My Impressions of the Greatest Broadcasting System in the World ...The B.B.C...

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 24, 24 December 1931, Page 1

My Impressions of the Greatest Broadcasting System in the World ...The B.B.C...

By

DOUGLAS

STARK

Mr. Douglas Stark, well known in musical circles in Wellington and to 2YA listeners, has recently returned from an eighteenmonths’ tour of England and the States. In this interview with the "Record" he throws some interesting light on the workings of that gigantic and efficient organisation, the B.B.C., of which he made a special study.

I HE B.B.C. with its vast resources and its highly-qualified and organised staff is, without question, one ot the most Imagine many hundreds of people solid organisations of the world. i engaged in the production and of one or at the most two

programmes a day alid you Nave the B.B.C. They want a talk on "Russia" and they want it authentic and unconventional-they approach Bernard Shaw and ask his price-it might be £50 for 15 _minutes, but they pay it without \question. They get that talk long before it is broadcast-go through it, discuss points with its author if necessary, and finally pass it for broadcasting. They are going to relay a cot cert from the Queen’s Hall. Days ahead the orchestral score is submitted to headquarters where it is studied by the engineers and sound experts. The placing of the orchestra for effect and the microphones for balance is carefully worked out. The orchestra and engineers assemble long before the performance is to take place and rehearse the programme. Back at the transmitting station, the outputs of the many microphones are i¢lanced up by musicians and engjneers, and the final monitoring is performed by a musician who follows the music as he monitors Then there is the elaborate organisation and huge staff engaged in the compilation of the programmes. There is not one person or two in this department but dozens. Each one has his particular field to cover. The chief organiser drafts his programme, Girdicating roughly the balance of, ‘kay. orchestral, vaudeville, talks and dance music. He then makes the request that each man in charge of these departments make up a programme. To advise them are the specialist committees, so you can see that there is not much left

to chance in the B.B.C. It was my intention to visit America only when I left here, but owing to the set of my fortunes I worked my passage to England, there to become intimately associated with the B.B.C. They knew I was interested in broadcasting and did all they could to let me see how the organisation functioned. It was some months before I completely traversed all its ramifications. It was only when I arrived back in New

Zealand that I realised that the knowledge I had gained may be of some practical value, for I did not know of the changes in administration. Whilst in America I investigated the systems there, and did a little broadcasting over chain stations. They, too, are skilfully organised, but I believe feeling is veering over to the B.B.C. method. But from the commercial point of view I think the Americans are nore advanced. England and \merica both started off even, and -hough now from the co-operative and financial point of view the Americans are really ahead, the British system is fundamentally more sound. The active co-opera-tion evident in America is natural xs broadcasting there is run on strictly business lines with profit as the sole incentive. The end of last year one American network system revealed a profit of over a million, as against the B.B.C.’s half-million. It is difficult to compare the quality of the programmes in the two countries. The American is altogether different temperamentally, and curiously enough he seems to accept the sponsored advertising system without protest. This is probably due to two main reasons. ’ First, he has known no other system; and, secondly, advertising is with him a national weakness, With all his astuteness the average American is very gullible, Tell him about a thing often enough and he will buy it. The people out here and in England are much (Concluded on page 2.)

The B.B.C. (Gontinued from page 1.)

more level-headed. Many talks are given in America, but they deal with lighter subects: than do those broadeast by the B.B.C., and are treated unconventially. In this respect the basic differences between the two systems is well revealed. It has always been the B.B.C.’s policy to concentrate on the educational side of radio, but in America, the stations must sustain the interest of the greatest number of listeners for the largest amount of time. Solid though it is, the B.B.C. has its enemies. One has only to read the daily papers and the correspondence columns of the wireless periodicals to appreciate this point. With all their resources the Corporation cannot please everyone. Perhaps the most serious series of attacks is being made by Captain Eckersley, formerly chief engineer of the B.B.C., now a consultant in chief of several radio publications, and a virile writer. He has an engagement with a certain paper to write an article regularly on broadcasting, and this more often than not is severely eritical of the B.B.C. One, I remember, was _ protesting against the practise of giving a short metronome signal during the tacets. This was to let people know that although they could hear nothing from their speakers, their receivers had not gone wrong. Eckersley remarked, "Wor God’s sake, if we are going to have a silence, let’s have a complete silence!" .... Eckersley is a good engineer.... You know probably that the regional scheme is operative in the Old Country. Briefly this scheme-incidentally an idea of Wckersley’s-is to provide the major portion of England, Scotland and the North of Ireland with alternative programmes. Qne or sometimes both originate from the London studiosat present Savoy Hill, which will be replaced by the Broadcasting House in the near future-and are relayed to all the small stations, who rebroadcast them. Usually one programme goes out over all the country, and this is known as the national programme, whilst the other, which sometimes originates from London, and sometimes from the local station itself, is known as the regional programme, In any case the regional programme is interrupted to give flashes of local news. The idea is something akin to the American chain system, but it endea-

