Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 55

-ADVERTISEMENT- WKAR-TV marking 25th. anniversary THE STATE JOURNAL Sept. 22, 1979 Street renaming, dinner open festivities Tuesday "Sesame Street," which has become as much a part of America as Main Street, U.S.A., now is about to become an official part of East Lansing. By proclamation of Mayor George Griffiths, following action by the East Lansing City Council, the portion of Kalamazoo Street east of Harrison Road will be renamed Sesame Street between Sept. 25 and Oct.

1 for the WKAR-TV 25th anniversary celebration. BESIDES SALUTING WKAR-TV on its quarter-century of public service, renaming of the street recognizes contributions that "Sesame Street," the award-winning educational TV program for preschoolers, has made to the education of American children since it was launched 10 years ago. The series is produced by the Children's Television Workshop in New York City and is broadcast by WKAR-TV in this area. A ceremony installing a Sesame Street sign at the corner of Kalamazoo and Harrison on Tuesday will mark the start of the 25th anniversary festivities. On Tuesday evening a number of local and national notables will attend a dinner and program in the Big Ten Room of Kellogg Center, which will be telecast live on Channel 23 starting at 9 p.m.

MICHIGAN STATE University Television actually went on the air for the first time Jan. 15, 1954. The station's Silver Celebration has been going on all year with special programming and events. Tuesday's formal dinner has been designated an evening of special commemoration. The dinner menu has been planned by TV chef Julia Child, the Four Freshmen will sing after supper and notables from the world of public broadcasting will be on hand to congratulate the station.

WKAR-TV is the second oldest public television station in the country, and the oldest east of the Mississippi. James Quello, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, former station manager of WJR-Detroit and a graduate of Michigan State, will attend the dinner, along with James Fellows, president of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters, and Calvin Watson, director of televison services at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Lt. Governor James Brickly will represent Gov. Milliken.

A RESOLUTION from the State Legislature honoring the station will be read and former staff members and station managers will be introduced. Greetings from Public Broadcasting Service personalities such as the kiddies' friend Mr. Rogers, culture commentator Alistair Cooke, and newsmen Robin MacNeil and Jim Lehrer will be presented. Station got start on shared time As Michigan State University's WKAR-TV marks its 25th anniversary, the difficulties of its beginnings are dimly recalled by many Central Michigan residents. But many others will have trouble imagining such difficulties in this day when turning the dials on a TV set can bring in any station broadcasting in the area WHEN WKAR-TV first went on the air in January, 1954, it was unable to get a license to broadcast on channel 10 as the people at Michigan State had wanted.

The existence of a conflicting station within a 160-mile radius channel 10 in London, Ontartio prevented the licensing of that channel in East Lansing. But channel 60 was available, and was assigned to Michigan State. It was hoped that conversion of home television sets to receive UHF would proceed rapidly, and that the station soon could be received by an adequate audience. The first 12 channels on the broadcast spectrum are the "very high frequency" channels, or VHF Channels numbered above 123 are the "ultra high frequency" channels, or UHF. Early home receivers required speciall conversions kits to receive UHF signals signals, and conversion didn't proceed as quickly as hoped.

A TOO-HIGH channel number was only one of WKAR-TV's problems. The expense of producing programming was another. And there was a difference of opinion at Michigan State over whether running a television that that served less than the whole state was a proper activity for a tax-supported college. Within just a few years it was obvious that a change had to be made. A compromise was finally worked out between the university and a private company to share time on channel 10 with commercial station WILX-TV.

The university owened the towner and WILX pkaid for its share of the cost of operating the transmitter. It was a long marriage, but not always a happy one. But, as Colby Lewis, station manager from 1964 to 1968, commented, "We did manage to keep the lights on." The late fifties were a time of short money for all state agencies in Michigan, and the station had to take a cut of 10 to 20 per cent in funding in one As educational television grew, private foundations were less able to support it. "Revenue from the shared time arrangement was supposed to help support the station, but there were lots of things wrong with the idea," Lewis recalled. Among them was the division of broadcast hours.

"We were on during daytime and our exposure to a family audience was only from 6 to 7:30 in the evening, when people were watching the news on other channels anyway." HOWEVER, THE public bradcasting act came into being in 1967, the industry had advanced considerably, and a great deal of programming was avail-" Concluded on next page Youngsters favorite Big Bird, pictured here with some fans, is a star of "Sesame a regular on the WKAR-TV schedule. Both the program and the station will be honored in 25th anniversary festivities next Tuesday. 3 1 ongratulations! Boars Head Theater 10th Anniversary Season SUBSCRIBE NOW! EAST LANSING STATE BANK See 8 great plays for the price of 6 a savings of 25 percent. Don't Be Sold Out Call 484-7805 -J Congratulations WKAR TV 23 on 25 years of successful years of service in the Mid-Michigan area. CRAFT PRINTERS LTD 489-5791 2017 Turner Lansing Best Wishes On Your 25th Year.

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