EMPIRE BROADCASTING.

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 19, 20 November 1931, Page 4

EMPIRE BROADCASTING.

"THE most pleasing announcement in the radio world of recent times is the intimation given by the British Broadcasting Corporation that it is about to build a new and powerful short-wave broadcasting station at Daventry, with the object of providing a programme setvice of practically a continuous character for all parts of the Empire. This _ conception is not new. It has been mooted, and subjected to severe investigation and discussion, for several years past. The desirability ' of such a service for linking the Empire together has been admitted. ‘The difficulty has been to determine the allocation of financial responsibility for the maintenance of that service. The point of view of the British Broadcasting Corporation has been that its funds are supplied by listeners throughout Britain for the service that they get. Accordingly the Corporation has not felt itself called upon to undertake out of its funds the provision of a service calculated to serve listeners in distant parts of the Empire. Equally the broadcasting authorities in other parts of the Empire have been mainly concerned with providing their listeners, who provide their funds, with the service that they desire in the matter of local reception. Accordingly no unanimity has been possible in reaching a determination as to. the division of costs. NOW, however, the British Broadcasting Corporation, inspired by the ideal of Empire service, has determined to proceed with its developmental plans and leave the allocation of individual cost to the future. Meantime it will foot the bili, and, as the service is established and its benefits secured to the overseas Dominions, the question of financial responsibility will be reopened and determined. PLANS as announced provide for the construction of a station estimated to cost £40,000. Building will be proceeded with at once, and provision made for the plant. Several wavelengths will be used in line with experimental data secured, showing which give the best reception under varying conditions in different parts of the Empire. "THE announcement made by the Corporation states that the object of the service will be to give as many listeners as possible in all parts of the Empire a programme from the Home country at hours when it is most convenient for them to listen, The details of the times of operation will depend upon the results of experiments and upon the demand. ‘THIS is important news for New Zealand in that it presages a future full of pregnant possibilities. On the evening of Armistice Day

listeners to 2YA were given the treat of listening to the most importasity Armistice Day celebration in London. As that service was broadcast on short wave it was picked up in Wellington by an enthusiast shortwave listener, Mr. F. W. Sellens, and relayed to 2YA, there again to be put on the air for New Zealand listerers. This rebroadcast was of a distinctly successful character, marking an extraordinary advance in efficiency over efforts made in previous years to achieve the same ‘result. The technical advance made yearly has been notable, with the result that the time is at hand when a high degree of reliability can be achieved for broadcasts of the character outlined by the B.B.C. When the time comes for the inauguration of the new service announced from Britain, a notable new era will have dawned for broadcasting in the Dominion, and one which will in itself materially solve the programme problem as it is presented in the Dominion.