Danger Of B.B.C. White Elephant

Radio Record, 3 July 1936, Page 9

Danger Of B.B.C. White Elephant

Present Television Plans May Prove An Expensive Muddle — Woman Head of Empire Talks Department. London, June 10. [ AM a super-enthusiast for television, but I wonder whether the B.B.C. is not making the mistake of planning too ambitious: programmes before they have achieved . perfection in the method of transmission. For instance, at the Alexandra Palace two huge double doors have been constructed with a concrete runway leading up to them. . The idea? Well, new cars and aeroplanes are to ‘be run inside to be televised. Now, with apparatus costing £70 at a minimum, it is obvious that only a few thousand televiewers will exist ‘in the first year. After that an improved system may be developed, or, at least, may be on the way and the B.B.C. will already have to begin thinking of serapping its expensive apparatus and substituting something fresh. The B.B.C. is in danger of making a muddle of television. If this station is experimental, let it be so. Do not bring into existence an enormous white elephant which will be proportionately difficult to get vid of when something better comes along. EMPIRIE listeners will regret to hear that Cecil Madden, the bright boy of the Empire Department, who has been responsible for many of the most original programmes heard on the shortwaves. is leaving their service to be a pioneer with television. His enterprise and fund of ideas have won him a place in the television team for the Alexandra Palace, where he will be one of the producers. But the loss to the Empire service of Cecil Madden, of "Hmpire Magazine" and "Mail Bag" fame, is compensated by the arrival of Miss Margery Wace, of the Home Talks Department. Miss Wace for several years has been arranging the morning talks for women. Now she has been promoted to take charge of all Empire talks and brings a lively imagination and agile mind to the job. She it was who proposed the B.B.C.’s first "Women’s Parliament" to discover the views of women listeners. WHO heard the morning chorus of British birds broadcast on shortwaves from the grounds of the.

Surrey house of Cyril Nash? The b:B.C. having broadéast the nightingale..for ten years until -listeners are almost sick of the sound of it, have now gone nap on’ the idéa of .giving viher British birds a chance. There is tu be another bird broudcast to the Knypire shortly? Engineers will be taking, their microphones. and equipment to, a house’ in ‘Romsey, Hampshire, belonging to a fishing enthusiast, There in the grounds they will place live microphones to pick up bird songs. One by. the river will lie silently in wait for the moorhen, water-wag tail, sedge warbler and chiff-chaff. Commentator Hunt. T the moment the B.B.C. is con- _ ducting, a vigorous. hunt- for commentators, not so much for cricket as for all kinds of broadcasts outside the studio. The number of outside broadcasts this summer. has jncreased by 50’ per cent., and Mr, 8. J. de Lotbiniere, the Outside Broadcasts Director, is at his wit’s end ‘ to 'find men (or wonien) with the gift .o£ spontaneous description. Théy have a-‘distinct discovery in Commander Woodrooffe, who made a great success vf the broadcast on the Queen .Mary’s departure. But the star remaing Bob

Bowman, the young Canadian discovered by the Empire, service.’ He seems ‘to. "pour out his heart in unpremeditatart." "He ig racy, rapid, humorous, rand never seems to pause -for breath. ‘Sd many of our English-born commen‘tators are, alas, slow and pompous: New Ideas. [ HEAR that the B.B.C. Military Band is in future to give'a regular series of broadcasts to..the Empire. There is a demand overseas for this type of programme. . The Empire services . borrowed from the home programme the "Maga-~ zine" idea. Now there is another golden opportunity of which advantage — will certainly be taken shortly. "Mr. H. L. Fletcher, who is in chargé of recorded programmes and recording at Broadcasting House, has developed from his discs a feature called "Radio Gazette," which he calls a radio newsreel. It strongly resembles a sound version of a film newsreel, ‘but is "only semi-topical.