Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 31, 12 February 1932, Page 6

Our Mail Bag

While we welcome the expressed views of listeners on topics pertaining to radio, we ask that these communications be kept to minimum length, as heavy demands are made upon space. Mere reiteration of arguments cannot be accepted for publication, and we cannot take responsibility for views expressed. Address communications to the Editor, and sign all correspondence, though a nom-de-plu. may be used for publication.

Improvements. I HAVE read with interest letters from listeners in your valuable columns regarding the change in control of proadcasting, and I feel impelled, as a keen and enthusiastic listener, to ex‘press my views. In the first place, I must congratulate the new board for improvements already effected, the following especially :- Elimination of those unspeakable recorded programmes, The substitution of selected records in place of artists (7). Better dance music. . There has been a good deal written regarding the elimination of Mr. Drummond’s go-0-0-d night, but after all what do listeners want---the annouuncer’s personal farewell or that of the station? We do not listen to Mr. Drummond: he is simply the mouthpiece of the station, and should not be allowed to introduce personal mannerisms. What would we. think if all our friends farewelled us by a long-drawn-out "good night’? ' No doubt the board has further improvements in view, and one which is urgently required is one North Island and one South Island station to put on dinner music from 7 p.m. to 8 pm. I venture to say that this hour is the most unpopular hour of the day to the majority of listeners. 2ZW is certainly a godsend, but this station is inelined to spoil itself by lectures. There are dozens of other points which might be mentioned, but space forbids. Before concluding I must say that the 2YA song service on Sunday evening is certainly a most desirable feature. but for goodness sake let the conductor be someone who speaks pure ‘English. Uncle George may be a good man personally, but his language is awful, especially for young children to hear. ‘"Verra, verra" instead of "very. very" is awful, and there are dozens of similar mispronuneciations. It is to be hoped that the board will remedy this matter without delay.-DXA4T. Talks in the News Session. "A LLOW me to express my disgust at _ the rotten deal the B.C. Board gave us on Saturday, the 28rd. Fancy stopping the only decent programme we had had for the week to put on a foreigner to run his countrymen down in broken English. Sir. we have had enough of this anti-Bolshevistic propaganda in the Conservative Press, without having it put on to us during the concert session. Surely the controller

of the station has enough commonsense to know better. I understand that the bourd wants constructive criticism Well, here’s a little for what it is worth. Keep records, piano solos, and fectures out of the concert session, and for the rest just use a little commonsense,- Anti-Russian" (Picton). Plays Good and Bad. CONSIDER "The Favourite of the King’ was not u play at aJl but a series of scenes or dialogues of e@ndJess talk with Mr. Culford Bell (alWays a capable announcer) coming in aut frequent intervals to explain what it Was all about. Well-constructed plays do not need explanation and 1 protest against this method being enployed with radio-produccd plays. Tn this play we were asked to believe that people of rank and education. intent on poisoning a public man, discussed the whole thing almost at the top of their voices and told each other how they were going to do if. Later a professional Jady poisoner was introduced. She promised to — fix things up. It never seemed to occur to these people that she and her assistant would probably give them away at the first sign of trouble, or, at best. blackmail the whole bunch for the rest of their lives. I do not believe that ladies of rank, even in 1613, were foolish enough to put themselves in the power of perfect strangers when they set out to poison their husbands. This married Jady, by the way. was repeatedly referred to as "fair maid." There were far too many "forsooth’s"’ and "by my faiths,’ and = "beshrew me’s" and "e’en so’s," ete. I suppose

this was intended for "atmosphere. but it merely sounded foolish; but the expression which appeared — the most ridiculous was "He’s as dead as mutton.’ uttered by an educated gen tleman (in 1613!). I pass over seyeral mistakes in pronunciation made by these people of rank and fashion. nnd some of the curious grunting sounds made by some of the charac fers. Why did Overbury come back to life and start haying those nasty pains all over again? And why did he. go on eoybbling up poison, even when be was in prison, when he seemed to know, as far as L could gather, that they were feeding it to him? The part of Overbury was easily the best portrayal of n deadly dull evening. Why. may one ask, can listeners not have modern cemedies and such like. as they do in Australia, for instance’ If they can overcome the copyright question there. why not in New Lerland? For well over a year past ali such bright, well-written plays have been entirely cut out here. When are we te hear some modern plays (preferably one-act ones) by people who know something of the art of | playwriting ?-Country Bumpkin. The Ten Per Cent. rPuERe has been so much written lately about the quality of music prondeast from 2YA that I think a word on behalf of music lovers will not come amiss. The supporters of popular programmes claim 90 per cent. of the listeners-in. That estimate may or may not be correct. It doesn’t matter But what of the other 10 per cent. who claim their small proportion of good music? It appears by the letters from supporters of popular programmes that they want popular music all the time. and there seems to be a howl should a ‘"yovement" happen to take-up ten minutes of an evening’s entertainment. These complaints are very disturbing to those at 2¥A, who are doing their best to compile programmes to suit all tastes. The 10 per cent, of music loyers have a claim and’ demand thei two hours of good music on one night in eyery week, and surely the other 90 per cent. will be satisfied with popular programmes for the rest of the week, We hear so little chamber music that 2YA would be quite justified in going ahead, and on that one night give us "movements" from light symphonies (Haydn and Mozart), string quartets, trios, sonatas, and concertos, all played by the local musicians, who have given us such excellent service in the past.

