"Pleasing Some People

Broadcasting In Fiji:

"Pleasing Some People Some of the Time"

From Our Own Correspondent AFTER nearly six months’ opera tion, Suva’s new Radio Station VRH is settling down as an accepted part of Fiji’s community life. It has had its growing pains, but the staff, most of them New Zealanders, have accepted criticism and advice cheerfully.

It would be difficult to “please all of the people all the time” in a mixed community like Fiji, and for many residents, particularly the English, radio advertising is some what of a novelty, and not always a pleasing one.

A plea for more classical music is just as insistent as requests for more popular ditties from other sections of the community—but with such a radio set-up as ours it is just a matter of cold, hard cash.

A modern radio service in Fiji is not possible at present without ad vertising to pay for staff and equip ment.

There are some again who think fiat the new station follows too itereotyped a pattern based on the ines of similar stations in New Zea and —but time must be allowed for Fiji’s new venture to develop its >wn individuality and character, vhich it must inevitably do.

Many have expressed the opinion

that it is time for a little con troversy—discussion panels which would freely and frankly discuss current affairs both at home and abroad—and we understand that it is on the agenda for early 1955.