The Broadcasting Service in New Zealand—1924 to 1934

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 17, 2 November 1934, Page 21

The Broadcasting Service in New Zealand—1924 to 1934

r N two different corners of the earth have sprung up broadcasting organisations that are very similar in their essentials. The British Broadcasting Corporation began life as a private company-the Yresk Broadcasting Company-and the New Zealand Broadcasting Board was originally a private concern and known as the New Zealand Radio Broadcasting Company. Both have the same ideals-the using of wireless for the entertainment, enlightenment and education of the listening public; and both concerns are

equally: determined to keep their programmes clear of commercialism. It was in the early ‘twenties that New Zealand first came to realise the ~ value of broadcasting, and one of the first men to judge the important part’ it was likely to play was Mr. A. R. Harris, a well known Ch ristchurch

business man and New Zealand representative of an electrical firm which has played a big part in the progress of wireless. Another man who early saw the possibilities of this new medium was Mr. William Goodfellow, one of the leading figures in New Zealand's dairying industry. In 1924 he put to Mr. Harris a scheme for the erecting of a small radio station at Hamilton to supply the dairy farmers in the vicinity with a musical programme. Mr. Harris went into the scheme and presented a full report to the Government, with the request for permission to build a.small station in Hamilton. A reply was received from the Post and Telegraph Department pointing out that it could not see its way clear to grant provincial broadcasting rights, as it was desired to dévelop a wireless service over the whole country and controlled by one company. Another syndicate appeared in the field, and for some time New Zealand’s broadcasting service was in the melting pot. Mr. Goodfellow was anxious to go ahead with his original scheme, but he was eventually persuaded to interest himself in a scheme for a Dominion-wide service. Mr. Goodfellow had already offered to erect a suitable station in Auckland, and the Government suggested that, if he would consent to build a similar station in the South Island, it would deal in future with him. and with Mr. Harris. A’ company was formed within 30 days of the signing of this agreement with the

Government, and one of its first steps was to enter into negotiations for the purchase of the small stations that were then in existence in several cities. Little trouble was experi-

enced in Christ‘church and Dunedin, but Auckland and Wellington t+endere held ont for

the fullest possible prices. The Auckland and Christchurch stations were eventually put on the air and a new era of broadcasting in New Zealand had begun. The company was also operating more or less obsolete plants in Wellington and Dunedin, and giving the public as good a service as the apparatus would permit. However, as soon as the Auckland station was opened, and before Christchurch was on the air, arrangements were set in train for the building of a big station in Wellington. Under its agreement the Broadcasting Company was required to build a station of not less than a half-kilowatt, but it decided on the erection of a station with 10 times that power. And so, in 1927, 2YA came into existencethe largest and most powerful station in the Southern Hemisphere-and costing many thousands of pounds. When the Radio Broadcasting Company was formed a five-year contract with the Government was entered upon. By December, 1931, the company had reached the end of its charter. "The Broadcasting Company has now reached the end of the charter granted it by the Government, and it has pleasure in

handing on the. torch which was entrusted to it. more than six years: ago," said Mr. John Ball ina broadcast, which he gave ‘from 2YA on behalf of' the company’s directors, on New Year’s Eve, 1931. "That the torch burns brightly is shown by the number of licensed radio listeners now compared with six years ago.. There are 70,000 now; there were about 300 then. ° Broadcasting was very new in 1925,’and the company had.no beaten track to follow, not even a blazed trail, but it has done its best to carry on the trust reposed in it." The personnel of the new Broadcasting Board was announced in the second week in December, 1931, by the Postmaster-General (Hon. Adam Hamilton). The members were Mr. H. D. Vickery (chairman) ; Mr. L. R. C. Macfarlane, Mr. G. R. Hutchinson and Mr. E. C. Hands (general manager). Three tajor problems

