The Federal Communications Commission recently approved 82 licenses that the Public Broadcasting Service will use to set up a television network to transmit educational programming to and from local instructional television stations.
The pbs National Narrowcast Network will operate in the Instructional Television Fixed Service, a frequency band reserved by the fcc for educational purposes, and will link educational programming on itfs stations by satellite.
Because itfs stations are required to use low-frequency transmitters, their programming now is only available locally. The pbs link, however, will allow fixed-service stations to air television courses from schools nationwide.
“With the addition of our National Narrowcast Service, I envision millions of students gaining a quality education conveniently in their homes,” said Lawrence K. Grossman, president of pbs (Mr. Grossman left pbs last month to direct NBC News.)
The network, which will offer a full range of television courses for schools, hospitals, and businesses, is expected to be in operation by fall.
Officials for the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting Project have announced that the project would provide more than $5 million to three new programs. The fund was set up to provide grants for telecommunications projects that address problems in higher education. Among the new programs will be a two-semester television course in French language and culture to be developed by Yale University in conjunction with Wellesley College and WGBH-tv in Boston, and a 34-part television course in college physics to be developed by the California Institute of Technology.
The National Student/Parent Mock Election, a project devised by a nonprofit education corporation called the Teachers Guides to Television Family Institute, has received a $10,000 grant from the American Television and Communications Corporation, a cable television subsidiary of Time, Inc.
The project will provide educators with materials to interest students in the 1984 Presidential campaign and will conduct a straw poll of students in October.
Joan Ganz Cooney, president of the Children’s Television Workshop has been named the Media Educator of the Year by the International Communications Industries Association last month.
The award was presented to Ms. Cooney for her “insight and vision in using communications technology in helping educate the children of the world,” said a spokesman for the icia, a trade association of the communications industry. “Sesame Street” is one of the workshop’s best-known programs.
Nominations, including self-nominations, for the 1984 Media Educator of the Year award will be accepted until June 1 by the icia Public Relations Committee, 3150 Spring St., Fairfax, Va. 22031.--cc
