Empire Broadcasts on Shortwave from London

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 20, 27 November 1931, Page 3

Empire Broadcasts on Shortwave from London

Special hours for New Zealand" provided for in projected scheme for new service to commence in years time —

bv

Ivan M.

Levy

HE cabled news that the British Broadcasting Corporation intends to proceed with the erection of an Empire high-power short-wave broadcast statior . will be welcomed by all listeners in this. Ddminion. It will furnish a new source of interest and entertainment which, if the present pro-~ posals are carried out, will be permanent. It will be another year before transmissions will begin. A daily \session of one hour will be available for. rebroadcasting by the New | Zealand stations, and in addition an opportunity for early morning — risers to listen in to England with their short-wave sets will be given. Credit is due to the British Broadcasting Corporation for initiating the three Empire broadcasting schemes which have been drawn up and which were submitted to the last Imperial Conference. As the result of a resolution passed by the Conference, the British Government asked the British Broadcasting Corporation to forward particulars of the Empire broadcasting schemes, as submitted to the Conference, to the broadcasting organisations throughout the Empire and to invite them to furnish the Corporation with their views as to the value to them of an Empire broadcasting service and as to their readiness to make a contribtition toward its cost in return for the right to relay any part of the service which they may require. , A statement issued by the British Broadcasting Corporation reads: Common to all three schemes is the provision of a twin transmitter, using two wavelengths, and costing £40,000, and £7000°per annum (or, alternatively, £16,500 per annum), with an estimated life of five years. Otherwise the’ schemes differ among themselves only in the prograinme facilities offered and the consequent financial provisions. The first scheme provides for district services for the neutrallysituated and eastward Dominions and colonies, for those in American longitudes, and for Australasia, and assumes. that the Empire station would bear a: proportionate share in the cost of all programme matter taken from the Home programmes, as well as the whole cost of matter special to its own services. The second scheme, drawn up after a conference in which the Colonial Office, India Office, Dominions Office, and the Lord Privy Seal’s Office were represented as well as the Post Office, aims at cover--ing the longitude between 2 hours west and 8 hours east of Greenwich (representing 93 per cent. of the white inhabitants of the Crown colonies and India) with a cheaper service, taken in the main from "the Home programmes, without the Empire service being called upon ta share the expense of the latter. This scheme was discussed by the Colonial Conference in June, 1930, and resolutions were passed in favour of it, the Governors undertaking to provide (or to recommend their Legislatures to provide) financial support to the extent of 5/- per listener’s license. As, however, it would take time.to develop this income, the Colonial »

Office undertook to approach the Treasury for a grant from the British Exchequer, and it appears that the Treasury wished to obtain the view of the then pending Imperial Conference before coming to a decision. Accordingly, the third scheme was prepared at short notice for submission to the Imperial Conference. It differs from scheme 2 in that special programmes at hours suited to American and Australasian longitudes are added, and from scheme 1 in that the Empire service is not asked to bear a share in the cost of Home programme material utilised. HE reservation must, however, be introduced that, while the figure for news bulletins in scheme 2 is one agreed by Reuters on the basis of a colonial service, -the same figure as applied to scheme 3 is still subject to negotiation. A further reservation (the necessity for which is obvious) is that the phrase used by the Imperial Conference regarding an unconditional right to relay, would have to be interpreted as referring only to such rights as broadcasters themselves possess, and could not be held to involve the originating broadcaster in any contingent liabilities in respect of performing right, artists’ contracts, news, etc., that might arise out of relay. The requirements of an Empire broadcasting service may, from the programme standpoint, be conveniently expressed in terms of (a) "Colonial" (afternoon) programme, partly composed of material shared with the Home listener. (b) An "African" programme coinciding in time with the Home evening programme and containing little special matter. (c) An "Australian and New Zealand" (morning) programme performed specially in the daytime but outside United Kingdom programme hours. . (Concluded on page 29.)

Empire Broadcasts (Continued from, page 3.)

