Evening star., 1952-10-18
Session Here 10 Study
New ~ Station as
Educational Medium

A specific proposal for owning
and operating the new Washing
ton educational television station
here will be considered at a meet
ing at George Washington Uni
versity November 6.
The plan was laid before The
Institute on Educational Televi-
sion for Washington yesterday at
Georgetown University.
Presented by the Rev. Brian A.
McGrath, S. j., dean of the Col
lege of Arts and Sciences Of
Georgetown. it calls for setting
up the Greater Washington Edu-
cational Broadcasters, Inc. It
would own and operates the sta
ton through another subsidiary
corporation known as Washing
ton Educational TeleviSion, Inc.
Not Sponsored by University.
Father McGrath emphasized the
plan was developed by himself
and some friends, and is not spon-
sored by the university.
The proposal will be considered
by the Washington Committee for
Educational Television. which
sponsored the Institutes two-day
session, just closed.
E. James Adams, chairman of
the Washington committee. an
Inounced to the 100 leading edu-
Gators. businessmen and others at
the institute that the session No
|vember 6 will be open to sugges-
tions of all kinds. Definite action
will be taken, he said. .,
All persons or agencies inter-
ested in sponsoring the proposed
new station may join the Wash
ington committee at the forth
coming session, he said. 1t will be
held at 2 pm. in Dimock room Of
Lisner Auditorium on the GWU
campus. Twenty-first and H
streets NV.
The McGrath proposal was dis
cussed at length at the institute.
Ways and means of raising the
funds concerned most speakers.
Many Groups Eligible.
The Greater Washington Edu-
cational Broadcasters, Inc, Father
McGrath explained, would be
broad in scope. Among those en-
titled to join would be educators
from institutions Of all levels in
the metropolitan area. There also
would be affiliated organizations,
such as libraries, the Chamber Of
Commerce of the United States,
Washington Board of Trade and
Federation of Citizens Associa-
tionS.
This top-level corporation would
own and operate the new TV sta
ton through ownership of stock
in the subsidiary corporation.
To finance it, Father McGrath
proposed commitment of $780,
600 year for about five years
from agencies assuming member
ship in the broadcasters.
He suggested a minimum of 80
groups, each pledging $4,000 a
year. Such a fund he estimated
would finance the new TV sta
tion on an eight-hour basis per
day. The cost would be less than
"a of l per cent of the money
now spent for education In the
Metropolitan area.
Cost Set at $34O,455.
Alex Weinstein. director Of
community relations, B'nai Birth,
reported that a conservative esti-
mate of cost of building the new
station would be $194,000, with
the yearly operating costs $146.-
ASS.
Savings could be achieved, he
pointed out, if a public school
building could be used for head
quarters, and one of the Tv towers
here could be used also by the
new station.
Mr.. Adams, assistant secretary
and assistant general counsel Of
the National Gallery of Art, en-
phasized that in it's financing the
new station would be prohibited
from selling time commercially.
Income could be raised, he said.
from the licensee or it's members,
from philanthropies. business, the
public, users of the station. and