NBC chimes (Jan 1955-Oct 1956)

As part of "Operation Classroom", WRCA college reporters interview Senator Herbert Lehman after a "Citizens' Union Searchlight" broadcast. 'Operation The WRCA and WRCA-TV News and Special Events Department is definitely on the ball, to borrow a collegiate phrase. Under full steam for the past three months has been a college "stringer" system to assist the New York stations in the gathering of news and features of interest to campus life and the immediate communities surrounding colleges of the New YorkNew Jersey metropolitan area. The plan as conceived by the NBCowned stations has two primary objectives: to encourage college students to enter radio and television as newsmen; and to provide participants with practical field training. The overall purpose of "Operation Classroom" is to keep the public informed of the various accomplishments, activities and worthwhile community projects on the part of colleges and universities in this area, and at the same time to use the services of student-reporters in the gathering of this material, while training them in broadcast media operation. Thus, the stattions benefit through offering added community service, and the students benefit in preparing for a career. The project now has a core of thirty bright eager college students representing the same number of leading New York and New Jersey colleges. Each student was selected by his college public information office. Each reporter has been placed under the supervision of Bill Berns, director of News and Special Events. Berns and his staff guide the reporter in the presentation of news for radio and television, while the more important Classroom 9 news stories culled from the campus corps may be used on WRCA and WRCA-TV. Every two weeks, one college reporter has joined Berns' staff as special assistant to the director — sitting in on programming meetings, observing the activities of the NBC Newsroom, and covering "special assignments". Occasionally, the young scribe accompanies the WRCA Roving Reporter, Gabe Pressman, and NBC film units in covering news stories. Included in the curriculum is behind-the-scenes observation of WRCAWRCA-TV program production. In particular, the students have the opportunity to attend the stations' weekly "Citizens' Union Searchlight" program on which appear leading members of the community. This is a program which frequently makes headline news in itself. After each broadcast the reporter has the chance to interview the guest for his college newspaper. Regular bi-weekly meetings are held, at each of which a guest speaker talks to the group on a different phase of the broadcast medium. Under the direction of NBC staff announcer Roger Bowman, the students have cut an audition radio program— "Campus Closeup" — including reports on various campus activities and developments. The students themselves do the air work, writing the copy and putting the program together. "Campus Closeup" is planned as a weekly series in the near future. Campus Chimes, a bi-monthly newspaper published by the students, had its first issue in early May. It contains articles about various phases of "Operation Classroom", projects and accomplishments, and interviews with NBC executives about the future of today's college student in the broadcast medium. Campus Chimes is distributed on all the participating college campuses and throughout the radio and TV industry. The Foster Parents Plan has asked "Operation Classroom" to choose one college reporter to send to Europe for two weeks in the Fall, at FPP's expense, to make first-hand observation of his counterpart, European students of his own generation. He will send back tape-recorded reports for use on local programs, and on his return will make appearances on radio and TV. At the close of their one-vear tour as WRCA-WRCA-TV college reporters, the students will take part in special graduation exercises. Each year one reporter will be recommended for the NBC Executive Training Program. "Operation Classroom" is a stake in the future that is paying off. It is the product of an alert brace of local stations ready to experiment in a rich and unexplored field. Already, "Operation Classroom" has met with widespread enthusiasm on campuses and received excellent comment from college newspapers. Ultimately, the future scope of the broadcast medium will be broadened through tapping this allimportant market, the colleges. SAFE BETS CjUUDuiLl 'WEN VOU TAKE THAT TRtF? FCC PITV'« 5AKE GIVE VOUR«ELF # A PECENT BRAKE f 14 NBC Chimes