our rather modest and colourless title-not only by pianists, but by other instrumentalists and singers. In the field of recorded music, the year is noteworthy in that the long-playing microgroove record was introduced. The musical quality and the technical excellence of these new discs brought contentment to programme planners and technicians alike. Their great advantage, of course, is that breaks in the middle of movements are eliminated.
The replenishment of the record library is one of the constant worries of the staff. During the year a new system of ordering discs was instituted, that of indenting from England. To date, the only additions have been a few long-playing records, some of which were sent urgently by air. We await with keen interest an order for 600 records which was placed during the latter half of the year.
THE BBC TRANSCRIPTION SERVICE,
39. No words can too highly praise this splendid service. Plays, talks, music-classical and light-operas, operettas, religious service; in fact, BBCTS runs the whole gamut of a broadcasting organization. Almost without exception the output is first-class and technically flawless. Radio Hong Kong is indebted to the BBC for making this service available.
NEWS AND TALKS,
40. As in the case of ZEK, efforts have been made to make the facilities of Radio Hong Kong available to Government Departments and local organizations with something vital to say. The series on Social Welfare in the Colony is a case in point. Government servants and members of voluntary organizations have come to the microphone to talk about their work. On the whole, the talks have been of high standard and well delivered. More time, however, could well have been spent on the specialized art of "producing" the speakers-which would often entail partial rewriting of their scripts from the purely radiogenic point of view-but Radio Hong Kong's staff is not at present sufficient to permit of this being attempted. Apart from regular news bulletins, both live and relayed, a late night newscast was provided during the early weeks of the Korean campaign.
OUTSIDE BROADCASTS.
41. Efforts were made to increase the number of outside broadcasts, both on ZBW & ZEK. Running commentaries on football matches and certain other sporting events were broadcast. Special functions, such as the departure of British troops for Korea, the formal opening of Electra House, and the arrival of the new P. & O. liner, R.M.S. "Chusan” were also covered as outside broadcasts.
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