Carnegie Commission on Educational Television

Carnegie Commission on Educational Television. The Carnegie Commission on Educational Television was a pivotal blue-ribbon panel established in 1965 by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Its landmark 1967 report, *Public Television: A Program for Action*, provided the foundational blueprint for the modern American public broadcasting system. The commission's recommendations directly led to the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and paved the way for entities like the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio.

Background and formation

The commission was created amid growing concern over the state of television in the United States during the mid-1960s. Influential figures like John W. Gardner, then president of the Carnegie Corporation, and Newton N. Minow, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, had long criticized the commercial television landscape for its perceived lack of educational and cultural programming. The success of early educational broadcasters, such as those supported by the Ford Foundation and stations like WGBH in Boston and WNET in New York City, demonstrated a viable alternative model. Against the backdrop of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society initiatives, which emphasized education and social progress, the Carnegie Corporation funded the commission to conduct a comprehensive, independent study on the potential of noncommercial television.

Membership and structure

The commission was composed of fifteen distinguished citizens from academia, industry, and the arts, deliberately selected for their diverse expertise and absence of direct ties to the broadcasting industry. James R. Killian Jr., former president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and science advisor to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, served as chairman. Other notable members included attorney Owen J. Roberts, Ralph Ellison, author of *Invisible Man*, and Terry Sanford, then the governor of North Carolina. The commission was staffed by an executive director, Hyman H. Goldin, and supported by a team of consultants who conducted extensive research, including studies on the British Broadcasting Corporation and other international models of public service broadcasting.

Key findings and recommendations

The commission's central finding was that a substantial, permanent, and insulated federal funding mechanism was essential for a robust educational television service. Its major recommendations included the establishment of a federally chartered, nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting to serve as a buffer between government and broadcasters, dispersing funds and setting broad policy. It advocated for the creation of an interconnected system of stations to share programming, a concept that evolved into the Public Broadcasting Service. The report emphasized the need for "public television" – a term it popularized – to serve as a forum for debate, a source of educational programming for all ages, and a patron for the arts, distinct from both commercial networks and direct government-controlled media.

Impact and legacy

The impact of the Carnegie Commission was immediate and profound. Its report was presented directly to President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House in January 1967. Within eleven months, Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which enacted the commission's core proposals almost verbatim. This legislation led directly to the founding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the subsequent creation of the Public Broadcasting Service in 1969, and later support for National Public Radio. The commission's vision shaped iconic programs like *Sesame Street*, *Masterpiece Theatre*, and *NOVA*. Its work established the principle of public funding insulated from political interference, a model that has faced ongoing challenges but remains central to American public media.

Publications and reports

The commission's sole but monumental publication was its final report, *Public Television: A Program for Action*, released on January 26, 1967. Published by Bantam Books, the report became a public document and a bestseller. It was preceded by extensive background research papers commissioned from experts like Harry J. Skornia of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters and scholars studying systems in the United Kingdom and Japan. While no formal follow-up reports were issued by the original commission, its work inspired the creation of a second panel, the Carnegie Commission on the Future of Public Broadcasting, which issued a new set of recommendations in 1979.

Category:Carnegie Corporation of New York Category:Public broadcasting in the United States Category:1965 establishments in the United States