(d) A "Oanadian" (small-hours) programme involving night staff and special terms for performers. (e) Means of occasionally transmitting "peak" events or providing special programmes for relay. So far as the technique of the matter is concerned, these divisions more or less fuse. Although for purposes of (e) the commercial wireless tele--phony system may sometimes be brought into play, a regular routine service, whether on a minimum or a full scale, will require the erection and maintenance of the broadcasting station proper. Chelmsford Not Suitable. {tz may definitely be said that the existing Chelmsford plant would not suffice to carry a regular service. It is held on hire from the Marconi Company, and its situation and operatsing conditions are unsuited for anything more than purely experimental work. Further, as the scope of the experiment was world-wide, the wavelength of about 24 metres that was adopted was a compromise, whereas, in order to reach all parts of the Hmpire under varying conditions of light and darkness, it is desirable to transmit at least at certain times of the day, on two wavelengths, fairly widely spaced apart, namely, below 20 and above 80 metres. Ideally, not even two waves are sufficient, and it is possible that-with steady improvement in receiving technique and the development of new ideas in transmission (such as broadeasting the same programme simultaneously on three closely adjacent ' wavelengths)-an Empire or world transmitting station may eventually ‘ take the form of four or five aerial systefas, sending out a programme on wavelengths spaced widely apart, together with a group of three adjacent wavelengths for special links between broadcasting organisations. On the other hand-dquite apart from the uncertainties of the future with regard to programme requirements--it is not considered that sufficient experience has been gained in overseas _ broadcasting to justify’ at present the heavy expenditure that an installation on this scale would require. The gear itself is costly, a great deal of land would be required for the aerial] system, and maintenance costs would necessarily be high, Moreover, there is the danger that the installation would soon bé obsolescent.

A Five-Year Scheme. (ROR the present, therefore, whatever . the programme policy adopted, it Seems advisable to proceed on the basis of amortisation in five years, and to establish a meédium-power station, designed to send energy in all directions, transmitting simultaneously on two wavelengths. The housing of this station could be temporary. Both for convenience and economy, there would be considerable advantages in placing it at Daventry; on the other hand, the number of masts might impair the efficiency of the two stations already on the spot and the question of site should

be left open for the present. After five years it should be possible to spe--cify definitely the equipment for a per- | manent station; and it may be anticipated that much of the plant of the semi-permanent station could be transferred. The financial details given below are based on these premises, Turning now to the programmes themselves, it has already been stated tentatively that a programme drawn up to "Colonial" requirements should have its centre of gravity in the news bulletin, and, for the rest, could consist almost entirely of a selection of the items available in the home programmes. Provision should, however, be made for including events of special interest which for one reason or another were not being broadcast to home listeners, and for special programmes on rare occasions when all the available home items might be unsuitable. "Contact" or "sentimental" items, such as time signals from Big Ben, would regularly be included. "Australian and New Zealand" and "Canadian" programmes, on the other hand, would be listened to in the main by people already provided locally with a service of news and entertainment, and as both would in principle involve special performances the characteristic note of the programme-build-ing should perhaps be the life and culture of the Old Country and Hurope. No good purpose would be served by giving, say, the Oanadian listener (direct or rebroadcast), mere routine entertainment that he can listen to under far better conditions from his local station. "Contact" features would, of course, figure in these programmes as in the "Colonial." ~ Close liaison would have to be maintained through Dominion broadcasting authorities with the pulse of the public served. The ease of South -\frica is midway between these and the "Colonial" as regards programme-content, and presents no difficulty in point of timing. Suggestions for Programmes. THE programme hours which might he reanired are :-

A. One hour between 10 a.m. and 12 noon (approximately) British time: "Australian and New Zealand" programme on the lines indicated above, and containing also a news bulletin. B. Two and and a half hours between 2 p.m. and 5.80 or 6 p.m. (approximately): "Colonial" programme culminating in a substantial news bulletin, and consisting of entertainment taken from home programmes, with Big Ben and various items of sentimental] significance. ©. Bvening: "South African" programme; one hour or two, consisting almost entirely of selected items from the British home programme, but with a proportion of special matter such as a version of the United Kingdom news bulletin in Africaans.

