BALANCED PROGRAMMES

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 19, 23 November 1934, Page 5

BALANCED PROGRAMMES

Tis not generally known how much care goes into the purely mechanical task of balancing wireless programmes, There are so many sections of the public, each of which wants something different, and has the right to be satisfied each night, that it would be futile to take anything like a broad basis of distinction. It would not do, for example, to relay only news on Monday, only chamber music on Tuesday, gramophone records on Wednesday, wireless plays on Thursday, Jazz on Friday and a children’s session on Saturday, reserving Sunday for devotional exercises. It is all very well to feature one aspect each night, just as the newspaper often does, but it must not be to the exclusion of ‘the rights of listeners whose tastes lie in other directions. For that reason a schematic programme plan for New Zealand National Stations is prepared every year by the Broadcasting Board. It is the result of a good deal of thought, and the ingredients are adjusted as nicely as those which go to make up a doctor's prescription. Criticism of the balance is frequent, and is welcomed as an indication of the trend of popular taste-although frequently individual criticisms cancel out. When, in the early stages of broadcasting, criticism was infrequent and the public attitude was simply one of wonder at the technical side of wireless, the Board deliberately invited comment, and sent questionnaires to listeners. Happily that is no longer necessary; letters of condemnation and letters of appreciation are received by every mail, and there is no need to call for either. But the programmes are what the public demands.’ An individual can size up his taste as a listener. against that of the average New Zealander simply by listening to the week’s programmes.and deciding how far he would alter the balance to make it accord with his own ideas. Now that New Zealand is equipped with stations which have been constructed to last some years, the Board is looking forward to being able to release funds accruing in the future in order to better the quality of the programmes. It remains to’ be seen how far this alteration in quality will affect the proportions of each ingredient demanded by the public.