NAEB Newsletter (Apr 1958)

GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT —Burton Paulu Now more than ever before, we of NAEB are edu¬ cators who broadcast, rather than broadcasters who educate. One of our problems in maintaining this emphasis is to free ourselves from the attractiveness of the in¬ struments we use. Microphones and cameras are fun to work with; what is more, sooner or later most of us must personally learn to operate them. For a period during World War II, I had to man the main control room at KUOM several hours each week, al¬ though I am no engineer, and I have produced many broadcasts, although production has never been one of my primary responsibilities. Have you ever noticed how educators and subject matter experts often are intrigued with the mechanics of broadcasting? It is not at all unusual to find ed¬ ucators, with no knowledge whatsoever of technical procedures, spending more time talking about the sound pick up, lighting, picture quality and' visuals on programs than about their basic educational val¬ ues. But despite the challenging technical problems that confront us, we have come more and more to realize that microphones, cameras and programs are only the means to the end, and not the end itself. We broadcast to provide educational services for our listeners and viewers, not just for the sake of broad¬ casting. That is the reason NAEB conventions now feature more talks by educational leaders and fewer roundtables on techniques. This also explains the in¬ creased interest of our members in the overall educa¬ tional process. NAEB “oldtimers” are doing more general reading and accumulating more degrees. New staff members frequently have backgrounds in the humanities and education, as well as in announcing, writing and production. At the same time that we are extending our ed¬ ucational horizons, it is encouraging to note that teachers and educational administrators are gradually developing greater regard for the broadcasting process. Many—perhaps most— of them do not yet appreciate how many types of knowledge and skill besides our own are involved in educational radio and television. The planning and production team at a minimum must include administrators, content authorities, teachers, producers, research workers and engineers. But progress is being made. On the na¬ tional front, NAEB contributes through its work¬ shops, seminars and conventions. Locally, our indi¬ vidual members are developing themselves as educa¬ tors, while always advancing their proficiency in broadcasting techniques. Taken together, all this is leading to better understanding among the several groups involved in educational broadcasting. MEMO FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR —Harry Skornia The NAEB is a pretty amazing organization. Within our ranks we have TV and radio; closed circuit and open-circuit; school, college and university stations; production centers, individuals, and on and on. W T e also are a busy organization. I am amazed at the number of projects we sometimes have going on at the same time. For instance right now we have in the planning stage: A Children’s Program Seminar (which will be over by the time you receive this) A Video Recording Workshop A Utilization and Teachers’ Workshop and Semi¬ nar An ETV Managers’ Seminar IERT Sessions A Washington meeting with various related groups. Coming in daily are applications for any of another half dozen projects for which applications and screen¬ ing are necessary: The Workshops and Seminars mentioned above Workshop Grants-in-Aid Radio Program Grants-in-Aid Scholarships Other deadlines, such as for Research Grants-in-Aid, and meetings, such as the Region VI meeting and the Research Seminar, are now past for this year, of course. These are mentioned so you will not be surprised if no one of us has time to read all the applications. With all the reports, correspondence, and other pressures, there simply isn’t time. You’ll also under¬ stand why applications have to be sent with the proper number of copies. If we began to make copies here for distribution to the far-flung committee and sub-committee members who make the selections, it could easily run to hundreds of copies. In addition to this, I will personally have been out of the office on NAEB business twenty-nine days during the first three months of 1958. Harold Hill 2 NEWSLETTER