DOCUMENT RESUME ED 292 440 IR 013 191 TITLE A Report to the People. 20Years of Your National Commitment to Public Broadcasting, 1967-1987. 1986 Annual Report. INSTITUTION Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Washington, D.C. REPORT NO ISBN-0-89776-100-6 PUB DATE [15 May 87] NOTE 129p.; Photographs will not reproduce well. PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/n06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Annual Reports; Cultural Enrichment; Educational Radio; *Educational Television; *Financial Support; *Programing (Broadcast); *Public Television; *Television Viewing IDENTIFIERS *Annenberg CPB Project; *Corporation for Public Broadcasting ABSTRACT This annual report for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for fiscal year 1986 also summarizes the CPB's activities over the last 20 years. The front inside cover folds out to three pages and provides a chronology of the important events in CPB history from its inception in 1967 to 1987. A narrative report on the CPB's 20 years of operation highlights its beginnings, milestones, programming, and audiences; the broadcasting system; and funding. Comments in support of public television by a wide variety of public figures concludes this portion of the report. The 1986 annual report provides information on television programming, radio programming, community outreach, adult learning, program support activities, and system support activities for that fiscal year. The CPB Board of Directors and officers are also listed, and a financial accounting by the firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. is provided. The text is supplemented by a number of graphs, figures, and photographs. (EW) ********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********w*********************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION Office of Education& RoSearch and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) )(This document has been reproduced 35 received from the person or organization originating it C Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this docu- ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy wt A REPORT TO THE PEOPLE sevi' 20 Years of Your National Commitment to Public Broadcasting\ 19674987 ;4. N;;;\ S ;5. 4. , lcin, \ t "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS \...61 I N MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY t*, .. \. E.C. Miller t 44- .N. \ TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES t'Nk4 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." 5. Co oration for Public Brocasting --, 4 :.4" mai I6port IN', S. \ 4) .**, 3.1 %, '...' ,, ,r. t,_:,,,,2,... , -4T6Ertg: t, ii. ),,, \ N.. .,\ P AA',711-4"0- j" *. - At /is IA "4,4 '''6,'V,TV , /%hip4./ /., 2 / ",.;;; r AF 4`r .'..,-,-'.0'7-' , ..' 0 / -/ " L ., ., :., - ,-- ... .., ..' 1.:-. ...f- ,./ . 1. --9 /A " {',14,';1' 1.1 /- ' A/4( / i , / 1/L' - 1967-19 8 7 20 Years of Your Vational Commitment to Public Broadcaslint; 1967 The Carnegie Commission issues its Regular, nationwide interconnection 1971 Number of full-service public radio report, Public Television: A Program among television stations by tele- stations reaches 100. for Action. phone landlines is inaugurated. The Great American Dream Machine The Hidden Medium: A Status Report The Forsyte Saga and The Advocates and Masterpiece Theatre debut on on Educational Radio in the United program series debut on public PBS. States is published by the Johnson television. Foundation. It spurs the inclusion of NPR launches its first live nationwide radio in the public television broad- broadcast with coverage of Senate casting bill before Congress. hearings on Vietnam. President Lyndon Johnson signs the All Things Considered Pubiic Broadcasting Act, which pro- debuts on NPR. vides for creation of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). 44. Public broadcasting wins four Peabody Awards for television and one Peabody Award for radio. 1972 The Electric Company premieres on CPB sets funding standards as growth PBS. incentives for local public radio stations. 1973 CPB and PBS sign Partnership Agree- ment that sets the course for program- Children's Television Workshop pro- ming relationship between them and duction Sesame Street goes on public agreement for long-range funding television. goals. 1968CPB is formed. CPB makes its first program grant. It NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO goes to production of Black Journal !k for public television. 