A programme about the early history of 1YA Auckland, with comments from former staff. (The date of the programme is given as 1951, although 1YA began broadcasting in 1923 - more than 25 years prior.)
(Unidentified 1920s jazz instrumental)
Ernest Blair narrates the early history of Auckland radio, starting in 1922 with the Johns Brother's radio shop in Queen Street, where amateur enthusiasts would gather on Friday night.
Radio Limited set up a shop in the Strand Arcade and began broadcasting on a 5 watt transmitter. They were bought out in 1922 by the Auckland Radio Service Company who installed a transmitter in Scots Hall in Symonds Street. Station 1YA opened there on 13th April 1923. The New Zealand Herald newspaper referred to it as "The modern miracle of putting music in the air and transmitting it to listeners through out the province."
An account of Reverend Jasper Calder's opening broadcast, "This Modern Miracle" is read.
John Gordon talks about early broadcasts at Scots Hall and the informal nature of radio at that period. Alan McIlwaine talks about making early recitations, using a gramophone horn microphone. When the generator overheated, broadcasters would stop for a cup of tea. He recalls presenting "Uncle Josh" stories which were by Cal Stewart on Edison records. (He reenacts one of the stories about Uncle Josh buying an automobile.)
The role of William Goodfellow is explained. He was the pioneer behind the Radio Broadcasting Company, which was officially incorporated in August 1925. At this time there was only 3,000 licensed listeners, partly due to the bureaucracy involved in obtaining a licence.
By the time the company handed over control (to the government) in December 1931 there were 66,000 licensed listeners. Radio had an an uncertain future in those early days of 1925-6 as it was difficult to predict its popularity.
When the RBC took over 1YA the station was moved to France Street. One of the early programme organisers, Dudley Wrathall gives a detailed description of the layout of 1YA's premises and general studio set-up in France Street, where he began working on 4th March 1927.
The narrator Ernest Blair contrasts the old premises with the current, purpose-built studios (in Shortland Street.)
Dudley Wrathall continues describing the type of programmes broadcast by 1YA in 1927: Mondays were silent, but otherwise broadcasts began daily at 3pm, with gramophone records, the children's session, dinner music and long silent pauses called"tacits" in evening. From 8pm would begin the evening concert programme. He recalls the problems this caused as there was only a limited time allowed and as the organiser he had to find enough talent to fill nine hours of radio a week, with only a budget of three guineas.
He would approach music teachers and invite them and their top pupils to perform. They also ran relay lines to several of the picture theatres in the city and would broadcast their nightly overture and incidental music as required.
He lists many people associated with 1YA in the early days: announcers Craig-o, Martin Cock, Jack Prentice, Culford Bell; station managers Sid Hayden, Trevor Stringer and Len Barnes; and others he recalls: J.F. Montague, Carl Atkinson, Mrs Mary Towsey and Cyril Towsey, Cyril Plummer, Freddie McCallum, Barry Coney and T.T. Garland and Daisy Basham, - later known as "Uncle Tom' and "Aunt Daisy".
In those early days, the station accompanist was one of the most important staff members. Former 1YA accompanist Eric Waters describes a typical studio audition, which were held on Sunday mornings in France Street, with a large crowd of hopeful performers from solo musicians to singers - of varying talent. He says a 'highlight' was a performance by a man and small boy on euphonium and cornet, which he describes as 'interminable'.
Singer Patricia McLeod tells of her first performance on the air, accompanied Eric Bell on piano. She says it was a very sociable atmosphere, with performers spending most of the evening at the station.
Eric Waters, former 1YA accompanist, talks about the instructions for musical performers going on air. He recalls an American singer who turned up to sing without any sheet music.
"Lee Fore Brace" (Forbes Eadie) describes early microphone technique. He used to broadcast stories about his experiences at sea, and recalls the trauma of a microphone which slowly collapsed during one broadcast.
As radio was mostly live (apart from gramophone records) this meant plays were performed live on air. Alan McSkimming recalls how this was done - there was no one to instruct actors on this new medium - they just learnt as they went along, and initially there were no plays written specifically for radio. Sound effects had to be created live - once when a revolver failed to fire, a "victim" had to be stabbed instead.
The unidentified narrator mentions several other people associated with early 1YA who have not yet been mentioned: Zoe Bartley-Baxter, George DeClive-Lowe, Leo O'Malley, J.M. Clark. Broadcasting has moved in 25 years from a pastime for enthusiasts to a profession and a business.
Credits: Written by Shirley McNab and produced in Auckland Studios of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service.