DD. 1am. to 2.15 a.m. (approximately): "Canadian" programme on ‘the lines indicated above, including (for the benefit of the West Indies) a repetition of the second news bulletin of the home service, supplemented on occasion by additional items received up to midnight. 1. Irregularly : Important actualities as and when they occur, and special programmes as mutually arranged between broadcasters, The Final Report. ‘THE following proposals were submitted by the British Broadcasting Corporation in October, 1980:-~ _ It is proposed that, instead of ing for all transmissions from the new station in the United Kingdom on the basis of the average cost per hour of United Kingdom programmes, aS Was suggested in the original report on Empire broadcasting, only that part of the programmes which has to be specially arranged should be charged for. On this basis the figures given in the original report require to be revised as under :-

Capital Hxpenditure-The cost of erection of station, including masts, on double transmission basis, but in a building of temporary nature and assumine 9 free site. is astimated. as

Programmes.-The programme ‘gervice assumed is shown in the following table :-

In the original report it was assumed that the greater part of the new station’s transmissions, apart from the news bulletins, would be taken from other B.B.C. stations’ programmes, and the appropriate average cost per hour of United Kingdom programme was applied in estimating the cost-of the new stations’ programmes, For Do: minion purposes, however? ‘a greater proportion of the new station’s programmes would have to be specially arranged, ie., the whole of A (for New Zealand) and D above. If the part of the programmes taken from other Unit-

ed Kingdom stations is not charged for, the figure previously taken as the average cost of programmes, £20, will now have to be increased, as the increased costs of programmes generally since 1928, resulting from the development of broadcasting, must be taken nito account, . Hxcluding news, the specially arranged programmes are estimated to cost an average of £80 per hour, The annual total number of hours under A and D would, therefore, cost £18,720. B and C would not be charged for. £ Empire news bulletins at 12 noon, 6 p.m., and 12 midnight would provisionally be chare-

The present proposal therefore shows a reduction in annual revenue expenditure of ..... 10,000 and also provides for a greater proportion of programmes heing arranged entirely with regard to the specia’ requirements of Empire broadcasting

-- ~-- "EXPORTER" COMPETITION NO. 1. Owing to the fact that so many people tied in this competition, results and second attempt for prize moneys have been posted DIRHCT TO WHACH COMPETITOR WITH FULL HBXPLANATIONS. ANYONE NOT RECEIVING A COPY WRI'TH TO BOX 22, CHRISTCHURCH. RES LTS WILL BH PUBLISHND IN THIS P. NEXT MONTH. (Advt.) We desire to make it clear that the above competition was not run by the "Dairy Exporter and Home Journal Company. The name was used to distinguish it from other competitions in other papers run by the promoters, & Ohristchurch firm, >

"Mor New Zealand; equivalent to 9.30 p.m. and 11.50 p.m. New Zealand standard time. puis seanton should be suitable for rebroadcasting in New Zealand. ote--The programme shown in the original report included an additional news period between 2 and 6, which, in the above table, is devoted to general programmes, .

a before, At eccccceccssccceses 40,000 Note.-The life of the station is taken to be five years. Revenue Hxpenditure: Bngineering-The annual cost of maintenance is estimated, as before, at ...... 7,000 The annual ‘to amortisation in five years (interest calculated at 6 per cent.) would be ..ccocsesees 9,500 Total sevecsccovceces £16,500

ed for by Reuters at ....... 2,000 Additional staff is estimated to COSK cececccseccsecevesesees 3,000 Contingent expenses, say ...... 1,250 Costs of special events, ete., say eeenvweoeveoeweneeeeeeeevre eee eee 500 Total annual programme cost 25,470 say £25,500 The service would, therefore, cost :-- An initial capital expenditure on a new station of .......... 40,000

And an annual revenue expenditure on engin-~ eering and amortisa-. tion of ...e--eseeseee- 16,500 On programmes of .. 25,500 42,000 The corresponding figures in the original report were :- Initial capital expenditure .. 40,000 ; £ Annual revenue expendiTUTE cee cece eeeees 42,500 Yo which must be ‘added the annual instalment of arzortisation ...... 9,500 52,000

Hours No. of given hours to Programmes daily news (United Kingdom for6 to be times of transmission). days per ex-' *A, 1 hour, between 10 a.m, and 12 noon .. 1 B. 23 hours, between 2 p.m, and 6 p.m... 24 & 2 hours, between 6 and 10 p ‘m... 2 F . 2 hours, between and 2 a.m. 2 3 Net ° Total daily No. of hours Pro. per annum. 23 780 14 468 14 _ 1248 (b) At week, cluded. sours. * (a) E Free. B00 pk. 468 624