GRAIN—AND SOME CHAFF

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 36, 15 March 1935, Page 5

GRAIN—AND SOME CHAFF

"THE Broadcasting Amendment Bill has set many tongues wagging, both in the House of Representatives and out of. it, and it is becoming increasingly difficult, as the bill progresses through the House, to sift the grain from the chaff in the statements that are being made by members. The B station problem is a big one, and one that is being made the pivot in the present discussion, but listeners would do well to bear in mind that there is a Parliamentary election this year and some members may be talking more to their constituencies than to the point. Despite the criticism and condemnation of the New Zealand: radio programmes by many members, one cannot forget that their interest in broadcasting is a transitory one, whereas the New Zealand Broadcasting Board has the permanent welfare of listeners at heart and is not going to fall short in the duty with which it is entrusted-of giving listeners the widest possible service in the best possible manner. Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., said that he "believed that, in a recent poll, 95 per cent. of the listeners plumped for B stations." Actual figures conclusively disprove Mr. Wright's figures, and it would seem that, in their enthusiasm for a cause, members are sometimes apt to make loose statements. The. question put to listeners was: ‘""To which New Zealand station do you listen most frequently?"’ The result showed that 89.29 per cent. of listeners chose the YA stations, with 10.71 in favour of the B stations. And this was at a time when the popular 2ZW, Wellington, and 1ZR, Auckland, were in operation. Several members, too, would lead the House to believe that listeners would rather hear local artists than recordings. The questionnaire referred to above asked, ‘"‘Do you prefer entertainment povided by (a) local "artists, or (b) recordings?" More than three-quarters of the votes cast were in favour of recordings. That the new 2YA station, with a power of 60 kilowatts, would blot out reception from other New Zealand station was ‘a statement made by Mr. E, J. Howard, M.P., in the House. In this case it seems:a pity that Mr. Howard's technical knowledge does not march with his desire to protect listeners’ interests, The plain facts are that many listeners in Wellington will get vastly improved reception, especially those living in the neighbourhood of Mount Victoria and Hatai-tai-places adjacent to the present 2YA transmitter, But the greatest advantage of the new transmitter will be noticeable in those places remote from Wellington. inasmuch as the signals will be strongér and, in many cases, interfering noises will be overcome. Those persons with the slightest knowledge of the technical side of broadcasting will realise that the Board's engineers are sufficiently skilled to be able to confine the station to its own wavelength and prevent spreading. B stations have given and are still giving a definite service in many areas. The Coverage Commission fully recognised their utility and the Broadcasting Board has, in numerous instances, lent these stations valuable assistance. It is, in fact, subsidising " eight of them. There is no reason to doubt that the services of B stations will be used in the future in those parts where the Board finds it advantageous to fill in broadcasting gaps and supplement the national system,