Broadcasting and higher education: A new era

Education for broadcasting: 1929–1963

“…6 During the I93o's broadcast educators were experimenting and adjusting their courses. Originally, radio was rationalized into the curriculum as being a part of speech, or journalism, or drama, or any of the older disciplines 7 and probably constituted a onesemester course. Since, as previously mentioned, it seems likely that the radio course was most frequently offered in the speech department, "Radio Speech" or "Radio Speaking" might logically have been the most recurring course titles.…”

“…11 Eventually the ill fit of the various components within the radio course led to the realization that radio was not just one aspect of some other discipline. 12 Equipment was another area of concern. Several articles listed the minimum equipment needed for a college "radio speaking" course.…”

“…19 Sydney W. Head and Leo A. Martin, have said that in 1938 more than 300 schools offered courses in radio. 20 Richard C. Brand, writing in 1942 as Head of the Department of Speech at Virginia Intermont College, stated that in the 1939-1940 school year 360 schools offered 1028 radio courses under fourteen headings. However, Brand later mentioned that there were more courses in the technical field of radio than any other, an indication that he included electrical engineering courses in this count.…”

“…The National Commission on Accreditation, however, would not grant UAPRE official accrediting powers. 42 Despite this fact, the Office of Education's Directory continued to note those institutions that met requirements for UAPRE membership until close to the termination of the Association in 1955. 43 The Directory reported that in 1948 a few more than 400 colleges and universities offered broadcasting courses.…”

“…This was to be a joint industry-education organization with the following aims: (1) to attract more schools to the study of broadcasting, (2) to improve broadcasting education, (3) to enhance the discipline and give it academic status, and (4) to secure financial support from the industry and to keep open the flow of information between education and industry. 49 That year, Edgar Willis categorized graduate theses in radio and television as falling into the following areas: education and broadcasting, administration, audience analysis, broadcasting and society, and program writing and production. One of his general suggestions for the future was that the graduate student should deal more with television than radio since television was by then the more important of the two media.…”