NAEB Newsletter (Apr 1958)

NAEB SEMINARS PLANNED Plans are currently progressing for two forthcoming NAEB seminars to be held in the summer. The Seminar on Instructional Uses of Television and Radio is set for July 21-25 at Allerton House, the University of Illinois Conference Center. Following this, in August, the Television Management Seminar will be held at the University of Wisconsin. Announcements giving complete information on these seminars will soon be sent to NAEB member stations. Further details will also appear in future issues of the Newsletter. ETV DIRECTORS PREDICT NATIONAL NETWORK Directors of the nation’s non-commercial ETV sta¬ tions predict that a national live network will be in existence by 1968, according to a report released by the ETRC and its affiliated stations. The report, based on last month’s meeting of the Center’s affili¬ ates, foresees a total of 100 stations linked together to serve 80 per cent of the country’s population. Distribution of programs by live networks will be started first on the state level, as they are now in Alabama, then through regional networks and in 10 years, by a live national network. To help meet the increasing demands at all levels of education, the ETV directors envision longer on-the-air schedules for ed¬ ucational stations, more remote broadcasting, the use of color, and improved programming made possible by larger and better trained staffs. The managers regard the purpose of their total service as being basically the same as the objective of education in general, but implementing it to give all people in a given area the educational and cultural values formerly communicated only to a few. NBC RENEWS ETV SERIES NBC joined the ETRC last month in a third coopera¬ tive venture in national network programming for educational TV stations. Three live series, telecast in New York, started March 24, and will continue for 13 weeks. The weekly series programs, which are sent to the nation’s interconnected ETV outlets, are concerned with the subjects of American jazz, A- merican foreign policy, and medical and scientific research. Monday evenings, educational TV enters a re¬ search laboratory at New York University’s Medical Center for the series titled “Decision for Research.” This program, designed to interest more young people in research fields, examines medical and biological re¬ search in its methods, aims, achievements, and re¬ wards. Erwin D. Canham, editor of the Christian Science Monitor, is host on “Briefing Session,” a Tuesday evening series which deals with American foreign policy. Manning a panel with him are political scien¬ tist Robert Strauz-Hupe and radio-TV commentator Merrill Mueller. Guests from the fields of journalism and government help to review the current status of foreign policy and present varying points of view. “The Subject is Jazz” on Wednesday, with host Gilbert Seldes, author of “The Seven Lively Arts.” This series traces the history and development of American jazz, featuring guest appearances by jazz authorities from professional and academic fields. Each week a combo demonstrates the various kinds of jazz. In addition to the three live series, NBC and ETRC present a group of filmed programs. “Report from America,” which reports on various aspects of American life, had previously been broadcast only in foreign countries. The ETV project is conducted jointly by NBC’s public service programs department, directed by Ed¬ ward Stanley, and the Center’s program department, whose representative is Edward Cohen. SENATE HEARINGS ON FUNDS FOR ETV Sen. Warren Magnuson (D-Wash.) has planned' hear¬ ings on educational television for his Senate Com¬ merce Committee soon after Congress returns from Easter recess, according to a report in the March 17 Broadcasting. The hearings in part will deal with Magnuson’s own bill (S 1759) to provide up to $1 million to each state for ETV. Sen. Magnuson has proposed this bill, feeling that educational TV has not been overly successful be¬ cause state legislators and educational groups failed to provide funds. APRIL, 1958 5