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4526482
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Dedication of ETV Station, Grand Valley State College, February 23, 1973
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4526482
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document
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Dedication of ETV Station, Grand Valley State College, February 23, 1973
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
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Federal aid
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4526482
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1973-02-28
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1973
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1973-02-01
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2
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1973
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The original documents are located in Box D34, folder "Dedication of ETV Station, Grand Valley State College, February 23, 1973" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Remarks at dedication of ETV Station at Grand Valley State College 2/23/73. Maffire Copy The dedication of this educational television station is a major event--a major event not only here in Allendale but in Michig an, and not only in Michigan but in the Nation. I say that because the Grand Rapids Area was one of the last major population centers to be given the benefits of educational television. It may interest you to know, incidentally, that the $465,000 Federal ETV grant made to Grand Valley State Colleges in fiscal 1971 was the largest educational TV grant ever made to a Michigan applicant. We need this station. We need educational TV. We need an alternative voice to commercial television. The non-commercial television stations can do a job the commercial stations simply cannot do. The reason, of course, is that the non-commercial stations have a different motivation. They are not profit-oriented. And so they can use their prime time to present the kind of programs which are not popular in the broad sense but are sorely needed in an educational sense. That, in sum, is the role and purpose of educational television. And this new ETV station at Allendale is one of the major building blocks in the achievement of that purpose. Before I left Washington Friday noon I talked with the acting director of the Educational Broadcasting Facilities Program, and he underscored one thing in connection with the Grand Valley State Colleges ETV program. "We have a great deal of confidence in that group," he said. And so do I. Educational television existed before the Federal Government got into the act. But with enactment of the Educational Television Facilities Act of 1962, ETV was stimulated and speeded up o The first grant for an ETV station was approved August 29, 1963. Educational radio stations became eligible for aid in 1967. Sinde the LIBRARY inception of the educational broadcasting assistance programs, the Federal Government Digitized from Box D34 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library -2- has made grants totalling $68 million plus, including $64.26 million to TV and the rest to radio. There were 76 educati onal television stations on the air in 1962. The ETV Facilities Act has helped to activate 133 new educational television stations. The Educational Broadcasting Facilities Program has provided 154 grants to ETV stations and 79 grants to educational radio stations. The program has helped five ETV stations in Michigan go on the air, including this one. In addition, the Federal Government has given Michigan stations three expansion and improvement grants. Since the inception of the program, the Federal Government has spent roughly $2.6 million in Michigan-$2.4 million plus for ETV and $187,000 for educational radio. Of course, we are all aware that Grand Valley State Colleges has an application pending now for an additional grant. Hopefully, those funds will be forthcoming in fiscal 1974. In the last fiscal year alone, great strides were made in educational broadcasting in Michigan. The Government made "'ve grants to Michigan stati ons-two for ETV and three for educational radio. We need to move ahead. We must do more. We must accelerat the development of ETV and make sure that it reaches all those who can benefit from it. And today I am most happy to be having a hand in dedicating one of the finest facilities of its kind in the Nation. the ETV station here at Grand Valley State Colleges. Good luck and Godspeed. ##### Remarks at dedication of ETV Station at Grand Valley State College 2/23/73. a affice Copy The dedication of this educational television station is a major event--a major event not only here in Allendale but in Michig an, and not only in Michigan but in the Nation. I say that because the Grand Rapids Area was one of the last major population centers to be given the benefits of educational television. It may interest you to know, incidentally, that the $465,000 Federal ETV grant made to Grand Valley S tate Colleges in fiscal 1971 was the largest educational TV grant ever made to a Michigan applicant. We need this station. We need educational TV. We need an alternative voice to commercial television. The non-commercial television stations can do a job the commercial stations simply cannot do. The reason, of course, is that the non-commercial stations have a different motivation. They are not profit-oriented. And SO they can use their prime time to present the kind of programs which are not popular in the broad sense but are sorely needed in an educational sense. That, in sum, is the role and purpose of educational television. And this new ETV station at Allendale is one of the major building blocks in the achievement of that purpose. Before I left Washington Friday noon I talked with the acting director of the Educational Broadcasting Facilities Program, and he underscored one thing in connection with the Grand Valley tate Colleges ETV program. "We have a great deal of confidence in that group," he said. And so do I. Educational television existed before the Federal Government got into the act. But with enactment of the Educational Television Facilities Act of 1962, ETV was stimulated and speeded up 0 The first grant for an ETV station was approved August 29, 1963. Educational radio stations became eligible for aid in 1967. Sinde the inception of the educational broadcasting assistance programs, the Federal Government -2- has made grants totalling $68 million plus, including $64.26 million to TV and the rest to radio. There were 76 educational television stations on the air in 1962. The ETV Facilities Act has helped to activate 133 new educational television stations. The Educational Broadcasting Facilities Program has provided 154 grants to ETV stations and 79 grants to educational radio stations. The program has helped five ETV stations in Michigan go on the air, including this one. In addition, the Federal Government has given Michigan stations three expansion and improvement grants. Since the inception of the program, the Federal Government has spent roughly $2.6 million in Michigan- 2.4 million plus for ETV and $187,000 for educational radio. Of course, we are all aware that Grand Valley State Colleges has an application pending now for an additional grant. Hopefully, those funds will be forthcoming in fiscal 1974. In the last fiscal year alone, great strides were made in educational broadcasting in Michigan. The Government made "'ve grants to Michigan stati ons-two for ETV and three for educational radio. We need to move ahead. We must do more. We must accelerate the development of ETV and make sure that it reaches all those who can benefit from it. And today I am most happy to be having a hand in dedicating one of the finest facilities of its kind in the Nation- the ETV station here at Grand Valley State Colleges. Good luck and Godspeed. #####