Evening star., 1933-12-03

r ONDON, December EVERY min
ute of the day in England is a
radio fans minute. The song,
IL the music, the lecture, the dance
tune. the ymphony-harmony of
the connoisseur or medley of the
mediocre-it is on the air all the time.
One can watch the programs pub
lished in detail in every daily newspaper,
turn the knobs and rejoice in the in
finite variety of radio. Listening can
be a pleasure, an education, an art, just
as you choose to make it.
Never does the urge come to turn
knobs to fade out the Sophistry of COM
mercialiZed gags extolling the virtues of
things you don't want or cannot afford
You turn the knobs because there is
something coming from another station
that has greater appeal. The programs
are your enlightenment.
Something for Every One"
The British Broadcasting Corporation
holds the view. and very rigidly inter
prets it, that there is no such thing as
a mean listener; that the public falls
into many different groups, each con-
sisting at any given moment of persons
of like taste and mood. Therefore, it
says, the days program should contain
something for every one, and in the
scheme OF a week or longer each genre
should be represented proportionately to
its intrinsic Importance and the strength
Of its following"
Compiled on this basis. therefore.
British radio programs are go per cent
music and 40 per cent talks, And in
each element of music, as in each sub
Jeet OF talk, clear line of demarcation
IS drawn to register a true balance in
catering for the tastes of diverse inter-
estS.
Guiding principles which are adhered
to are three in number: The different
kinds of audiences must be satisfied
the music must be in each kind the
best, the standard of performance must
always be of the highest possible.
When an organization seeks to COM
illand the services Of the finest talent
a nation can produce. and demands of
it the highest standards of performance.
It has to do something in the way of
building and creating. The B. B. e..
came up against this problem and as a
consequence of its reactions there is in
ministration the B. B. c. Symphony
Orchestra, which, comprising ia play
ers under the conductorShip of Adrian
Boult. is subdivisable into various COM
binations which can be used for studio
broadcasts-
230 Voices in Chorus.
There is also the Theater Orchestra,
conducted by Stanford Robinson and
consisting of "a players, and the Wire
less Military Band. conducted by Wal
ton ODonnell and comprising SO per-
formers. The B. B. c. chorus of $50
voices, the strongest in the country, Is
conducted by Ernest Wood, and operates
in unison with a panel OF professional
singers known as the Wireless Singers.
The full chorus is conducted by Cyril
Dalmaine and the Wireless Singers by
Stanford Robinson.
1T each Of the regional stations there
are orchestral combinations at the COM
r1and of the B. B. C. which Is. as con-
sequence, the greatest organization OF
musical talent in the United Kingdom.
All these separate musical Combina-
tons contribute to the broadcast pro-
grams as and when their services are
required, and during the Winter the
full symphony orchestra plays every
Wednesday at Queens Hall, from where
the performance is relayed The full
chorus occasionally takes part also In
these broadcastS.
The B. B. c. Dance Orchestra, con-
Quoted by Henry Hall, is on the air
every day. Chamber music is another
important feature At appropriate times
other dance bands are broadcast These
take in the whole string OF prominent
London and provincial hotel, restaurant,
movie and theater bands, including
those from such places as the Savoy,
the Piccadilly, the Mayfair and the
Dorchester hotels and the Com
manders" from the Royal Opera House,
which is used as a dance hall in Winter.
Plays Are Increasing.
The dramatic side of br0adCaStlng IS
steadily increasing in popularity. Plays
are constantly being broadcast. Some
are especially written for the micro
phone Others are adapted from stage
plays or novels. Their performances
extend from one to one and half
hours duration and are wonderfully
interpretative in character as result
of a combination of masterful technique
and development of the control panel
system which SynchroniZes all studios
for transmission purpose.
Vaudeville is a regular program fea-
ture. As in America there are out
standing favorite artists. The difficulty
of the B. B. C. here apparently IS
obtaining new talent. Over 1000
additions year are given to budding
artists, but the efforts of not more than
8 ! per cenI TeaCil Llle PuO4C. oeNiuy
of new talent renders difficult the task
of the organizers to enrich variety, but
for all that the vaudeville perform
ances are of high grade.
Since the advent of the radio. the
Kings voice has become known to all
his subjects. Similarly the Prince of
Wales, the Duke of York and Prince
/. George are heard speaking on the Wire
! less from time to time. So, too, are
i the prime minister and other ministers
! OF cabinet rank,
p World Events Related.
Running commentaries which were
first started in 1927 are an integral