IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S ...BROADCASTS...

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 34, 3 February 1939, Page 9

IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S ...BROADCASTS...

BOOT TAKES A LAP ON THE AIR

noted long-distance runner, Boot, left last week by the Awatea to take part in Australian athletic championships, smart little Rp EFORE New Zealand’s

station 2Y DvD had him in to give an interview on his re-

cent Paces against Backhouse and his methods of training. Boot covered his lap on the air in good style, without breaking any records. He runs better than he talks, which is, after all, a pleasant variation from many athletes one has known.

NEW SERIAL WAS CHARMING

Some adults, as well as uncountable juveniles "went down the Pixie Path" at 5.40 p.m. the other Wednesday, and on first acquaintance the new serial for the NBS

children’s hour proved rather delightful. The national hook-up of the national

stations made the premiere of Episode One something of an occasion. The only fly in the ointment came at the outset, but things improved almost immediately after. At the opening the narrator encountered a short poem which was not very well delivered considering her subsequent good work with the rest of the "story." How is it that as soon as a bit of verse crops up, artificiality comes in at the door and naturalness flies out of the window? For the rest, the narrator was excellent, and her song, "Obadiah Oswald," was nicely sung. The other sungs by a familiar male voice were song with just the requiSite sincerity and with almost George Baker-like excellence in enunciation. As for the. lyrics, they were quite in the Milne manner, and the musical settings were not a whit less whimsical, and witty, while melodically they were in the picture. What with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Michael and Pixie, young New Zealand hasn’t much to cavil at at the moment. Wednesdays, at 5.40 p.m., for some weeks to come, should make the nationals a popular juvenile rendezvous.

"VOCE POP" WAS ON RELAY

Cc Heard the other afternoon the first of a new series of broadcasts from 2ZB, known as "Voices of Wellington." It was a "vox pop" relay from the lounge of a city

department store and was conducted by H. Gladstone Hill, who has lately

joined the staff of 2ZB. The session was amusing and interesting enough, being started off by Mr. Hill amiably discussing the pros and cons of whether a husband should hand over all his salary to his wife. The microphone was then taken to a succession of people in the lounge for them to give their opinion on the subject. Most of them played up well, one gentleman, whom I strongly suspect is an unmitigated liar, even announcing blandly that he handed over the whole of his salary every week. Next question, whether or not the movies are beneficial to young children, resolved itself into a debate between an incisive female who said her children never went to the movies ‘and everybody said what a credit they were to her, and a plausible male who said that the film "You Can’t Take It With You" had in‘duced an American manufacturer to give away his entire fortune. One could not help wondering what the heck. At any rate, it was ‘all light and amusing. ,

THEY OUGHT TO BE GOOD, TOO

Practised journalists-and right here the blush of modesty mantles our cheeks-should be ideal speakers on the air, granted a good delivery. It is their trade to inform

and entertain. Mr. S. V. MeEwen, editor of the "Record’s" sports page and "Sporting Life,’

did both of these in a very happy manner in his talk from 2YA last week on "What Thoroughbreds Mean to New Zealand." With an eye alive for topicality in his talk, he brought in the Trentham races, Phar Lap’s skeleton, the yearling sales-all matters much in the public’s mi.d that week-and this dressed up a great body of information in quite the latest fashions. I liked his beautiful scorn, hidden, yet sometimes glimpsed, for the man whose idea of a horse is only a profit-earning machine on four legs; was cheered, too, by his assurance that the great sport was much cleaner in New Zealand today than many people supposed.

AUCKLAND BAND’S BROADCAST

I heard with great interest the other night a performance by the Auckland "Artillery Band over 1YA of "Menin Gate" (dedicated to the Unknown Soldier) and composed

not so i0ng ago by Percy Nicholls, of Christchurch. This eco mposition rains much of

its effect from the bass work, which is solemn and dignified in style. The cornets were not quite as

happy as they might have been in bringing out the full beauty of the melody, but the whole was well welded into a very fair representation of the composer’s meaning, the bass being admirable. ‘"Menin Gate" was played some little time ago by the Woolston Band, which appeared to have a better grasp on the general theme. Mr, Nicholls, by the way, is now busy composing an Ave Maria, of which I had the pleasure of hearing a skeleton rendering the other night. It will be completed shortly.

THE VOICE OF INDUSTRY

The other day there was a mishap in a mine on the West Coast of the South Island, and @ heavy piece of machinery had to be sent to Christchurch for welding. While

the job was being done, 200 men were standing idle, At the last minute

someone thought this huge job might make a radio relay of interest. The idea was a good one, and so came about Station 3ZB’s first of the series "The Voice of Industry." Jack Bremner handled this difficult job brilliantly. He picked,

up the essentials of the whole story, from the difficulties in getting the machinery out of the mine and hauling it to Christchurch, to the actual scene in the oxy-acety-lene welding room. Here men worked continuously in shifts, The steel was red hot. The operatives wore masks, and their clothes were frequently sprayed with water, so terrific was the heat. At one time Bremner thought his own clothes were on fire. He saw @ flame cut through three-inch tempered steel like a knife through paper, and told listeners all about it. He told the "Record" later that he had no idea such an undertaking could be accomplished in Christchurch. It was something to be proud of, he said. And so, by the way, was Bremner’s relay.

iT WAS HARD TO FOLLOW

Of the three talks rebroadcast from Australia by Mr. H. G. Wells, the famous writer, the third was undoubtedly the best. But I failed to follow one of his arguments.

tie deciared that young men hanging about street corners were the cause of wars. They had too

much time on their hands and became discontented. Leisure of youth must be taken up with something useful. But the popular view is that wars are caused generally by greed among the "big shots," and that the street-corner people are merely the pawns.

TALES OF FISHERMAN

One of the brightest of 4ZB’s "In Town Tonight" sessions was given recently, when Leo Fowler was one of the three who spoke. 3 could have listened to much more

of his experlenees as a Schnapper fisherman at Kaipara Heads, He told of the long

lines used, containing 300 to 400 hooks, the baiting of which was "a day’s work for one man." Out at sea 500 yards of line explore the schnapper beds. Day’s catch a mere 50 dozen, weighing round about 30lb. each. Occasionally sharks are caught. One had struggled so much on the hook which caught him that when he was hauled in and the line restored to something like normal, he was found to have between 200 and 300 hooks in him. Another fisherman’s story (guaranteed true), concerned sea lice, which were present in such numbers that they could remove from the bones of a fish every scrap of flesh in less than an hour. Not bad going with a 30lb. schnapper! Entertaining, instructive, amusing, I should say this would be one of the most popular of all the "In Town Tonight" talks. It was with me.

ELEPHANT WAS ON THE AIR

Listened to an absorbing relay by 4ZB when a circus hit Dunedin. The circus’ was unloaded at the railway yards in the heart of the city, and 428 was right on the

job. To Bernie McConnell tell the lot of describing the unusual cvent, and I thought he

made a good fist of it. Matter of fact, this announcer has improved out of sight lately, and is developing a keen sense of listening value when on a relay. Bernie’s. voice was occasionally lost in the excited clamour of the hundreds of youngsters who crowded round to catch a glimpse of the various animals, but whether or not he deliberately turned the "mike" in the direction of the medley of sounds picked up I do not know; I do know that over the air was conveyed a real circuslike atmosphere, even to the trumpeting of an elephant, which, if staged, was well done. This was one of the best outside relays cond has done for a long. time... , ca