• In the early 1970s, ITV is seen as a way to broaden curriculum by introducing new subject matter not currently being covered by teachers.

• Educational television will decline throughout this decade.

• The term information technology begins to be used in place of the earlier term instructional media.

• The expansion of microprocessor technology, coupled with the merger of telecommunications and computers, expands the concept of the "Information Society."

• New technologies' impact on education remains limited.

• In the early part of this decade, concern about the potentially harmful effects of television on children continues to grow.

• Research indicates that, at this time, administrative convenience rather than demonstrated educational effectiveness is the predominant criteria for choice of audiovisual equipment purchase.

• As cognitive psychology's impact on educational theory grows, research shifts from media comparisons to an evaluation of media as one part of the larger instructional message.

• Microcomputers become available.

• By the late 1970s, the prevailing mood in education is 'back to basics.'  ITV reflects this, as programs are produced to help teach basic skills and to show those skills' relevance to real life situations.

(tv) 1970- President Nixon creates the Office of Telecommunications Policy. The OTP's criticism of public broadcasting's coverage of the Nixon administration ultimately undermined congressional support for public broadcasting and led to great tension between PBS and the CPB. (Saettler, 1990)

(tv) 1970- The Department of Audiovisual Instruction becomes the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. (Library of Congress name authority file)

(radio) 1971- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting establishes an interconnected National Public Radio network, passing over the National Association of Educational Broadcasters' existing Educational Radio Network to create a new entity. NPR will produce as well as distribute programs. Fewer than 20% of existing non-commercial stations became members of NPR. (Saettler, 1990)

(tv) 1971- October 25: The premiere episode of The Electric Company is broadcast. Its cast includes Bill Cosby, Jim Boyd, Lee Chamberlin, Morgan Freeman, Judy Graubart, Skip Hinnant, and Rita Moreno. This episode focuses on pronunciation of the letter "g" including both hard and soft sounds. (UGA Libraries)

(tv) 1971- By this point, over $100 million has been spent on instructional television.

(tv) 1972- The "1972 Report of the Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Television and Behavior" is published.

(tv) 1972- Home Box Office (HBO), the first commercial cable network, is transmitted by Time, inc. (Fact Monster web site)

(tv) 1972- The Surgeon General of the United States and the National Institute of Mental Health issue a report stating that television violence is harmful to children. (Fact Monster web site)

(tv) 1973- The National Instructional Television Center is incorporated as the Agency for Instructional Television. (U. Md. web site)

(tv) 1973- PBS is restructured. In 1974, the Station Program Cooperative (SPC) would give stations greater independence from PBS, allowing them to decide which programs they purchase and broadcast. (Saettler, 1990)

"We believe . . . that the broadcaster's public service obligation includes a responsibility to provide diversified programming designed to meet the varied needs and interests of the child audience. . . . In this regard, educational or informational programming for children is of particular importance."—FCC 1974 Policy Statement.

(tv) 1974- Western Union launches the communications satellite Westar. (Saettler, 1990)

(tv) 1975- The Public Broadcasting Financing Act is signed. The CPB will have to apply to congress for funding every year. (Saettler, 1990)

(tv) 1975- The federal government begins to administer funds for school library materials and audiovisual equipment jointly, leading to unification of state level units concerned with school libraries, audiovisual media, and instructional television. (Taylor, 1980)

(tv) 1976- A survey indicates that during the 1976-1977 school year, about 15 million students receive some instruction via television.  (Dirr and Pedone, 1977)
[READ MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE RESULTS OF THIS SURVEY]

(radio) 1977- NPR merges with the Association of Public Radio Stations. (Saettler, 1990)

(tv) 1978- Satellite distribution for television begins. (CPB web site)

(tv) 1978- The Public Telecommunications Financing Act restricts the CPB's managerial freedom. (Saettler, 1990)

(tv) 1979- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s Children's Television Task Force finds that market forces have not resulted in the creation of programming to meet children’s educational needs. (FCC, 1996)

(tv) 1979- The Agency for Instructional Television makes the "ThinkAbout" series, sixty programs designed to help fifth- and sixth graders understand their learning processes and learn more effectively, available to thirty-eight consortia of state and provincial agencies in the United States and Canada. The program costs about five million dollars.
 
 

1800's

1900's

1910's

1920's

1930's

1940's

1950's

1960's

1970's

1980's

1990's

Last update: May 8, 2002 Comments to: Mary Miller mlmiller@uga.edu Created by Mary Miller and Teresa Cruce for Dr. Thomas Reeves' UGA class EDIT 6100, spring 2002 URL=//http://www.arches.uga.edu/~mlmiller/timeline/1970s.html