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Recorded Programmes The best programme material available from the London Transcription Service of the 8.8.C. was heard by New Zealand listeners during the year. Again there was an increase in all types of such programmes —music, plays, variety, talks, children's programmes, and documentaries. The maximum use of these 8.8.C. programmes-is made as soon after their arrival as possible. Eight National stations receive regular weekly supplies of programmes of various types, and special programmes are made available to them as they desire. The Commercial stations also use a number of 8.8.C. features as sustaining programmes. A steady supply of feature programmes was received from Australian producers. Towards the end of the year there was a noticeable decline in the number of highly sensational features offered to the Service, and an equally noticeable increase in literary adaptations and factual programmes. In all, eighty features under the following headings were purchased during the year : Serious .musical .. .. 5 features comprising 118 episodes. Light musical .. .. .. 4 „ 117 „ Variety musical .. .. 3 „ 129 „ Dramatic musical .. 2 „ 65 „ Self-contained programmes .. 17 „ 835 „ Dramatic serials .. .... 26 ~ 2,720 „ Novel adaptations .. 11 „ 332 „ Hour plays .. .. 2 „ 49 „ Half-hour plays .. .. .. 3 ~ 91 „ Historical .. . ■ .. 2 „ 104 „ Children's .. .. .. 4 ~ 99 „ Hymn library .. .. .. 1 „ 52 „ 80 features 4,711 episodes. Special orders for approximately 60,000 records have been placed with the English record companies to provide libraries for new stations which are being opened. During the year large quantities of records in fulfilment of these orders arrived in New Zealand. SHORT-WAVE DIVISION Radio New Zealand, the Short-wave Division of the Service, began regular transmissions on Dominion Day, 27th September, 1948. The programmes are on the air daily from 7 to 9 p.m., New Zealand standard time. Although intended to serve listeners in Australia and the Pacific Islands (and more particularly the New Zealand Dependencies and Trust Territory in the Pacific), the two 7-5 kW. transmitters operating in the 19 and 25 metre bands have reached much further afield. Reception reports have been received from Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, French Indo-China, Germany, Greece, Holland, India, Iraq, Japan, Indonesia, Norway, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, South America, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.S.A., and the United Kingdom. The programmes of Radio New Zealand were planned to give three-quarters of the time on the air to musical sessions, and the remaining quarter to talks, news, and other spoken matter. Overseas listeners have appreciated this programme balance. Talks are divided into four series—" Background to New Zealand,' dealing with a wide field of background information ; " Through New Zealand," commenting on the countryside, the coast-line, outlying islands, and the country people ; " Farm Topics " ; and " Sporting Commentary." " New Zealand —Pacific Playground " is a dramatized feature containing travel information for intending visitors to New Zealand. The

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