Hold the line, caller
New Zealand Listener|February 10-16 2024
Fifty years on, RNZ National listeners need have no fear that the station's signature bird call faces extermination. 
PAUL LITTLE
Hold the line, caller

The bird call that precedes the news bulletins at 7 am and 9 am is one of the best-loved features of RNZ National's Morning Report. Its origins can be traced back to 1948 and a technical difficulty for a fledgling broadcasting service.

"It's my understanding," says former Morning Report co-presenter Geoff Robinson, "that it originated back in the days of the shortwave service. When a programme on the service didn't fill the allotted time slot they would play the sound to let listeners know that there was a station at the end of it and there would be a programme coming." That first bird was a tui that, according to an account in this magazine at the time, possessed a cry with "musical intervals which in pitch and rhythm suit the purpose very well".

The same piece described the auditory obstacles that hampered the first effort at getting a recording. These included a sudden breeze, a tomcat, vociferous children, a train whistle, a dog and a "woman [who] drove up in a car and called out an enthusiastic greeting to a friend".

Both the bird-call tradition and the shortwave service - have survived, and the former, in its present incarnation, will mark its harmonious half century at 1 minute to 7 on February 6.

Fifty years ago, there was just one bird as another report shamelessly noted, things were done "on the cheep" - and it could be heard seven times a day.

Over the years, the original recording has been supplemented by dozens of other birds whose names are hardly less euphonious than their calls. On any given day, you might hear tākapu, hoiho, pīpipi, kea, koekoeā, pipiwharauroa or riroriro.

Former night-time presenter Robert Taylor is credited with a large part in developing the bird-call tradition. Proving that punning has always been central, he played the call of a ruru on his Night Owl show.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 10-16 2024 من New Zealand Listener.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 10-16 2024 من New Zealand Listener.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من NEW ZEALAND LISTENER مشاهدة الكل
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024