Prospects of Mankind with Eleanor Roosevelt; 309; New Vistas for Television

He. Recorded on the campus of Brandeis University and was planning a. National Educational Television presence. The WGBH TV production Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt prospect. This is one of several types of experimental communications satellites now being perfected by means of the satellites television programs can be beamed all over the world within the next month or two Telstar created by the Bell System will be launched by the national space agency soon thereafter live television programs will be exchanged between the United States and Europe. If the tests are successful worldwide television will be an everyday fact of life by 1965. The implications of this new frontier of communications are enormous. Space will have been conquered but how will it be you. Will the programs transmitted originate in that wasteland deployed by FCC chairman. Or will stimulating creative programming give the critical world a more favorable image of the United States. There are a few hopeful

signs of change with the Supro Glenn coverage and excellent programs like the NBC White Paper and CBS reports the commercial networks have shown greater awareness of their responsibilities for balanced programming. Another encouraging note is the emergence of National Educational Television. An organization which serves over 60 stations throughout the country the educational stations present two types of programs in school instruction at all levels and cultural and public affairs programs for adults. With limited resources to educational TV has had a very high proportion of successes. Among them. What's new. A popular children's program at. The MIT science reporter exploring the front tiers of science. A time to dance featuring some of the world's greatest dancers. The age of kings. A Peabody Award winner featuring productions of Shakespeare's historical play. Master class the world's greatest cellist

instructing highly qualified students the ragtime nostalgic recreation of the not so distant past. The government's recent allocation of money for the construction of educational TV stations means that more people will be able to receive these types of programmes by the time the satellites are in regular use. There is good reason to hope that the images they will reflect a balanced picture of the United States. But this will depend largely upon whether the Federal Communications Commission continues to be actively concerned with the quality and content of television and whether both commercial and educational networks cooperate. Joining This is Roosevelt to discuss the new vistas in television our Newton Minow chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Soon after his appointment a year ago he created a furor by his critical remarks about the television industry. Mr Minow has just one of

George Foster Peabody awarded the first government official to be so cited for his determined efforts to improve television programming. Irving Goodwin an award winning television writer and director executive producer creative projects NBC News and Public Affairs which produces the widely acclaimed NBC White Paper before joining NBC. Mr. Goodman held a similar post with CBS. His special responsibility in both positions has been the creation of high appeal information programming. John White president of the National Educational Television and Radio Center was formerly vice president of Western Reserve University and general manager of Pittsburgh's educational television station WQED under his direction National Educational Television has become the country's fourth network. Maria man is television and theater critic for the recorder magazine has appeared frequently on network radio and TV programs. Journalist woman of letters she has revealed great versatility as a writer and a crusading spirit in a wide range of fields. She will

assist Mr. Roosevelt in directing the discussion now about. 80. I'm very happy to welcome your judgment here today this question. Is. Not only to you but to me but it's you Mr. Commissioner. What is the function of 10 of these. Man. I think it's.

And.

What the people want. I think we are the future. That. Perhaps. Represented but.

And works. People. Large

world now. They are. Different. I.

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Right. Are. You. I'm a. Popular. I

have that. The drama is the common market. What are commercial products. Simple. And. People. From.

You.

John. Point. The problem. Thank you. Difficult. It is my contention. And.

In terms of terms. But.

Each community plus two thousand. To be to the person at least twice a week to. One to be out. I figure in. 20 percent. Of the coverage. 5 percent of. The people.

I. Start. COMMERCIAL.

To do. It. Child. Watch program. And. By comparison the vitality of.

The top third of anything particularly democratic country like ours wants to make one. News organization which makes possible the articulation I think of the thousands of people involved in the organization. We do that without the dollars. Yes I think what

we do we need the dollars now we say for example I ask the question why isn't there more news and news documentaries on educational television. And the answer I get from my friends and educational TV is one of the networks are doing it well. And we don't have the dollars to mount the kind of news organization a comprehensive world coverage. Sure the talent is available I don't think you have the dollars. And I think you should go. Well number one I accept your first contention that the networks do do this well and I believe this and I don't believe that this is an area in which we should compete on the hard news. If you talk about treatment and analysis we certainly should we must. And and I think that dollars have been excuse. It's used as an excuse too often for a shortage of ideas and ideas. Her I think that very often we think the commercial

part of the communication suffers from inefficient afraid of sponsors. I think educators can very often be afraid of or be afraid of controversy and it seems to me this is a place where educational television can be taking getting into art. For example this fine educational station here in Boston with Boston. Last year. I would hope so but I don't know the commercial version. Television is doing an increasingly good

job of informing the people by news and discussions. I don't coincidentally something to do with it. I think that one of the great functions are to draw as much as much as. I think we could could do more in developing. And I think. There is one thing. Good time. I sometimes have a feeling that people. For a number of reasons. When you show with the time. And talent to it.

And. That it could take. The comparatively. Better really. Extraordinary well. The knowledge of the great because this is the hard problem. There's a different number. For example. I think that was one

time for a substantial audience again. Whatever virus thing I would be arguing about is you can't be more. Expensive and I think I think that the best of the program certainly but I am concerned about.

