Competition in the Empire Service

Radio Record, Volume IX, Issue 14, 11 October 1935, Page 9

Competition in the Empire Service

Germany Should. Improve B.B.C.-Big New Buildings-Fogg’s Commendable © Fantasy — Signal from "Beau Belles."

(Special. to the "Radio Record" by 1 Air Mail.)

London, September 15. HILE I svas in Berlin a moderatesized private house near the Rundfunhaus. (Broadcasting House) was pointed out to me as the offices of the shortwave service. I was also informed that this was to be demolished to make room for a considerable extension- of the: Rundfunkhaus. Presumably. this indicates as much an expansion of the German "Empire" service as of the home. service, for two new transmitters are being built at Zeesen and two others are to follow. From an international point of view: it may be a pity that this race in the ether is taking place, but from the point of view of Empire listeners I am not quite so sure. After all, anything that induces the B.B.C. to put over better programmes and inerease the power and frequency of transmissions ‘has its beneficial aspects. HDAR that extensive new buildings are to be erected on the Empire station site at Daventry to accommodate the new transmitters. Plans "have been approved and their scale shows that there are to be no halfmeasures in the development of the Service. LONDON’sS music critics were pieased with a work of Mr. Eric Fogg, the Empire music director, which provided one of the first novelties at the promenade concerts this season. It was called "September Night," o fantasy overture. One critic praised its craftsmanship, and its "restraint in an age of bombast." One of Mr. Fogg’s chief missions at the B.B.C. is the encourgement of Empire composers, in pur/suance Of which he is in touch with numerous musical organisations throughout the Empire. Through his efforts many works have received their first performance in Broadcssting House, and he is a disappointed man if he does not keep up the quota of overseas compositions. All this is apart from his work as director of the Hmpire Orchestra formed last autumn and lately increased to 24 members, A TEMPORARY announcer raised a laugh at Broadcasting House the other night by entering the intervat sig‘nal in the log-book as "Beau Belies." He is Mr. Christopher Hippsley, really \ a film actor under the name of Christopher Quest. There was less excuse than there might have been because the _B.B.C. haye just decided to have no more of the "Step Sisters" or "Dancing Daughters," as they called the’ troupes of: dancing: girls which ‘they: had for

two successive seasons’ to: pep up studio shows. Listeners have much criticised this idea.. .Some .of them found. it most annoying to hear the tap dancing but to see nothing. So until We have television, high kicking by scantily-clad ladies willbe banned. But to return to Mr. Hippsley. He ‘was'a very good announcer, and I think the would be glad to keep him if they could make him deaf to the all of that new Klondyke, the British ‘film industry. | "THE B.B.C. announces that Mr! J. B. Clark, who has been Empire: programme director since the inception of

the Empire Broadcasting Service’ in 1932, has been appointed Empire service director. .The name of Mr, Clark’s successor to the position of Hmpire programme,director will be auncunced shortly. These new appointments are consequent upon various changes in the internal organisation of :the B.B.C., which were recently described in our Empire broadcasting newsletter. Mr. Clark, in his capacity as Empire service director, will be responsible to the new controller of programmes, Mr. ©. G. Graves, who will shortly, succeed Colonel Alan‘Dawnay. Mr. Graves has been the director of Hmpire and foreign Services of the B.B.C. since 1932.