Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

24 NOVEMBER 23, 1959 Educational Television Nationwide ETV network which will enable a single gifted teacher to instruct 100,000 students simultaneously was envisioned by RCA Chmn. Gen. David Sarnoff last week in an address before the Rockhurst College Honorary Directors Assn., where he received the Rockhurst Chancellor Award for “outstanding service to humanity.” Through ETV, he said, “it may be possible for those who — for one reason or another — cannot enter college, to earn a college degree in their own homes . . . The day will come when there will be a nationwide TV network devoted exclusively to education. The basis for it already exists in the 43 noncommercial educational stations now in operation.” TV-teaching of foreign languages has the blessing of a top Canadian educator, who suggests that “TV could be the answer to the shortage of French [and other language] teachers.” Dr. Robert Gauthier, French studies dir. of the Ontario Dept, of Education, has co-developed a casual teaching system used in CBC-TV’s daily 15-min. Chez Helene. The TV “teacher,” actress Helene Baillargeon, converses in French with 2 children & a puppet. Westinghouse’s “Stratovision” role in the flying-ETV program of the Midwest Council on Airborne TV Instruction (Vol. 15:42, p3) is spotlighted in the Oct. Westinghouse Record newsletter for stockholders. Television Factbook Box 700 Radnor, Pa. I Please ship copies of the new and I completely revised 496 page Fall-Winter I edition of Television Factbook No. 29. I ($5.00 per copy; $3.50 each for 5 or more) I FIRM 9 I STREET I CITY ZONE STATE j j □ Bill me later, □ Payment enclosed. I TELEVISION FACTBOOK published by Television Digest ETV AID BILLS REVIVED: The House Commerce communications & power subcommittee is dusting off 8 federalaid-to-educational-TV bills it shelved in June (Vol. 15:23 p2) — and Chmn, Harris (D-Ark.) plans “action” on them soon after Congress convenes again in Jan. Leading up to another go at the legislation for govt, subsidies, 2-man teams of the 8-member subcommittee are conducting field trips to ETV installations and holding on-the-spot hearings in 9 states to gather grassroots notes on ETV operations & problems. Their schedule winds up Dec. 8 in Miami (WTHS-TV). “Upon conclusion of these hearings it is anticipated that at the beginning of the next session of Congpress the subcommittee on communications & power will take up the several educational TV bills on which the subcommittee has held hearings,” Harris told exec. dir. Ralph Steetle of the Joint Council on Educational TV. “At that time the subcommittee’s hearing record and any additional information gathered during the field hearings will be considered by the subcommittee with a view to taking action on the pending legislation.” On the action agenda then will be 7 House bills & a Senate-approved measure (S-12) by Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Magnuson (D-Wash.) for outright $1 million govt, grants to each state and the District of Columbia for purchase of ETV equipment. The subcommittee’s field schedule so far has taken in Lincoln, Neb. (KUON-TV), San Francisco (KQED), Denver (KRMA-TV). Other ETV bases to be touched on the road to Miami: Seattle (KCTS), Chapel Hill, N. C. (WUNC-TV), Atlanta (WETV), Birmingham (WBIQ), New Orleans (WYES-TV), Tampa-St. P’burg (WEDU). In addition to Harris, subcommittee members are Reps. Bennett (R-Mich.), Rogers (D-Tex.), Younger (RCal.), Flynt (D-Ga.), Avery (R-Kan.), Moss (D-Cal.), Rostenkowski (D-Ill.). Second year of teleclasses for some 100,000 elementary & secondary students in 50 San Francisco school districts is now issuing from educational KQED. Approximately 4,000 teachers are utilizing 8 TV classes which are being offered Mon. thru Thurs., a.m. & p.m. Five of the teleclasses are being video-taped to permit re-runs and to provide school districts with greater scheduling flexibility. The TV courses are planned by KQED’s curriculum advisory council, which comprises a representative of each contracting school district. The teleclasses are conducted by the station’s team of teachers. School districts subscribe to the ETV service at the rate of 60^ per student. Subjects range from math, science and Spanish instruction to current events, teen-age problems, basic driving techniques. NAEB’s 500th individual member came into the fold recently: Dr. V. A. Champa, audio-visual instructional services dir. of Pa. State Teachers College. He was awarded a year’s membership. “Individual” is one of several NAEB membership categories. The others: Institutional — TV-radio broadcasters (152 members); Associate — ETV-program producers or operators of CCTV for direct teaching (112); Affiliate — groups interested in advancing ETV (63); Industrial Associates — firms that make or sell broadcasting equipment (8). Teleguides outlining the plots & literary significance of NBC-TV’s presentation of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” (Feb. 3, 1960), are being distributed as classroom aids by sponsor Hallmark and Scholastic magazine, to 160,000 English & drama teachers.