Newspaper Article 1981 – Radio voice switches off

Radio voice switches off

A woman who has been a “guest” in most Hawke’s Bay homes at some time or other during the past decade, gave up her career this week to become a “lady of leisure”.

Shopping reporter and women’s personality Elaine Goodwin has forsaken the air waves to do the things she wants to do “at the pace she chooses”.

Elaine – a voice on the radio to many – says she was a self-contained unit within a team.

“Shopping reporters are their own copywriters, programme organisers, announcers and technicians – apart from the latter it has always been the same,’’ she says.

It was not Elaine’s idea to become involved in the front line of broadcasting.

“I actually applied for a secretarial job in Christchurch,” she says. “A former chief announcer in Hawke’s Bay, Roy Woodward, was at 3ZB at the time and some months after I asked for a job, he suggested I audition for work on the air.

“So I never actually got to working as a secretary although that had been my background for many years.

“When I started working at 3ZB I had my own Monday morning session with a resident pianist and a studio audience. I invited people with special skills to share their knowledge with the listeners and the people in the studio.

“We did such a lot of interesting things together – we even learned, one day, how to make hats.”

After about 18 months with 3ZB – during which time she relieved at Blenheim and Invercargill – Elaine, as she is known throughout the district, came to Hawke’s Bay.

“The shopping reporter’s schedule was very low; there had been several changes of staff with little continuity,” she says. “I took over the shopping session in the morning and Bonnie (Houston) did the afternoon women’s hour.

“Later we shared the sessions which included the popular ‘Person-to-Person’ and lots of outside broadcasts.

“In those days we had a technician on the panel and the sessions alternated between the Napier studios and the Hastings studio – before the advent of Radio Apple.

“Later, we introduced a Central Hawke’s Bay segment. One of us would go after the morning session and get copy from advertisers in Waipukurau and Waipawa and then fit in three or four interviews around the district before coming back to do the afternoon programme.

“The difficulty was getting away. Our advertisers all had ‘the kettle on’ and the people we interviewed usually had the afternoon tea tray out.”

That section of Elaine’s programme was cut when Radio Apple was born and took over responsibility for the area south of Hastings.

In later years Elaine learnt to work her own “panel’’. “It is fascinating – like driving a big machine, but I do sometimes miss the company of a technician in the studio,’’ she says.

Elaine remembers the outside broadcasts, the Royal visit to Napier and community projects.

“The baby shows, fancy dress parties, galas and all the other things we were invited to – I loved it all,’’ she says.

“I have met some wonderful people and heard of wonderful things they have done. I learned about people and how they reacted to being interviewed on the air.

“I learned how to put questions so you didn’t get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. I think most of the gimmicks and techniques I used just came naturally; I didn’t stop and think them out. You can’t on radio anyway.

“Most broadcasters react and work as a team. I saw that particularly at the time of the Wahine disaster. There was instant reaction to the situation.”

But instant reaction has not stopped Elaine from making a few air waves ‘‘blues’’. ‘I remember talking about a cot one of my advertisers wanted mentioned,”’ she says. ‘It wasn’t until John Blumsky folded up in the next studio that I realised I had talked about the cot ‘for babies with slotted bottoms’.”

Team spirit did not stop some of the announcing staff from playing pranks on the women’s personality.

“In Hastings they had a station cat and sometimes the men would let it into the studio,” Elaine says. “That cat would walk across the copy I was trying to read or try to nudge my face or walk over the turntable and all the time I had to carry on a sensible patter and not let the listeners know what I had to contend with”.

On other occasions the ‘‘boys’’ put things down Elaine’s back or pulled faces. “But I only cracked once and that was just a week or so ago – and I really can’t tell you why.”

Elaine said she will miss the pressures of broadcasting while enjoying her leisure. ‘‘People in other jobs can be a few minutes late for work but not broadcasters,” she says. “The whole district knows if you are not there ready to start your session at nine o’clock sharp.

Leisure for Elaine will mean her husband, two cats, music and singing, her garden – and possibly golf.

Photo caption – ELAINE GOODWIN. . . “most broadcasters react and work as a team’’.