Evening star., 1953-03-14
Educational "
Includes
Area Schools
Group Would Form
Corporation to
Operate Station
By jones 6. Deone

Washington-area colleges and
schools are being asked to join
in a non-profit corporation to
operate an educational television
station.
Formation of the corporation
was decided on yesterday by a
group of educators and cultural
leaders. The corporation is to
be created within a few days,
and IS school systems and other
institutions are being invited to
form a temporary board of
trustees.
The District Board of Educa-
tion. which already has asked
for control of the station itself,
is one of the Is. The educators
hope to win the boards cooper
alton. but they plan to go ahead
in any case. This will mean fill
ing a competing application with
the Federal Communications
Commission, unless the School
Board application is revised or
withdrawn.
The new corporation, the edu-
Gators decided, will be called the
Greater Washington Educational
TeleviSion Association, Inc. Un-
der bylaws indorsed yesterday,
the association will have 49,
member board of trustees, as we'll
as an advisory council.
Will Seek Financing.
Universities and colleges. pub
lie school boards, parochial and
private schools and cultural in
StitutionS will be eligible for
membership. They will be asked
to lend financial support, but no
minimum amount is being set.
The organization also will seek
contributions from philanthropic
organizations and from the pub
lie. A 100000 gift from the
Ford Foundation already has
been promised.
The Washington Committee
for Educational Television-the
designation used by the educa-
tors backing the move-has been
discussing the educational video
project for some months. Dis
trict school officials took part for
some time. but the committee
has been feuding with school
officials recently.
Last month, after a request
from the committee, the FEC
deferred for eight weeks any
action on the Board of Educa-
ton application for the city's
sole educational TV channel.
School officials boycotted yester-
days committee meeting.
Board Action in Doubt.
Supt. Hobart M. Corning has
maintained the District schools
can't legally take part in the
project without final control.
What the Board of Education
now will do is in doubt.
The Arlington, Prince Georges
and Montgomery County schools
also are being invited to send
representatives to the first board
of trustees. So are the WASH
ington Catholic archdiocese and
American, Catholic, Georgetown,
George Washington and Howard
Universities. These cultural in
stitutions also are on the initial
list: Brookings Institution, Fol-
ger Library. Library of Congress.
National Gallery of Art and
Smithsonian Institution.
All these organizations are be-
ing invited to become charter
members. Also on the charter
membership list are the school
systems of the other nearby COM
munities-Fairfax, Falls Church
and Alexandria - the Virginia
Catholic parochial schools. the
Washington and Montgomery
public libraries, National SYM
phony Orchestra and Corcoran
and Phillips Galleries of Art.
Two private schools not yet Sc
lected also will be invited into
charter membership.
Others Eligible.
Committee members said 9TH
er non-prof1t colleges and uni
verSitieS, private and parochial
schools and cultural institutions
within the proposed stations
broadcasting area-possibly a
radius of SO miles or more-also
will be eligible Nfor membership.
The initial list is merely to get
the corporation started, they
emphasized.
Civic, social and welfare or
ganizationS-and otherS-will be
invited to form an advisory
council to represent consumer
opinion" and help raise funds.
The trustees will appoint this
council.
Operating policies for the pro-
posed station are being left to
the trustees. Fifteen of these
will be elected by the members
periodically, five representing
colleges and anniversaries, five
the public, parochial and private
schools, and five the cultural
institutions. Three others will be
elected by the trustees to repre-
sent the public. The remain
ing trustee will be the corpora
tion's executive officer.
The trustees will elect the
corporations officers.
Early Replies Sought.
Yesterdays session was called
by the Ford-backed National Cit
izens' Committee for Educational