Evening star., 1938-09-18


start teachers and students toward
the classroom.
During the last school year more
than ESQ institutions Of higher learn
ing offered courses in broadcasting
technique, while throughout the land
a thousand or more school systems,
some of their teachers trained in those
courses, carried broadcasts designed
for classroom reception. The college
courses are offered for a twofold pur-
pose: First, to train teachers how to
utilize radio most effectively; second
ly. to train the young idea for possible
careers in the radio fields.
Most so-called educational broad
casting is done on a localized basis;
that is, the broadcasts to schools and
homes are planned and staged in local
radio studios, usually with the pro-
fessional broadcasters lending their
time and their aid to local educators.
Some. however, are carried nationally
on the networks, the chief of these
being Columbia networks School of
the Air, scheduled to resume its 2:30-
3 pm. each schoolday sessions the
second week in October, and the
Walter Damrosch Musical Apprecia-
ton Course, scheduled to resume its
Friday morning broadcasts on Ma
tional Broadcasting Co. at about the
same time.
Locally. one OF the most elaborate
and important schools of the air"
is that conducted over the powerful
WSB, Atlanta, and network OF
Georgia stations. under the auspices OF
the Atlanta journal, with 100000 pu-
pills in 400 Georgia schools listening
regularly and with contests made part
of the curriculum in order to bring
out young talent. The prizes are schol
arships in Georgia colleges and trip
to the New York World Fair
In other communities much the
same thing is being done in co-opera-
ton with the local school authorities
and with regular teachers conducting
the courses" Notable examples are
the University of Kentucky's broad
casts over WHAS, of the Louisville
Courier er-Journal; the Ohio State
School of the Air over WLW. Gin
cinnati; the Connecticut State Col
lege's current history dramatiZations
over VITO. Hartford; the Detroit
Board of Education's broadcasts over
WWJ. Detroit; the Chicago Radio
Councils regularly scheduled broad
casts to the local schools over seven
Chicago stations; the University of
WJR. Detroit, and the Rochester and
Buffalo schools of the air over WHAM
in the former city and WBEN in the
latter.
Only few dozen colleges and uni
versities and only three or four ele-
mentary schools have their own
broadcasting stations. most Of them
operated like any other commercial
station but all OF them reserving large
blocks Of time for educational pro-
grams that are sponsorless. Some
school systems are going in for their
own ultra -short-wave stations, notably
New York's and Clevelands. utilizing
the rs wave lengths set aside for just
that purpose last spring by the Fed
eral Communications Commission.
Relatively few institutions Of learn
ing, however, have availed themselves
Of these wave lengths, which could
accommodate as many as 1900 local
stations from which local educators
could stage programs for their own
schools. The cost of transmitters and
special receiving apparatus, plus the
necessity Of staining such stations, have
deferred most educational systems
from taking advantage of the gener-
GUS allotment of channels now avail
able. Many others are quite satisfied
to have tie-ups with existing local sta
tions and frankly don't want stations
of their own. Altogether, only seven
school systems or colleges have actual
| ly applied to the F. c. C. for these
short waves, and only Cleveland and
New York seem to be making serious
efforts to utilize them effectively.
With respect to the new vogue
among colleges Of teaching teachers
about radio, and also training young
men and women for radio careers, the
leadership seems to have been taker
by New York University with its now
famous Radio Workshop" which or
September 10 opens its fall semester
with courses conducted by professional
radiomen from the Nee York net.
works and stations; Columbia Uni
versity. which starts lecture course
October S; University of Michigan
which offers credit courses in all
phases OF radio technique; North
western University, which offers simi-
lar courses in its School of Speech
and City College of New York, which
will offer an evening course Wednes-
days. starting this semester and utiliz.
ing lectures for the most part.
&EVERAL times booked to broadcast
to America, but always concelinf
at the last minute. the great pianist
Paderewski. has at last capitulated tc
the radio and has agreed to broad
cast from his villa af Aoruec Su,jf1or