A repeat pattern as a regular part. Because there are so many things to get on the air and the amount of time on the air is limited. It may very well be that your time is going to be taken away to repeat. A program that has been done by another unit group and this is one of the facts of life with television which is that it's instantaneous it's immediate. And part of the excitement comes in the fact that you better watch it or you're going to miss it. I think the economics are one factor. The other reasons get involved in many other areas and I would say that for repeating the best and a certain percentage we didn't get on the first point. Do you mean the best the most popular. Because I think this is one of the big differences between commercial and noncommercial television because I think our function is to repeat just as many times as we can that which is good.

I would not create that dichotomy. Sometimes the best is the most popular. One of the best all the most popular depending upon how good it gets me to my point about having more channels having more stations. Congress this week will act only our sets carry all 82 channels not just well. As the next decade. We have more channels that we will still. Have something new every single minute because we have more choice. One day two years from now when there may be a different time to provide the economic base upon which television is present because the consequences of a complete repeat

pattern all the consequences of too many channels as we know in the radio area is a result of economic distress and lowering standards not raising standards. Trouble is how do you find that balance point between freedom of choice. And economic self-sufficiency in the future and I think we're addressing ourselves to the future. Even. The president voicing that extraordinary little. Object in the sky. Any minute with a satellite. I don't think Mr. Trammell time. Is going to bounce off. Hundred years. Henry Thorold. Wrote that we were in great great hurry to construct the magnetic telegraph between Maine and Texas. Where the rain would have been to Texas and this is where we are with

the satellite. We're going to send it up. We're going to launch it. A matter of weeks. Bigger than a beach ball. Across the ocean you will be seeing a nervous working on the first program. What's happening in France Germany and what we're going to do. You're right it's about three network programming. The first international broadcast. And I think. The complexity. Great in the international field there really monumental. The first

problem horses getting three networks to agree and by definition three networks do not agree. Well the committee is having a very good time of it. But our problem is perhaps not as serious as the European the European Broadcasting Union because there are 13 nations sitting in committee in that two weeks ago to determine the program. And we already have some reactions we know looking at our own program that the problems are going to be very great. And one of the greatest problems will be. Going boy. Making that a public relations tool. For points of view points of view and to get the truth across the question again. This is going to work for America

going to be determined by the international agreement. Certainly television radio telephone television and I don't think anyone in fact will program the firm or. The networks or cooperate at the government's request to cooperate with the government's requests in this program. I would hope that channels will be a great issue. It seems to me with the greatest human understanding.

All these judgments are going to have to be made I think it's time to start thinking about what we want to do. We want to have an image of America we're trying to create. But I'm. Different. And American would. Be

one of the bad things. But. Sometimes people think that we only want to tell where our successes are and never know we have them and therefore we have very much fear that it might be. Used as a propaganda would be different. To arrive. At. Something. That could be a reality we could really see the people in many ways to know what to do.

Against. Anyone. But it seems to me that unless we make like we're going to repeat many of the mistakes we've made a comment on the guidelines and I think that the basic principle or any other instrument of communication is to be affective it must not become any one government. Or individual or corporation must in a sense represent all of the people. Very difficult to achieve and we are going to make it. But it seems to me

you're going to have to treat areas of culture or or hard news and you're going to propaganda. Providential destruction. We also have mass. The one may prevent the other. And it just seems to me to depend upon how wise we are and we are in our thinking. If we're going to make it serve the cause of communication rather than destruction. Two things are our government not determining. What programs determining exactly diversity which you feel is essential.

This just seems to me the last two. We see. The problem. The fact of the matter is I think. Much easier time then let us say tradition. You do. Not have a tradition of independent programming where fact government policy becomes national communications policy and policy and so that we have a. Sound system based upon diversity. It's based upon division of

powers. To the extent possible on the journalistic side striving to tell the truth. Part of the striving and one other element which I hope most important we can somehow find a place on which is the critical element. And even domestically. And anything we can do to support them I think. Has to be taking. Control of European television right. And it represents most of Europe in many ways they have greater freedom than I am in communication them with government supported.

They're not going to get into that. I would just ask how many Meet the Press as we have the European problem. Not that there has been and I think it sort of points to actual happenings. The fact that the receivers we hope will be able to receive. Government grants for the construction of educational television which is a great American need for an alternative system.

Third place the satellite. Not only must we have philosophy of broadcasting for the satellite but that it must present as many American voices as possible and not be dominated by any one interest whether that is commercial or whether it is governmental or whether it is educational. To. A very. Good. Way. I think we have given the public which did not know. Quite so much perhaps about the satellite. Some of you here do something new to think about and I think that's a no. I very nearly running out and I would like to. Thank. Each. One of. You Mr Minow for

made a great to do list. And I think that it's been very kind of you and I. And all of the audience. Because with the prospects of mankind. Newton Minow is chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Irving Goodman is executive producer of creative projects NBC News. John White is president of the

National Educational Television Radio Center. Mario Monti is is a television critic for The Reporter magazine. This program was produced in cooperation with the Lowell Institute cooperative broadcasting come out. Next month. President Kennedy will introduce Mrs. Roosevelt's progress on the status of women. Guests will include Secretary of Labor Arthur Goldberg Mrs. Russell's Swedish ambassador to the United Nations and Thomas Mendenhall president of Smith College. This is Bob Jones speaking. This is NPR National Educational Television.