faceaqd =the poard when it took office. The first was the question of expanding the service. A regular "silent night" was observed by the principal ¢tations. ‘This was abolished. The hours have gradually extended until. to-day the YA . stations’ hours of: transmission have increased 117 per. cent. since the. beginning of 1932. There is a broadcast programme available for practically every listener in New Zealand from seven

in the morning till 11 at night. _ The second problem concerned the programmes The Broadcasting Board had a certain in-come-it could not exceed this income and yet it was pledged, to some extent, to improve the quality of the broadcasts. Negotiations were entered into with Eneland, whereby the Board was able to considerably, increase’ its stocks of recordings, and these are. now constantly being added to. Sport was made to play a bigger part in the service, and to-day no sporting event of any importance takes place without a microphone featured somewhere in the foreground. Within the last few months the board has advanced its schemes a step farther and New Zealand listeners are assured of a fairly constant stream of international artists on the . ait, Senia Chostiakoff, the Russian tenor, and Madame Elsa Stralia, the opera star, have just concluded seasons, while arrangements have been made tor the early appearance of Madame Goossens-V iceroy and Raymond Beatty,-the bass-baritone. Early in the New Year Lionello, Cecil, the world-famous tenor, will sing from the YA stations. Patents, copyrights and the restrictions upon the use of gramophone records constituted the third of the board’s problems. The position of patent rights has been clarified within the past 12 months and a more or less amicable agreement has been reached with the gramophone companies. Copyright is still, and always will be, a major problem, but the Broadcasting Board has come to terms with the holders of various copyrights and listeners have, in consequence, been given broadcasts of Gilbert and Sullivan, grand opera, and B.B.C. special programmes,

To-day the sérvice’ is. pushing ‘on iito new fields. Christchurch has already been equipped with a new station, and the power there ‘is to be further increased shortly. Seventy-six thousand potthds is being spent in Auckland and, when the new station is opened next month, 1YA will be the most powerful station in Australia or New Zealand. The transmitter has-been placed at Henderson and the studios are in Shoriland Street, just a minute’s walk from Queen Street. A site has been chosen on the Otago Peninsula for the new 4YA transmitter, and, when this is built, it will be of the same power as Auckland-10 kilowatts. Wellington will be the next station to receive attention, although by this time next year listeners in the capital will be in the happy position of having a choice of five stations at any hour of the day--the four YA stations and 2VC

In the matter of licenses} ~ .to0,-* ‘the Broadcasting : "Boar dd... can congratulate it! self.. When it took office less than three years -ago . there were 70,000 licensed listeners in the Dominion. On another page in to-day’s issue’ are given the latest figures-144,~ 558 licenses in force on the last day of September-an © increase of more than 100 per. cent. in less than three years. About 12 months ago the Broadcast- ’ ing Board _ effected a.

. ChaAlses il tie Wavelengths of the national transmitters, and there was considerable interest among listeners and some criticism. These changes were the outcome of conferences between the board’s engineers, the Post and Telegraph Department, and the Australian authorities, and were made for the purpose of securing the best condition of reception for a majority of listeners in this country. The full beneficial effect of the changes will not be apparent until the completion of the board’s coverage programme, but already in many areas there is definite evidence of improved coverage. In determining the best frequencies to be used in New Zealand, due heed had to be given to the programme of new stations contemplated by the Commonwealth authorities, who cooperated fully in making the best use of the wavelengths available. It is true.that some listeners are now, unable to receive certain distant stations, but every technical advance in broadcasting, whatever its nature, will 4 adversely affect some listeners. During the past year all the main stations, too, have been equipped with modern microphones of the velocity or ribbon type, and the result has been a marked improvement in musical reproduction. The New Zealand Broadcasting Board took over the national service at a time when the novelty of broadcasting was wearing a little thin, and the public was growing critical. It is a concern whose every move is "fair game" for every critic in the country, and it has not entirely escaped criticism during the past year or two, but, like the British Broadcasting Corporation, it is pursuing a sound and vigorous: policy and giving the New Zealand listener a service that is equaland more than equal-to that of any .other British colony.