1970 National Public Radio (NPR) is formed by CPB and the public radio 1969 CPB awards the first General Sup- stations, and nationwide radio station port Grants (later renamed Commu- interconnection is launched. nity Service Grants) to local stations. Public television broadcasts Public Broadcasting Hollywood Television Theatre's pro- Service (PBS) is duction of The Andersonville Public television and radio carry formed by CPB and gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Water- the public televi- Number of public television stations gate hearings, longest broadcast cov- sion stations. PBS reaches 200. erage ever devoted to one news event. PBS begins pioneering development 1977 Carnegie Commission on the Future of of technology for closed captioning Public Broadcasting ("Carnegie II") of television programs for hearing- is convened. impaired viewers. CPB and consortium of banks sign CPB establishes Minority Training CPB helps fund pilot production of $32.5 million financing plan for satel- Grant program. science series NOVA. lite system to connect stations. 1974 Number of full-service public radio 1975 President Gerald Ford signs Public JOEL stations reaches 150. Broadcasting Financing Act of 1975, establishing long-range, advance PBS Station Program Cooperative is funding for public broadcasting. formed, giving local stations primary role in selecting and funding programs PBS, Ford Foundation, and, later, for national distribution. CPB and NPR join forces in plans to set up a public broadcasting CPB conducts major study of satellite connection system.Or radio services for people with impaired vision. Dance in America debuts. CPB funds ThinkAbout, first of more than 15 series of instructional televi- Number of public television stations 1976 CPB Board commits reaches 250. sion (ITV) programs it has funded up to $110 million over since then. 10 years to esta- Monthly portion of American house- blish a Satellite holds watching public television 1978 Satellite system goes into operation connection for public television. reaches 50 percent. system. \ 1979 Carnegie II releases its report, Live from A Public Trust. Lincoln Center debuts Public radio audience reaches 5 mil- rf rrf on PBS. lion listeners a week. ci-ewedizieri ) CPB establishes Morning Edition Women's Training Grant program. debuts on NPR. The MacNeil/Lehrer Nonprofit, inde- pendent National HOB Captioning Institute NEWS is established. Great Performances debuts on PBS. MacNeil/Lehrer Report premieres on PBS. Number of full-service public radio stations reaches 200. I : -- : . :: f or t: : : 1980 CPB Board creates the television 1982 American Playhouse debuts as first 1985 Kids America debuts as only live, daily Program Fund. public television series to be produced national radio program for children. by a consortium of stations. NPR's Weekend Edition debuts. rA Nature debuts CONTACT on PBS. CPB funds Public Television Outreach Alliance, collaboration of 1983 MacNeil /Lehrer NewsHour ; nitiates documentary programming with 3-2-1 Contact premieres as first nation's first hour-long nightly televi- community action to deal with continuing closed-captioned program sion news show. on PBS. national societal problems. Frontline debuts on PBS. NPR completes satellite interconnection. Reading Rainbow debuts on PBS. WTTW-TV, Chicago, pioneers devel- Number of pubic television stations 1986 CPB and public television stations opment of multichannel ("stereo") reaches 300. establish joint television Programming television broadcasting. Challenge Fund. CPB Board establishes the Radio Pro- gram Fund. 1987 Washington Week in Review, public television's longest-running public affairs program, celebrates 20th anniversary. r 1984 The Bmin and The Constitution: That Delicate Balance, funded by Annen- A Prairie Home Companion begins berg/CPB Project, debut on PBS. nationwide broadcast. WonderWorks premieres on PBS. 1981 American Public Radio (APR) programming distribution service Number of full-service public radio is formed. stations reaches 275. $150 million Annenberg/CPB WTTW-TV, Chicago, becomes first Project for telecommunica- television station to broadcast in tions and higher education multichannel ("stereo") full time in Square One TV and Eyes on the Prize is launched. the United States. debut on PBS. 2 Corporation for Public Broadcasting BEGINNINGS "This was innovative. It was withoutcom- mercialism. And it m dedicated to rendering a public serrice." former .Cen.John Pastore On a December day in 1964, in Washington, D.C.'s Statler Hilton Hotel, au unprecedented gathering took place. From across the nation, university presidents, corporate chiefs, school superintendents, and commu- nity leaders assembled. They had one thing incommon: They chaired the boards of noncommercial educational television stations. They had been called togetl er on behalf of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB) by C. Scott Fletcher, then head of the Fozd Foundation's Fund for Adult Education. Recalling it, Frederick Breitenfeld, then an NAEB staffer and now president of