Jack/Ron Tribute Tape Washington D.C.

Each week, 68 ,000 Nebraskans listened to Nebraska -Public Radio, and they were able to and each week, over 82 ,000 Nebraskans view locally produced programs on the Nebraska -ETV network. 96 ,000 Nebraskans enjoy performing arts and cultural programs. 152 ,000 Nebraskans watch news and public affairs programs, and over 200 ,000 view science and nature programs each week. 430 ,000 youngsters learn from children's programming. All together, that's enough people to fill up Memorial Stadium, twice each day, every day of the year. These hours of radio and television programming, as well as a host of other electronic media services, originate and are distributed from this building on the campus of the University of Nebraska and Lincoln. The House, the Jack Built. It all started in 1953 when the university hired a producer director from Wayne University in Detroit to develop educational programs for broadcast on

commercial television stations in Lincoln and Omaha. But within a year, the owner of the Lincoln CBS affiliate gave one of its two stations to the University, and K -U -O -N -T -V became the seventh educational station in the country. Jack, a Nebraska native, was brilliant at building systems, securing state and federal funding, adapting new technologies to education, and persuading organizations and agencies to use this new media. But perhaps his most brilliant move was to hire a South Dakota native, who attended high school in Hollywood, earned a master's at Syracuse University, loved the arts, the movies, theater, and had a peculiar habit of tossing his tie over his left shoulder. For Nebraska, it was a dream team. Jack built the hardware, the structure and system. Ron developed the software, the programs. The synergy of these two individuals propelled public broadcasting

in Nebraska into what it is today. In 1963, another milestone was reached when the Nebraska Legislature passed the Nebraska Educational Television Act, creating the statewide network. I visualized educational television as an additional tool of communication and as an opportunity to bring facts and expertise of the best instructors, the best teachers and the latest in art and science to the remote parts of the state. In 1968, the McBride Hall team gained support from the State Senator Terry Carbender to build a facility that would house the growing number of services and television staff that were scattered across 12 different sites on campus. Construction of the Nebraska Educational Telecommunication Center was completed in 1972.

The building had the capacity to originate, record, store, duplicate, retrieve, and distribute any form of educational telecommunications program. Most people thought that educational television would be nothing more than a minor programming device, an arm, if you will, of the University of Nebraska. It's become much, much more than that. It is a major broadcasting feature in Nebraska today. And because of the leadership in Nebraska has played, I think that has helped educational television around the country. The new studios had color cameras, and now Nebraska ETV could more effectively produce programs for regional and national distribution. So the deacon and crowd of the village for Query could find the strongest oak. In 1976 under Ron's guidance, Nebraska ETV co -produced with great

Amwell a national poetry series. It sported a new logo. Three months later on New Year's Day, NBC unveiled its new logo. It was identical to Nebraska's. In a settlement, NBC got the logo, Nebraska got a new truck with color cameras, and a donation of cash to create a new logo. The newly painted truck would first be used on a program about the writer, Mary Sandoz, taped in the Nebraska Sandhills, and hosted by Dick Cavitt. The crew parked the truck by the side of a haystack. It sank up to its axle in the sand and had to be pulled out by a Sandoz farm truck. Ron was instrumental in developing other national series and specials at Nebraska ETV. In 1982, he took a leave of absence to work at CPB, where he served

as director of the program fund for six years. Among the signature series he developed was the American Experience. Back in Nebraska, Jack continued to build his legacy. He would develop a public radio network that would duplicate the statewide ETV coverage. At Educable, a cable channel now available to 41 % of all Nebraska households. In the early 90s, NET began producing educational materials for non -broadcast delivery through satellite and the internet. The single -broadcast service of 1953 became a complex system of telecommunication services for the state citizens. Nebraska citizens placed a high value on Nebraska educational telecommunications. In a recent Gallup survey, they rated their public radio and TV service as one of the most treasured public resources, exceeded only by libraries and colleges. Not surprising for, in terms of

federal dollars, the cost of public broadcasting is only $1 .12 per person per year. Jack retired in 1996 and Ron split his time between PBS and Washington and Nebraska. Rod Bates became the new general manager. In the mid -70s, he'd been a producer director in Nebraska ETV. He directed the Sandoah's program, the one in which the new remote truck got stuck in the sand. One of the things that was very obvious to me was how loyal people are to this organization. And I think that's a tribute to Ron Anjak for creating an environment where people just love to work. So we were having a annual banquet and I said to the human resources director, why don't you give me a list of all the people that have been here for 20 years and we'll have them stand up and be recognized at the banquet. And she looked at me dumbfounded and went back, came back and she says, well, here you are. And the list was incredibly long. It would have taken all night to read them off. I said, well, let's make it 25 years, same problem. I'm not kidding, we

ended up. I said, well, okay, 30 years. Those employees that have been here for 30 years are longer and there were still like eight or ten people that have been here for 30 years. But I think that says a lot about Ron and Jack and the environment they created. People love it here. Ron and Jack are still making major contributions as special consultants. Jack recently established Heartland USA and International Service which will provide American public television programs to a worldwide audience. Ron is still involved with developing new programming for Nebraska and for PBS. Together, they built a solid foundation to take us into the millennium.