Date of Award
5-1-1972
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Art & Design
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis was to examine the contribution of John F. White to the development of educational television in the United States. White, who was president of National Educational Television (N.E.T.) for over ten years, was instrumental in giving educational television a national image and establishing N.E.T. as the source of quality programs and services for educational television stations. The study traces Whitefs career from his position as development director at Western Reserve University in Cleveland where he helped pioneer the use of television for broadcasting courses for academic credit to his reaction to the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 and his subsequent resignation as president of N.E.T. The problems and issues White faced and his reactions to them are also included in the study. Materials were gathered from the Library of Congress and the library of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters. This research was supplemented by copies of speeches White made during his presidency, publications of N.E.T., and private interviews and correspondence with individuals relevant to the study. Much of White*s success in educational television can be traced to his being the right man for the right time in the development of the industry. His dynamic personality and enthusiasm for educational television was essential in generating the spirit of optimism that the industry desperately needed in the late 1950!s and the early 1960fs.
Recommended Citation
Frederickson, Sara Garland, "John F. White: One Man's Contribution to Educational Television in the United States" (1972). Theses and Dissertations. 6598.
https://commons.und.edu/theses/6598
