Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

March, 1 946 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE 35 NBC, USA, and UNO Cooperate for World Amity Project Extensive plans for a longterm project of international broadcasting and educational activities designed to promote United Nations unity and understanding were announced recently by Dr. James Rowland Angell, public service counselor for the National Broadcasting Company. The project, phases of which are being launched with the cooperation of the U. S. Department of State and the representatives of the information services of various members of the United Nations, will include: 1 — A United Nations Week, observed nationally by the network and locally by NBC’s independent, affiliated stations. 2 — A conference in New York, arranged by NBC, for broadcasting educators and program executives of member nations of the United Nations, and development of an exchange of cutural programs among broadcasters in these nations. 3 — Use of the entire NBC University of the Air in an integrated, inter-nation educational campaign. Dr. Angell said, “NBC recognizes that the primary concern of every American of our era must be the development of world unity and the preservation of peace. The United Nations organization has been called the ‘last chance of civilization’.’’ William Benton, assistant U. S. secretary of state, said, “As a positive contribution to the building of an enduring peace, the development of genuine mutual understanding among peo Sterling Fisher, Director oF the NBC University of the Air. pies is perhaps the surest way of removing the threat of the atom bomb, and that is an end and aim of statesmen throughout the world. It is gratifying, therefore, to find the National Broadcasting Company initiating a broad project built around the United Nations and devoting programs to questions of foreign relations.” The week of the first meeting in the United States of the General Assembly of the United Nations, scheduled for early September, has been selected by NBC as its United Nations Week. Announcement of its adoption by the National Education Association for observance in the schools of America was made by Dr. Willard E. Givens, executive secretary of the NEA. The NEA, which has 350,000 teacher-members, will coor dinate its activities — special assemblies and programs — with those of NBC and its independent, affiliated stations, to stress the need of unity and understanding based on the theme of the United Nations. The world conference on broadcasting and education will be held in New York during United Nations Week. Program exchange plans made then will provide for the allocation of programs to be written about the people and life of each of the United Nations. When the conferees return to their countries, it is expected that they will obtain the best writers available to prepare scripts dealing with their own countries. As soon as possible, these scripts will be assembled and translated into the languages of the nations and will be offered by NBC to each country for radio presentation at the convenience of the broadcasters. Beginning with its United Nations Week, NBC will set aside a half-hour weekly for special programs of drama, music, and news about the United Nations. This period will later be used for the exchange programs planned at the conference. The official start of programming in the University of the Air series, for cooperation with the project, is scheduled for June. Our Foreign Policy will be devoted to broadcasts of official clarification of the operations of all the United Nations units, including the General Assembly and Security Council, and the Food and Agricultural, Mone