NAEB Newsletter (Apr 1957)

MEMO FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR —Harry Skornia Major efforts during the month were devoted to pro¬ gram planning for radio. In late February a meeting was held at the Center in Ann Arbor to plan the best use of available funds for radio programs for the NAEB Radio Network. By the time this reaches you, the new announcement of Grants-in-Aid available should be in your hands. Funds available should greatly strengthen network offerings for the next three years in the radio area. Coordinated with this is the Radio Programming Seminar to be held at Allerton House, April 22-24, for radio program planners and directors. With these combined resources and efforts, it is hoped that con¬ siderable improvement will be noted in network availabilities. Some problems which still plague the network are left to Bob Underwood, Network Man¬ ager, to discuss. Considerable effort is also being made by a Sub- Committee of the Professional Advancement Com¬ mittee—composed of Leo Martin (Chairman), Ver¬ non Bronson and Carl Menzer—to move forward with steps aimed at establishing increased profession¬ alization and standards for educational broadcasters. If you have suggestions, I’m sure any member of the Sub-Committee would welcome them. During the month, following notification of my appointment to the U. S. National Commission for UNESCO to represent NAEB (which is therefore now a member), I also agreed to serve on the Ad¬ visory Committee to the Sixth UNESCO National Conference to be held in San Francisco in November, and met with that Planning Committee in New York, March 21 and 22. At that time I also looked in on META, the first time I’d seen the New York studios of our most active TV member. Considerable progress was made last month in clearing and integrating membership files as a result of the recent merger with the AERT. If any of you during this interim period have received more than one copy of the Newsletter and Journal, please be patient. If you’ve been missed, please let us know. As soon as all records are fully reorganized (by Frank Schooley who is working on it every spare moment he has) there should be no more such problems. As this is written, meetings have been held by the Special Planning Committee for the Radio Program Seminar (Ned Roseheim, Richard Vogl, Lee Dreyfus, plus Paulu, Hill and Skornia), Foundation Reports and Relations are moving forward, a meeting is plan¬ ned with Marguerite Fleming to start the wheels turning on the 1957 Convention in St. Louis (October 30-November 2 ), two NAEB sessions are being plan¬ ned for the Annual Institute in Columbus, and plans are moving forward for Regional Conferences in Pittsburgh and (probably) Atlanta. It is our hope to see many of you at one or more of the many meetings which will bring NAEB mem¬ bers together in the coming months. These meetings provide a fine opportunity to discuss Association problems, as well as common (interests) of other sorts together. Meanwhile, please let us hear from you with news or pictures you think would be interesting to other NAEB members. Such intercommunication is one of the most important functions we, as an Association, can perform. REPORT FROM PARIS —Keith Engar The French Broadcasting System is soon to release a series on music from the French Ballet. In addition to the music, a major feature will be the critical notes of Henri Barraud, eminent French musician and critic, who places each selection in its historical perspective, providing background which increases our apprecia¬ tion of the music. Madame Paz and her associates have designed this excellent series especially for NAEB stations. This will probably be the last report from Paris, since we hope to be travelling during the next few weeks. We have surely learned the true meaning of “French courtesy” during our stay. Mr. Robida and his staff, and, of course, the incomparable Madame Paz, have all extended favors and assistance which have made the year a grand one. Our two countries have a great deal yet to learn about one another in spite of our close ties for nearly two centuries. The excellent programs the French Broadcasting System prepares for NAEB release arc important, not only because of their intrinsic cultural worth, but because of the otherwise unavailable in¬ formation they give us about France. One of the unlooked for benefits of this year’s ex¬ perience representing NAEB in Paris has been in¬ creased pride in U. S. educational broadcasting as a profession. I have learned how much NAEB has done to create respect in Europe for U. S. radio and TV. This is a tribute to the brillant work done by Sey¬ mour Siegel (everybody in Europe, but everybody, knows him as “Sy”) and the committee he heads, to the effectiveness of the day to day operations of the NAEB Headquarters staff under the dynamic leader¬ ship of Harry Skornia, and to the strength of the elected officers. —N A E B~ Monsieur Maxence Bernheim de Villers of Radio diffusion and Mademoiselle Micheline Chamant were married February 27, 1957, in Paris. 4 NEWSLETTER