vours to give’ two alternative programmes. More often than not, however, the same programme is put on both waves. At other times a programme broadcast one night on the National channel, will be put over the regional the next night. This is often the case with specially good plays. When this fact is borne in mind, the completeness of the organisation which produces the programme is all the more amazing. _Many departments are engaged. There are separate ones for drama, orchestra, review, vaudeville, music, talks, both adult education and talks on topical themes, outside broadcasts, school broadcasts, children’s hour, and many others. Programmes are first arranged by the different departments in collaboration, and submitted to one man who, if necessary, revises it, to give what he thinks the best balance. The rearranged programme is then passed on to the chief programme organiser for his approval. With him rests the final responsibility of the programme matter. I can quite see the enormous difficulties under which any radio controlling authority in this country must work after seeing this huge organisation maintained by the B.B.C. to supply two programmes a day. In N.Z. twice this number of programmes have tov be compiled by an organisation which, compared with the B.B.C., is minute. One thing you do not have to worry over out here is the problem of copyright.. An annual fee is paid to the Copyright Association, and there the matter ends. In England, however, 4 copyright department is maintained, and its officials are continually interviewing authors, composers, playwrights, ete., in an endeayour to solve copyright problems. And believe me. they present some problems, too. Many of the difficulties have been surmounted by having special works written for broadeasting. There are now.a good many works specially written for the B.B.C., and I think if the N.Z.B.C. could get hold of some of these, which I am sure they could for a very reasonable sum, there would be provided a wealth of new matter for our radio artists to perform. Most of the works are performed once or twice, and then filed in comprehensive libraries. conducted. Sometimes the microphone itself is taken to the scene of the relay. Many popular outside relays are und at others a portable transmitter is used to broadcast the descriptions on short-wave from where they are picked up by the main stations and rebroadeast. Outside broadcasting is an art

in itself, and in England has been very highly developed. A big wireless van with all necessary equipment is maintained. I had arranged to accompany the engineers on one of their trips, but unfortunately it rained, and the broadcast was off.

In England there are no bans on the broadcasting of any form of sport, probaubly because the B.B.C. is such 4 big organisation that it can afford to pay for any such privileges. The Orchestra. PHL B.B.C. orchestra is an example of how far the organisation can vo in creating Its own combinations. This is now one of the first orchestras in the world, for it ranks with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin State Orchestra. Playing under the distinguished baton of Sir Ilenry Wood. the orchestra is a brilliant combination of 180 performers. Byery player is engaged on full time, and when it is realised that the smallest salary is over £10 a week, some idea of the quality of the artists can be gauged. A large portion of this outlay is returned from public perrformances, for the orchestra is regularly engaged at concerts which are usually broadeast. Incidentally, too, the combination does a fair amount of recording. Out of season the orchestra is subdivided into groups for specific pur-

poses. ‘There may be Orchestra A,a J group of 80 instrumentalists, who ~ proadcast symphony works and the like, Orchestra B, 50 artists, who play lighter works of the Strauss type, and Orchestra © and D, each of 35 players, who do even lighter works, but not dance numbers, for this is left to a special orchestra which, like the main orchestra, is one of the best known in the world. Playing under the conductorship of Jack Payne, the combination is heard regularly in the best dance halls in London, from whence relays to the broadcast station take place. Wxactly the-same care is taken ‘of these relays as of those from the Queen’s Hall, and it is this meticulous care which makes the British broadcasting what. it is. I think as far as New Zealand is concerned, the adoption of the B.B.C. principle is a good thing. Radio will advance more rapidly because. we ‘gill have their vast experience to work on. Radio must progress-at present it's only in the toddling: stage, and it is up to.us to help it toward an early maturity. One advantage the B.B.C. possesses is that, because they have the money, they can.-afford to secure the services of the best brains in England. But we are, I feel, on the right track, and we can anticipate that within a few years New Zealand broadcasting will be a B.B.C. in miniature.