NAEB Newsletter (Oct 1958)

REGION I MEMBERS MEET IN NEW YORK CITY Region I members of the NAEB met at the Car¬ negie International Center in New York City, Sep¬ tember 20-21. The meeting focused attention on three main themes: regional live networks for educa¬ tional radio and television stations; the superinten¬ dents’ view of in-school television; and international exchange of educational television programs, staff, and materials. Ralph Steetle, Executive Director of the JCET, related the highlights of the progress in educational broadcasting in Region I during the past year. Dr. Harry Skornia, Executive Director of the NAEB, reported on the national scene. Seymour N. Siegel, New York City Director of Radio Communications, described the new live FM educational radio network which is in the planning stage with only certain technical problems yet to solve. The network involves New York City, Boston, Albany (New York), and Springfield (Massachusetts). The prospects for live regional hookups between educational television stations was outlined by Hartford N. Gunn, Jr., General Manager of WGBH-FM and WGBH-TV, Boston, Massachusetts, who also explained how such, networks would strengthen the stations economically and improve the quality of program service by the regular interchange of the best programs of each. These talks took place during the morning session on Saturday, September 20. The Saturday afternoon session on in-school tele¬ vision brought together five prominent Superinten¬ dents of Schools to discuss the potential for instruc¬ tional television in the schools. Dr. William M. Brish, Hagerstown, Maryland; Dr. Calvin E. Gross, Pittsburgh; Dr. Maurice U. Ames, Assistant Super¬ intendent, New York City; Dr. Allan H. Wetter, Philadelphia; Dr. Harold B. Gores, New York City; and moderator Dr. Alan Willard Brown, President of the Metropolitan Educational Television Association revealed the amazing successes they had experienced with in-school broadcasting. Transcripts of these reports will be nationally distributed to all superin¬ tendents, financed by a grant offered by George Probst of the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation. Dr. George D. Stoddard, Dean, School of Educa¬ tion, New York University, addressed the Saturday dinner meeting. His subject was “The Lincoln Square Project”, with special emphasis on the relation of the project to the educational broadcaster. On Sunday, September 21, Basil Thornton, Ex¬ ecutive Director, Broadcasting Foundation of A- merica, outlined several programs for the interchange of broadcasting materials and reported on the role of the Broadcasting Foundation. Mrs. Dorothy Cul¬ bertson of NBC reported on a new NBC series in teacher training in Physics. The series is produced in cooperation with the American Association of Col¬ leges of Teacher Education. James Armsey explained the role of the Ford Foundation and its interest in ETV. He freely answered the questions which were asked about the Foundation. Arrangements for the two day meeting were in the hands of Martha Gable, Philadelphia; Robert Lesher, Hagerstown; Ralph Steetle, Washington; Hartford N. Gunn, Jr., Boston; and Seymour N. Siegel, Law¬ rence Creshkoff, and James Macandrew, all of New York, with Arthur Hungerford of META as chair¬ man. Members of Region I operate educational radio and TV stations in the 12 northeastern states: Connecti¬ cut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Mary¬ land, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Ver¬ mont. MORE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED FOR NAEB CONVENTION The NAEB Convention in Omaha, October 14 - 17, will have several well-known men as speakers for the major sessions. The opening session of the con¬ vention will be held Tuesday, October 14, in the eve¬ ning. Highlighting this meeting will be Dr. Roy M. Hall, assistant commissioner of education for research of the United States Office of Education. Dr. Hall is the individual who will be given the responsibility of administrating the Hill-Elliott Bill, which is re¬ produced in another section of the NEWSLETTER. For the general session Thursday, October 16, in the afternoon, the speaker will be Bob Banner. Mr. Banner was the producer-director of the Dinah Shore program last season, which won both he and Miss Shore “Emmies.” This season he will produce and direct the Ginger Rogers program. Mr. Banner’s other credits include the Fred Waring program, Gar- roway at Large, and Omnibus. The banquet Thursday evening will feature the Honorable John S. Cross, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. —NAEB— NAEB Newsletter, a monthly publication issued by the Na¬ tional Association of Educational Broadcasters, 14 Gregory Hall, Urbana, III. $5 a year, edited by Nancy W'hitmore. 4 See You In Omaha NEWSLETTER