Educational Broadcasting Stations

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 24, 24 December 1931, Page 5

Educational Broadcasting Stations

Maintained by American Colleges ORTY-OND institutions of higher learning in the United States maintain broadcasting stations as integral parts of the educational systems. Mest of: these stations came into existence when broadcasting was in its infancy. For instance, WSAJ (Grove City College) was started in 1913 for amateur receiving and transmitting experiments. Station WSUI (State University of Iowa) was the first broadcasting station west of the Mississippi. One of the pioneer stations in the East was WPSC (Pennsylvania State College), but it first came prominently before the public in May, 1924, by broadcasting the rattle of a rattlesnake. The snake later became known as "Radio Kelly." It now finds an honoured place, stuffed and labelled, among the exhibits in the Natural History Department of the College. A recent survey of college wireless stations shows that their programmes vary from foreign language lessons to lectures on railroad extension; from public discussions on Hinstein’s Theory to the history of Persian rugs. There are also symphony concerts, stock exchange reports, news, and athletic broadcasts. Time "on the air" ranges from one hour per week in one in stance, to 53} hours in another. The expense of running and maintaining stations is generally met by appropriations from State and Hducational Extension Departments. Seven stations, however, have recentiy accepted sponsored programmes in an effort to extend the activities of the station.