Yearbook of radio and television (1964)

ETV Advances in '63 Presage ^Unprecedented' Future Growth NINETEEN sixty-three was the single most important year in the development of educational television for two important reasons: It was the culmination of years of effort to provide federal assistance programs for the development of educational TV facilities, and it marked the turn of the UHF tide (in which education has twothirds of its reserved channels). Through private initiative and public support nearly one-third @f the channels originally reserved for educational purposes were operating by the end of 1963^ and the weight of this evidence convinced federal legislators that educational TV was not primarily an entertainment medium for the educated, but an important and soon-to-be-lntegral part @f the American educational enterprise. The authorization by the Congress of $32 million In matching funds for ETV facilities in several states will significantly speed the nationwide develop* ment of educational TV. Nearly half the states in the Union now have active educational TV commissions seeking the financial support and facilities which will make it possible for millions of students at home and in school to receive educational materials previously unavailable to them. Over nine million persons Interested in home correspondence study testify to the widespread interest which adults have in continuing education programs, and TV will contribute both to expanding this Interest and to satisfying it. Some 30 million people are regular viewers of educational TV and this audience will continue to expand as more stations are added to the several dozen now In operation. An action by the Congress related to the federal ETV assistance act Is the '^all-channel receiver legislation/* which requires that TV receivers By WILLIAM G. HARLEY President National Assn. of Educational Broadcasters shipped in interstate commerce after April 30, 1964, must be capable of receiving both UHF and VHF channels. Because the majority of ETV reservations are located in the UHF band, many stations operating on these frequencies have had to limit their broadcasts to schools and other specialized receiving points because receivers were not widely available among the general public. Although it will take five to six years before most homes are equipped with all-channel receivers, the fact that most receivers sold after April of this year must be able to receive UHF as well as VHF will make a significant improvement in general audience potential for educational TV. A gift of $5 million from the Ford Foundation to the National Educational Television Center marks an important milestone for the improvement of ETV programming. Financial assistance from the U. S. Office of Education for development of instructional TV libraries is also an indication of the growing interest in TV for educational purposes. In 1963 the National Association of Educational Broadcasters presented the FCC with a computer-based Assignment Table which provides more channel assignments, not only for education but for commercial growth as well. That table Is now under consideration by the FCC. With the impetus afforded the movement by the infusion matching funds and the requirement of all-channel receivers, the year 1964 has proved to be one oiP unprecedented growth and outreach for educational television. 474