Early days at 1YA and 2YA

Various reminisces about working at 2YA in Wellington and 1YA in Auckland. Some were used in a programme commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Shortland Street studios, 23 Jan 1985. Includes studio guests, technical and announcing staff.

1) Greta Williams recalls the 1920's at the Hope Gibbons building in Wellington. Singing on 2YA from 1925-1935 at Waring Taylor Street.

2) Elsie Lloyd recalls first experience of the wireless at Waring Taylor Street. No sound effects and had to make their own for the radio plays. Had a lot of fun making them and tells the story of making the sound for an explosion using new potatoes rolled around in a tin. All live sound effects as nothing was pre-recorded. First serial over the commercial stations called One Man's Family was a very popular programme. First Woman's Hour presenter and talks about how they made the programme and how they went out to get the stories. Recalls how they were taught how to record an interview. Talks about the differences with the women's programmes of today and broadcasting in general. The older days seemed to be very exciting. Doesn't recall people watching the clock and they worked all hours.

3) Henry Rudolph recalls his experiences from 1924 at the Hope Gibbons building. Formed a dance band. Mentions several names other other band members. Includes a piece where he plays the Wurlitzer ('Bye bye Blackbird').

4) Arthur Pearce talks about Rhythm on Record, a radio dance programme in the 1930's. Collected jazz and had a great interest in it. Asked to include jazz in his programme in 1937. Mentions several old broadcasters. Says that 'jazz was a four letter word in those days'. Talks about how he got his jazz records into New Zealand.

Tape 2. Raw interviews used in the programme ID30974 "Studio" marking the 50th anniversary of station 1YA's new building opening in Auckland's Shortland Street on 23 Jan 1935.

5) Pat Towsey was a former station accompanist at 1YA. His father was 1YA accompanist in France Street, and he himself started just after World War II in the Shortland Street studios. He explains the role of an accompanist and tells some amusing stories of accompanying eccentric singers for live broadcasts.
He describes the three Shortland Street studios and the quality of its large main studio and its grand piano. He talks about the station manager, Alec O'Donoghue, known as "O'D" and in the 1930s he insisted on artists and staff wearing dinner suits and evening dress, although this eased by the 1940s. He lived on the premises and listened to the radio continually, monitoring what was being broadcast.He once insisted on a Bing Crosby record being taken off-air.

6) Roy Melford, television manager at TVNZ, looks back on his involvement as a child with the 1YA children's programmes. His teacher at school was "Aunty Patsy" who worked on 1YA's children's session with "Cinderella." She used to take children from her class to perform on air. During the war, a uniformed guard was required to admit anyone to the studios as a wartime security precaution. Short description of the art deco environment of the 1YA building and the hush of the studios.

7) Actor Yvonne Lawley talks about her involvement with radio drama in the 1YA Shortland Street studios. She began with Broadcasts to Schools, and then plays and serials, which were very popular at the time. She describes the drama studio which was fairly minimalist, without cue lights of sound effects equipment, which were at the 1ZB studios. She says radio drama was a lot more formal. Her first on-air work was in the 1930s, doing a live performance of "Twelth Night." Dramas were recorded on acetate discs early on. She describes the lengths producers went to to record their own sound effects and some anecdotes about actors.

8) Felix Millar was the violinist and leader of the 1YA Orchestra [in the 1940s.] He recalls working in the studios and working under Alec O'Donoghue, the station manager. Harold Baxter was the conductor and other nationally well-known musicians passed through the orchestra, such as Vincent Aspey. He talks about Harold Baxter, who was a great 'character' and says the orchestra and studios were very well-run, due to Mr O'Donoghue. He lived in a flat below the studios, with an immaculate garden. He says because all broadcasts were 'live', musicians really had to know their work well and were kept on their toes. He says being a recital musician for broadcasting was one of the highest achievements for a musician at the time. He recalls Eric Waters the programme organiser and is very critical of what happened to the 1YA studios when television moved into the building. He describes the large No. 1 Studio in some detail.

9) Moya Rea [nee Cooper-Smith] was the violinist and pianist and recalls her first experience on radio in the France Street studio where she worked in the children's session. She was also on the children's session in the Shortland Street building with "Aunt Jean and Uncle Jerry". She recalls having to wear evening dress for studio recitals. She also worked with the St James Quartet at the St James Theatre, and would then have to rush to the 1YA studios from the theatre. Mentions Mr O'Donoghue the station manager pacing, waiting for them to arrive. Fees were fairly small but musicians enjoyed broadcast work. She mentions working with composer Alfred Hill and playing in a quartet with his wife. She tells a story about a drunk viola player creating havoc in the studio.
She gives some more details about her work on children's sessions in the late 1930s when she was in her late teens. She says they were very impressed with the new Shortland Street studios, which seemed vast and a little scary at first. She eventually became leader of the 1YA Orchestra in 1946 when the National Orchestra was formed. She led the Auckland group of the Orchestra and mentions several fellow musicians: Harold Baxter was the conductor, Karl Whitmore, Karl Hellriegel, Gwen Morris, Frank Girr, June Taylor, Karl Engel. She ends with an anecdote about a broadcast when she was leading the salon orchestra and fell off her chair on-air.