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Show televDsnoim comnnnneoitairy AT &TETV? FFBNMc-COMS- AT it can't afford cable hookup. This is because the powers in U.S. education have maintained an attitude toward educational television kin to a white trash family's feelings about the Mongolian idiot they keep locked up in the loft. But with BNS, ETV could finally fulfill its dream of providing creative programming for the richest nation on earth, thus forcing commercial networks to upgrade their programs and make all television something more worth watchBy Dick biggest Foundation (FF): FF urges a Broadcasters' Satellite Service (BNS) be formed. This company would send up satellites and let the networks pay for using them to transmit their programs, instead of the networks using telephone cables as they do now. The would come to a of $30 million at first. profit This money would go to EducaNon-Prof- it non-profi- ts tional Television (ETV). ETV then could become a network itself and educational stations such as Utah's KED and KUSU could really compete with commercial stations KUTV, and KSL. While ETV calls itself a network, it is financed literally by charity, a charity so feeble ETV has to mail its programs around the country since KCPX I ing. Hughes issue in the of world television last peculiar week was and is the following startling proposal by the Ford The "vexed," as it has been described in polite language, because COMSAT was formed to do just what BNS would do, only COMSAT would keep most of the profits, generously giving stockholders 75 cents a share once in awhile. The cry you will be hearing in months ahead is "unfair to free enterprise," to which will be added "to many satellites will cause transmission problems.'!' But have faith science could straighten that problem out. The reason I'm sure BNS (which COMSAT wants shortened to plain BS) will fail is: it If such a system to were education organized help AT&T stockholders would march on DC in the interests of free enterprize. This mass of marchers would flatten the Capitol. So the BNS scheme, as with so many other attempts to improve education in the U.S., seems doomed because this nation is always going to put $ and c ahead of knowledge. Unless of course the NAM can get what they want more cheaply, through BNS than COMSAT. Then the NAM would lobby vigorously, but 'm not sure there aren't more AT&T stockholders than manufacturers in the U.S., so the NAM cause would be outnumbered. Which means FFs glorious scheme of making ETV competitive with ABC, CBS and NBC : and NBC are all this for plan because their transmission costs would come down from what they pay for telephone cables now. FF'is for it because they dreamed it up, but with good reason. Since 1952 FF has given $100 million to ETV and educational television still stinks, largely. Upon announcement of FF's plan, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) endorsed the idea since manufacturers are using more and more ABC, CBS non-prof- television in industry and BNS would perhaps provide cheap service. If BNS is so beautiful, what's the issue? Enter the Communication Satellite Corp. (COMSAT), largely owned by something that sounds like a railroad but actually is a telephone company, AT&T. Perhaps you've heard of it? This monolith naturally is would perish, which will be TB ' (too bad). Ci- -l ! |