Details of arrangements for winter BBC broadcasts in Belfast (1938)

Mr Marshall said: “Our public concerts in both the Ulster Hall and the Wellington Hall have always been run at a very considerable financial loss and we felt that the time had come to reduce the financial burden.

“We had decided to limit the concerts to two or three in each hall. But our plans were altered by other circumstances.

"Some time ago Mr Harold Holt, who is responsible for the well-known International Celebrity Concerts, announced that owing to lack of public support in Belfast he had decided to discontinue these concerts.

"We approached Mr Holt and made certain suggestions for the continuation of these concerts, which I am glad to say he has accepted.

“What will, therefore, happen is that Mr Holt will present his celebrity concerts in the Ulster Hall as in past years, and for three of them we shall give the services of our orchestra, underits conductor, Mr Walton O'Donnell, and the first half in each case will be broadcast.”

Proceeding, Mr Marshall said they had arranged to give an additional popular concert in the Wellington Hall in order to make up the number to eight in all - three in the Ulster Hall,in co-operation with Mr Holt, and five in the Wellington Hall, in co-operation with the YMCA.

Dealing with other musical plans Mr Marshall said that the BBC would also be broadcasting the Belfast Philharmonic Society concerts, the Queen's University midday concerts, and he mentioned a special performance of Ernest Bloch's Sacred Service by the BBC Northern Ireland Chorus and orchestra with William Parsons as the cantor, conducted by Walton O'Donnell, in St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast.

“In sport,” said Mr Marshall, “we have an interesting development, namely, a series of talks on the Irish League clubs.

"Our arrangements here include a talk on a particular club each Thursday night, and a commentary on the Saturday afternoon of part of the match in which the club dealt with in the talk is taking part.”