1937: The Most Powerful Radio Transmitter in the Southern Hemisphere
January 25, 2022
By AHNZ
Today in history, 25 January, 1937, The State extended its reach into the homes of New Zealanders. The occasion was a powerful new radio transmitter for one of the first two radio stations to have been nationalised, 2YA in Wellington. Prime Minister Michael J. Savage had this to say..
“Radio will soon be as necessary for the mind of an active citizen as water is for the human body and will be laid on to every home in a similar way. It is the instrument par excellence for unifying the thought of mankind and making possible a real democracy, for training men and women to consider different opinions,….While the chief broadcasting stations are owned and controlled by the state, as in the case of New Zealand, vested interests are not likely to be given preference over the common welfare.” – Ref. NZ Sound & Vision
This was lies, vested interested most certainly were given preference by the State take-over of radio. In particular, whichever Government regime was in control at any given time was able to make sure their values and propaganda ruled the airwaves. And they did!
Even within the above passage, Savage is dictating that media is as much a municipal purview as reticulated water had become. The sort of ‘unification of thought’ and ‘training’ in ‘different opinions’ that Savage had in mind was not that of an open society. He didn’t want to let a thousand flowers bloom but, rather, for all broadcasts and thought to speak with one voice: His.
“Commanding the scene for .miles around the single mast, 710 ft tall, brushes low-flying clouds and stands as a monument to the daring and ingenuity of this inventive age. On a hill rising back from Titahi Bay, it challenges wind and storm, a thing of strength, and, to the engineer’s eye, of beauty.”
“Inside the. main building, equipment worth a fortune was in process of adjustment by technicians who bestowed paternal affection to the gleaming valves, switches, motors, and indicators. The layman gazed in reverent admiration. An engineer made an heroic attempt to strip technicalities from his description of the electrical installation but gave it up after vainly searching for synonyms for the vocabulary of his craft. That was radio all over, he explained. Its kingdom lay in the stratosphere and it was next to impossible to get it down to earth. But he did say: “This is the biggest set of equipment I know of in this Hemisphere. The station is expected to cover every part of New Zealand…” – Evening Star (2/1/1937); Papers Past1
Savage’s Titahi Bay mast was in impressive 216m (710′) tall. In 1979 the old mast was replaced by a 212 metre aerial, which became the tallest man-made mast in the country until the Sky Tower was built in the 1990s.2 However, Savage’s erection remained standing until 16 February 2016 when it was at last toppled. Some sources say that it remained the highest structure (second to the Sky Tower) up to that day.
“The final historic Radio New Zealand transmission mast has been removed from the Titahi Bay skyline. The 220 metre structure above Owhiti St, north of Porirua, was demolished on Tuesday following months of preparation….Built in 1937, it was New Zealand’s tallest structure until Auckland’s Sky Tower was opened in the mid-1990s. It was opened by prime minister Michael Joseph Savage and allowed nationwide radio broadcasting for the first time.” – Stuff (2016)
Labour 1.0’s powerful transmitter was surely the most powerful, expensive, and technologically advanced propaganda machine ever devised by a Government in New Zealand. Only Labour 6.0’s efforts to control the media could rival it but the price tag for that adventure has yet to be fully calculated.
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1 With gushing pro-State love letter articles like these no wonder Otago’s Evening Star managed to recover from its struggling years during the Slump and WW2. It looks like they found a new role as mouthpiece for Labour 1.0 judging from this!
2 The Titahi Transmitter, by Natasha Utting, Mediawatch, February 1, 2004; RNZ National
Ref. 1930s: Whose News?, AHNZ
Ref. M. J. SAVAGE AT OPENING OF 2YA TRANSMITTER. 1937-01-25, New Zealand Sound and Vision
Image ref. Titahi Bay Radio New Zealand transmission mast demolished, Stuff (2016)
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