WHAT IT COSTS

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 274, 20 December 1929, Page 4

WHAT IT COSTS

THE YALUE OF L1STENING. INTEREST! NG FTGLRES FOR BOMINION.

"Radio programmes for a penny a day" is a statement . that has been tised olter) in New Zealand, and for divers ends. It , was ,,at oue time, a clinching argument by the Broadcasting Compdny in dcfence of the quality of "its programmes, But tliis "penny a day," meroly an approximation of the license fee, is far removed froin being the actual cost of the radio entertainment enjoyed by a listener. . A southern writer has devoted some space and time to analysing the average eost of listening, and his conclusions are worth quoting, Dealing with the crystnl set, otbcr than the homemade variety, lie assert's that a fair estimate of cost would be, for the first year : G) Crystal set, £1; (2) antenna, etc., £2; (3) ainiual fee, £l 10s. Tbereafter. of cours'e, the penny a day rate would almost .liold good. In.' discussing electric sets, he sugges'ts thfe following annual charges: Po.wer sup.ply, £1 os ; renewals and. replacements, £3; license fee, £1 10s; total, £o' 15s. (Without allowancp for depreciation). A gentleman who operntes a fivevalve battery set supplies these figures as his annual cost: 12 charges of A battery at 2s 6d, £1 10s; 2 sets B battery, £4. tube replacements and repairs. £1 10s; license fee, £1 10s; total, £S 10s. Aiiniial depreciation in the value of a set is exccedingly hard to estimate, but it should be inflnitely less with the most recenf models than it has been with tlie liigli-pficed "battery sets of two or three years ago, whicli to-day are almost a drug in the market. Personally "Phonos" is of the ' opinionthat an average "all in" eost of runing an electric set should he about £7 per annum. This is certainly more than a penny per day, but no one will dcny that it is wonderfull.v cherip and varied entertainment for the money. SUAD1ARY OF CONDITIONS. This southern writer tlien proceeds to enumerate c-hief points dbout the attractiveness of listening in New Zealand to-day. He argues that: (1) Tlie broadcasting service is not'perfect, but it lias been very much improved. There is one high-powered station in eaeh of the four main eities, and tbere are a number of privately-owned smallpower stations .scattered througholit the Dominion. Eacli of the A class stations provides musical entertaiumont, news service;- rural education; service, children Js liours. dance music sessions, and cliurch service broadcasts regularly, and for an adequate' lengtli of time daily. The evening musit-al sessions are varied in character, and while some want more good music, others complain that tliere is too much "liigh-brow" stuff, and too little — well, sliall we say '"low-brow" ■stuff? In any case, tlie arrangenients made between the four main stations ensure that on most oceasions one 'raay get wlnit he want's from somewhere. Rebroadcasts and relays of good con--eerts liave latterly been excellent. Ido not think that a charge of poor service otui be maintained to-day. (2) The tonal reproduction of sets a few vears ago was atrocious and an ofTence to the ear. That criticism most certainly does not apply to the modern set and the modern loud-speaker. The best reproducer to-day is of the elec-tric-dynamic type, and it is very nearlv perfect. Those who are donbtful sliould ask a reliable dealer for a demonstration. (3) Interferenee has been very much. rcduced. "Static" is still a bugbear, but on tbe worst nights it does not seriously ititerfere witli reception wiHi-^ in 100 niiles or so of tlie broadrasting' *sta,tion. Modern sets.' do not - "howT." Power-line ititerferences, when it qc--cnrs,' eTi'n be loeated ancl ciirecl. ' (4) Tlie modern set is more simply opernted tlian a granlopbone. N> e^pert knowledge is needed and' eonbinuons serviee for a long period can . be guaranteed.