NAEB Newsletter (Oct 1957)

ETV FOR PRISON AND REFORMATORY INMATES Fifty Stateville (Ill.) prisoners and 20 inmates of the Illinois State Reformatory for Women at Dwight have enrolled in the Chicago City Junior College’s TV offering on WTTW, according to Stateville War¬ den Joseph Ragen and Reformatory Superintendent Ruth Biedermann. The 50 men receive their TV instruction in a Stateville High School classroom under the super¬ vision of its director, Harry Givens. Afternoon study¬ ing is done in the TV classroom and evening study¬ ing in the cell blocks. The Stateville Library pro¬ vides the necessary text and reference books. As¬ signments and the grading of exams are handled by the regular CCJC staff via mail. Courses offered to prisoners are identical to those offered to “regular” TV students. First semester studies include English, biology, physical science and humanities. Upon successful completion of 64 sem¬ ester hours, an Associate of Arts degree will be awarded. The experiment, according to Ragen, is aimed pri- arily at determining how to use TV in the educational program at Stateville. If successful, it may be ex¬ panded in the future to include a greater number of men. The program for the 20 inmates of the Dwight Re¬ formatory for Women is believed by Clifford G. Erickson, CCJC’s head of TV education, to be the first college TV program offered to women reform¬ atory inmates. Superintendent Biedermann, while terming edu¬ cation as “an important part of our rehabilitation program,” hailed the TV project as an opportunity for inmates who completed high school to begin their college work. Both male and female inmates whose last address was Chicago are exempted from tuition payment, ac¬ cording to a ruling by Frank R. Schneberger, attorney for the Chicago Board of Education. —N A E B— Documentary reports for possible use in radio broadcasts on the background, process and results of the Hungarian revolution have been collected and are presently published by two eye-witnesses, Josef G. Farkas, a native of Hungary, and Diether Gross- herr of Germany. The collected material will be available in the form of four manuscripts. Persons interested in ob¬ taining copies of these manuscripts should write for further information to Josef G. Farkas and Diether Grossherr, Grunwalderstrasse 198c, Munic 9, Ger¬ many. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Because of the restricted circulation of this News¬ letter we are depending largely upon you for giving the forthcoming NAEB Convention the kind of publicity that will make for record attendance. We therefore urge you to help us spread the good word among your friends and staffs. You can do this by either word of mouth or by making this issue available to others. We certainly ap¬ preciate your help. NEW ORGANIZATIONS AIM: COMMERCIAL SUPPORT FOR ETV The founding of the Organization for National Sup¬ port of Educational Television (ONSET), has been announced by Edward L. Ryerson, president of the Chicago Television Assn, and former Inland Steel Co. chairman of the board, who will head the new organization. ONSET will seek to further ETV by developing programs and inviting industry to act as patron for these programs. Sherman H. Dryer of Sherman H. Dryer Productions, an ONSET director, assured that unlike commercial TV “sponsors,” ONSET “patrons” will excercise no influence over program content. According to Ryerson, ONSET will join forces with existing agencies and organizations in the ETV field. Other directors of the new organization are Robert L. Foote, attorney with Sidley Austin Burgess and Smith; Irvin B. Harris, chairman of the board of Science Research Associates; and John W. Taylor, executive director of the Chicago Educational Tele¬ vision Assn. TV TECHNICAL TIPS —Cecil S. Bidlack During the second week of September, I had the opportunity of visiting CBS Television City in Holly¬ wood and both its kinescope and videotape recording installations. Consequently, I can give you a brief first-hand report of my observations. CBS has five Ampex prototype videotape machines installed and in service. Since most of the West Coast television network programs are delay¬ ed, I had the opportunity of seeing VTR pictures in the control room and on the air. The picture quality is excellent although a light fine grain noise could be seen both in the control room and on my hotel room receiver. The amount of this noise varies with re¬ cording heads and with head life. However, the taped picture is a noticeable improvement over the kinescope recordings I saw in Los Angeles last October. 10 NEWSLETTER