Althoügh this column is primarily concerned with short wave stations, a little personal comment with regard to Loxc-WAVE'S complaint in Saturday's issue of the North-China Daily News would not be out of place. I can quite agree with him that the programmes dished up daily by the local stations are "distressing;" speaking for myself, I could think of several more pungent adjectives. © He is wrong, however, when he says there are only two foreign stations. XMHA and XQHB: these are two of the most popular, but there are Others, notably the French station FFZ, which broadcasts excellent classical and light classical music each evening from 9.15 p.m. onwards, while there are three other stations, from 400 to 450 metres, which broadcast part-time foreign programmes. The programmes themselves, however. are disgraceful and seem designed merely to fill in the gaps between one advertising announcement and another (FFZ, be it noted carries no "radio advis."). Practically all music is of the "canned-variety," and about 85 per cent. of it is jazz and dance music which is repeated time and again. Probably about 80 to 90 per cent. of the programmes consists of gramophone By TRE Rapio Error records; the remaining ten to twenty per cent. is made up of church services and religious talks, news broadcasts, and à few so-called lectures by indifferent speakers. When one compares the local programmes by those put on by stations abroad, the difference is painful. The result is that anyone who wishes to get any real enjoynient out of radio has to purchase a short wave set. Public opinion, which is what the advertisers cater to, is the only thing which can change the present state of affairs to something better; public opinion, therefore, should express itself in no mean terms. Lone-Wave has set the ball rolling; let others who feel the same Way keep it moving. He has my full support.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.