NAEB Newsletter (Feb 1935)

- 2 - for the NCER brought in a preliminary report which was thoroughly discussed and formally adopted by the Committee, The Committee authorized the subcommittee to bring in a detailed report at a special meeting of the NCER tentatively set for March 4. # The National Committee on Education by Radio, through its Secretary and Research Director, Tracy F. Tyler, has transmitted the following letter to most educational stations. Action of the F.C.C. deserves consideration of NAEB members: "The Federal Communications Commission has finally transmitted to the Senate its report relative to the allocation of facilities to educational, religious, and other nonprofit agencies. The report is essentially a 'straddle'--a device for killing time while the commercial interests become more firmly entrenched. There is one section of the report, however, in which you will be particularly interested. The Commission states: 'There have been protests, particularly by persons interested in the preservation of the broadcasting facilities of educational institutions, against the procedure under which licensees are required to defend their assignments in hearings upon applications of other parties. The Commis¬ sion now proposes that provisions be made to conduct informal, preliminary hearings on applications that appear from examination to be antagonistic to established stations, to determine whether the application violates any provisions of the Communications Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission, or whether or not the applicant is legally, financially and technically qualified to contest the use of a radio facility with an existing station* Under such a provision, applications found inconsistent with law or regulation and applications of those found not qualified to operate stations will be refused without requiring the presence of licensees of existing stations at hearings.’ "The above paragraph is the response to the Committee's recommendation 'that existing educational public-welfare stations be protected in their present privi¬ leges.' Now that the Commission’s report is in, it appears that the next fight will occur in the halls of Congress. The Interstate Commerce Committee of the Senate has an able chairman in Mr. Wheeler of Montana. It is from that source that progressive legislation will undoubtedly emanate." # T. M. Beaird, Executive Secretary of the N.A.E.B., WNAD, University of Okla¬ homa, etc., speaking: 1, In the Kansas City conference held on September 10 and 11, 1934, it was voted by the delegates assembled that the name of our Association should be changed from The Association of College and University Broadcasting Stations to the National Association of Educational Broadcasters. The reason for this change in name was the fact that the member stations voted that we should now include two new classes of members, namely: (a) those institutions that are engaged in educational broad¬ casting over stations other than those educationally owned, and (b) individuals of faculties of recognized institutions who are interested in educational broad¬ casting. Many faculty members sponsor regularly organized educational courses and present their material through commercial stations which are located in the towns where their institutions are located. Therefore, it was the feeling of all dele¬ gates, as well as all station representatives in the mail ballot taken following the Kansas City meeting, that these co-workers should enjoy the privilege of mem¬ bership in the.educational broadcasters association, We look forward to having men of this type participate with us again since the constitution has been changed.