Public broadcasting -- United States.

Abstract Gerald Slater (1934-2020) helped build PBS as one of its four founding employees and later moved to WETA-TV, the public broadcasting station in Washington, D.C. He began his career in the commercial end of the field, working for Columbia Broadcasting System from 1960 to 1967.His initial work in public broadcasting included the director of operations of the Public Broadcasting Laboratory from 1967 to 1969. Then, from 1969 to 1970, he served as a project specialist in...

Abstract John C. Schwarzwalder (1918-1992) was a pioneer in educational television, establishing the nation's first educational television station, KUHT-TV, at the University of Houston in 1953. He moved to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in 1956, where he helped establish three noncommercial educational television stations: KTCA-TV, KTCI-TV, and KWOM-TV. In 1976, he accepted the position of station manager of KOKH-TV in Oklahoma.Over the years, Schwarzwalder performed consultancy work for...

Abstract Louisa A. Nielsen worked for National Public Radio as director of the Programming Department's Educational Programming Services Division from 1976 to 1979. Her responsibilities included developing and marketing the NPR Audio Cassette Service, member station programming, and radio services for the blind. From 1979 to 1982, she was the program officer of Media Programs for the National Education for the Humanities. There, she directed the development of cultural broadcast programming in the...

Abstract Morris S. Novik (1903-1996) entered broadcasting in 1932 when he took over the management of the relatively new radio station WEVD (named for labor organizer Eugene V. Debs) in New York. During this period, he founded the University of the Air, a regular series of lectures, discussions, and debates. In 1938, he accepted a position as director of communications for New York City and also the public radio station WNYC. While in this post, Novik is said to have coined...

Abstract Arthur A. Paul began his public broadcasting career as a production intern and announcer for Chicago's WTTW-TV from 1958 to 1960. He later worked for various stations, including KUAT-TV, Tucson, WCNY-TV, Syracuse, and KVIE, Sacramento. He co-founded the Association of California Public Television Stations and was twice its president. Paul served on the board of directors of both regional and national organizations: Western Educational Network, the Indiana Public Broadcasting Society, and the...

Abstract Industrialist Ralph Burton Rogers (1909-1997) is considered one of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) founders for organizing more than 200 independent, mostly educational stations into a national public television system. He served as chairman of PBS from 1973 to 1979. He was widely credited with resisting the Nixon Administration's efforts to push public television out of public affairs broadcasting and cut its financing.Rogers became interested in public broadcasting in the...

Abstract William "Bill" Thomas Reed (1938-2020) helped create the PBS Elementary/Secondary Service, the PBS Adult Learning Service, the PBS Adult Learning Satellite Service, and the PBS National Narrowcast Service (later called the Business Channel) during the 1980s. He also created the PBS Home Video Project, an operation designed to market PBS videos to home viewers.Reed joined public station KIXE in Redding, CA in 1967 as KIXE's general manager. In 1974, he started working full time at...

Abstract Ellis James Robertson (1918-2009) began his noncommercial broadcasting career as program director at WTTW (Chicago, IL) from 1954 to 1959. Starting in 1959, he held various Educational Television positions, including director of station relations and vice president and later president for network affairs. He also served as vice president and general manager for Community Television of Southern California, where he planned, equipped and constructed KCET. In 1970, Robertson became the Director...