These artists do not get the big sums that one correspondent fears, but they perform for practically the interest they have in fostering good music. I propose that 2YA encourage these musicians to give of their best on one night a week of chamber music, which will be to the delight of music lovers.-10 Per Cent. (Wellington). Karly Morning Broadcasts. I QUITE agree with "Music Lover" (Hawera) concernng early-morn-ing broadcasts. provided, of course, that the type of music is not the usual heavy classical rubbish that is being put over at present. Should — this type of music be continually broadcast, then the less the stations operate the better. If the Radio Board spent nore time urranging "popular" concerts and spent less time in trying to "crush the announcer," we, the listeners who have / to pay, would at least benefit by it.’ Some lhalf-a-dozen listeners wrote through your paper. concerning the non-appearance of the names of the dinner and dance music numbers; but did the Board, as it is called, alter this iistake? No! It still continues to operate in the same bum-drum fashion. Does the board imagine that with continuance of this method © of programme control the number of licenses will continue fo increase? Now, Mr. Editor, why are the weekly programmes being crushed up into half the previous space allotted for them? Is it a little more of the "red tape" to which we are getting accustomed? "Six-Valve"’ (Christchurch). {The form in which the programmes are now published is, we think, more attractive and more easily read. They occupy less space than previously mainly because of the absence of detailed dinner music sessions, an omission for which we are not responsible. -ld.]J Personal Touch Wanted. S ove of the sixty odd thousund listeners in New Zealaud, I would jike to add my small word of protest re the new method of announcing from the YA stations. According to a statement published in the daily Press the change was made at the request of one hundred representative listeners. Now, Sir, I would like to know why a paltry hundred can dictate to over seventy thousand? I understand that the ban on personality applies to all the YA stations. Although I have consistently tuned in to 2YA ever since the station came on the air I will not say that I have always been satisfied with the fare provided. Who is? But I will say that I always got a thrill from the announcer’s cheery little quips-not necessarily the extended good-night, although it is sadly missed. Who wants to be greeted with a brief "Good evening’ as if one was: some inferior person whom the announcer hardly cared to acknowledge? Does it not make one feel as if something is missing? Of course it does! What is wanted to preface this class of entertuinment is the cheery "Good evening, everybody." Who, having visited the radio exhibition in the Wellington Town Hall can forget the reception given to our "Good-night man’? It is this gentleman’s wonderful personality that has made him practically the most popular radio announcer in Australasia, Our dear friend, "By the Way," cun run a very close second, although all our YA and other = an(Concluded on page 21.) 4

Our Mailbag

(Continued from page 6.) nouncers are past-masters in the art of making their personalities reach the hearts of their vast audience. Now, Sir, what I would like, and I crave your assistance in, is to ask all registered listeners who are in favour of going back to the old way of announcing to send just their names and addresses to the "Radio Record." where they could be attached to a suitable petition to the board asking that the announcers be allowed to express their personality as formerly. Surely we could get more than a paltry hundred who would prefer the personal touch in preference to the hard-and-fast abrupt method now used. I want it to be understood that I do not condemn the Radio Broadcasting Board. They have not yet had time to showy what they can do, and no doubt, as the "noes" got their word in first, acted in what they thought was the best interest of the service. { will not go so far as to say that the board can or cannot make much improvement except in country places where reception is bad, but I will say

ee ee ee eee tat, A that I am sure the board will do its very best to meet the wishes of the majority in conformity with making the service attractive. Trusting that you will do what you can to make us feel again that our announcers are our friends instead of "bone dry parrots." What is it to be? "Good night," or "Closing down now." Oh, by the way :- Friendship has a power, To soothe affliction in her darkest hour. -‘Good night. everybody, good night."-"Kaiwarra."