing system shows when and how often recordings are broadcast from any of the stations. Full advantage is taken of the record library in Christchurch, and the dinner music sessions for the four stations are carefully organised. Mo far from hearing the same programmes "week after week and in some eases at more frequent intervals," the game records are not broadcast at more frequent intervals than eight to ten ‘ weeks, and the same programme would not be heard twice in three months, if then. It is possible, but unlikely, that the same musical number recorded by two different firms may. be broadeast twice in two weeks. As to 2YA having superior dinner music, this is clearly -a case of distance lending enchantment, for. no exception is made in the case of 2YA to the disadvantage of any of the other stations. Identically the same recordings are used. New records are con- \ tinually being added to the,Broadcastg Company’s library and new pro‘grammes of dinner musie are continually made up, The four stations take jt in turns to be first to broadcast these recordings. It is quite likely that some of the records which pleased the southern critic so much when he heard them from 2YA were first broadeask by 4YA. °