NAEB Newsletter (Sept-Oct 1952)

- 15 - ILLINOIS U’S PROF. GOBLE WRITES ON 'TV--AN EDUCATIONAL FUNCTION ’ George W. Goble, Professor of Lay at’the - 'University'or 'Illinois, wrote a letter to the editor of the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette Commenting on the propriety of an educational institution’s operating an educational television station* Because of its application to situations which may arise elsewhere in the country, Goble’s let¬ ter—originally, published on April 10, 1952--is reproduced here for Newg-Letter readers who may,have missed it When it recently was circulated by the . JC-sT. Letter Makes Four Points "Much has appeared recently in the: public prints on the relative claims of the University of Illinois and private business to a license to operate a television station in this locality*..: As against the University’s claim it has been urged that the operation of a station by the University would be an interference with freedom of enterprise, that it Is not an educational function* that it would in¬ volve an unjustifiable expenditure of public funds, and that the people do not want educational programs. Hence, it is asserted private business has a clear priority over the .University for obtaining a license from the federal communica¬ tions commission. I would like to make some observations on each of these points "(1) It is difficult to see upon what theory a commercial agency has a priority over a public institution to the free use. of air space which is a part of the public domain. Private business does not own the space through which it must propel electrical waves in order,to. transmit its services to the people. This space is at the disposal of the. government for the public good, and the Univer¬ sity being a public agency ought to have.a claim to its use fpt educational pur¬ poses superior or at least equal to the, claim of a private institution. University TV Not Unfair Competition "Moreover if the University enters the telecasting field it will not come into un¬ justifiable competition with business;, as some critics have charged. The prin¬ cipal objective of the University, in operating a television station will be to provide the people 1 with.educational and cultural programs. In doing this' it wilj not engage in private business. It will not compete in selling the air as an advertising medium, nor as an agent for the purchase or sale of goods or services of any kind. The primary purpose for whiqh private enterprise proposes to use the air is advertising. It will sell time on the air at so much per minute, dur¬ ing which the merits of various commodities and services will be repeatedly ex¬ tolled and proclaimed. Between commercials, programs of a type primarily calcu¬ lated to attract other and bigger commercials will be planned and staged. This is not said disparagingly. The procedure must‘necessarily be of this type becaus of the nature of the enterprise. In no other way can the business be conducted profitably. In no other way can many..costly and valuable programs be placed on the air. But these considerations serve to point'up'the'fundamental'differences in the objectives of a University and a commercial television station. There is an overlap. There are conflicts. But each has its place. There-is no unjusti¬ fiable invasion of the freedom of'enterprise by the University. It. must not be • overlooked that public education is as deeply rooted in the American tradition as private enterprise. TV Station Operation Within Education's Orbit "(2) Is operating a television station a University function? The function of a university is education, and education consists at least partly in the dissemina¬ tion of ..information and ideas by means of lectures, demonstrations, books, movies.. • radio and other methods of communication. Television is one of the most effec¬ tive forms of communication yet contrived 'by man. Its educational potentialities are still beyond the reaches of the imagination* It has the power to place hitherto unavailable educational opportunities.within the homes of thousands of people, young and old. Should this valuable educational device be denied to the University because private business desires it for use as an advertising medium?