NAEB Newsletter (Sept-Oct 1952)

ST. LOUIS TV. STATION. FORECAST WITHIN-. ONE YEAH Opening of a St. Louis educational TV station Vithin a year appears to be a virtual certainty. Chairman Raymond H..Wittcdff of the Mayor's Committee on Educational Television said, ."There is every reason to believe we will have it." Writeoff, a manufacturer and president of the Adult Education Council of St. Louis,^ said the project is materializing in large part because of "magnificent cooperation" from area public and parochial schools and Washington and St. Louis universities. In this venture they are united "in an almost unprecedented way, he declared. He. gave an indicat ion. of the initial, cost when, he said that... each-of the area's approxi¬ mately bOO ,000 TV sets "will become a classroom for less than a dollar each." Though Channel 9 has been reserved by the Federal Communications Commission.for a non-commercial educational station, granting of a license and actual operation was until recently little more than a hope. Wow, Wittcoff said, there are tangible 'prospects" for adequate financial support, including some from a foundation. He sale planning has gone ahead rapidly. The two universities already are setting up tele¬ vision courses. Washington U. recently hired a television producer with broad net¬ work experience. ... Ho Divided Time It has been agreed, he disclosed, that programs will not be on a divided'time basis. That is, there will be no programs exclusively for any one group of schools or for any religious group. "We are agreed," he said, "that our productions will cover educational ground common to all." Channel 9 is on very high frequency (VHF) which all existing sets in St. Louis can receive without adjustment. Programs during school hours would be designed for * pupils and students. Evening programs would be for adults. "This is one of the greatest educational and cultural opportunities ever offered our people," Wittcoff told a meeting of public school principals. "Its success, once the license is applied for and issued, will be in the hands of your own and other educa¬ tional systems. The station will -be non-profit, cooperative and completely inde¬ pendent of government--city, state or federal—except for policing by the FCC." To support the venture, Wittcoff said, it is planned to seek private financial help, both from individuals and organizations such as P.T.A. groups. Donations both large and small will be sought. "The cost will be considerable," Wittcoff said, "but it will be only a tiny fraction of the community's total educational expenditure. And the cost does not in any way involve shrinkage of teachers' salaries or measures of that sort." W. VA. APPROVES $250,000 FOR MARSHALL COLLEGE TV The West Virginia Board of Education recently approved funds for the development of educational television at Marshall College. The center, to be located in the new science hall on the Marshall campus, will be a further expansion of the recently completed modern educational radio studios. Raymond D. Cheydleur, Director of Educational Radio and Television, said that the $250,000 the Board of Education has approved for the developmentof TV will enable educators in West Virginia to keep’abreast of educational trends. Because of serious geographical problems in this state, television will become one of the least expen¬ sive educational "Tools." Eventually*, .educators expect to offer programs and classes to at least 136,000 students.