Lexington Herald-Leader from Lexington, Kentucky • 33

LEXINQTON KY MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 WB8 "D3 trends as network turns 20 KET chief bucking 0 Leonard Press keeps sponsors ing" He then sent job inquiries all over the country which is how he landed in Lexington Press came here in 1952 to be an assistant professor of broadcasting at die University of Ken- -tucky and program supervisor of what was then a rather modest broadcasting service at UK At die time he expected to stay for a year or two check things out and move on Things didn't work out that way Press became head of the Department of Radio Television at arm lengtn By Joseph Stroud Herald-Leader business writer Evening and weekend programming on KET is made possible in part by contributions to the KET Fund for Excellence Toyota Motor Manufacturing USA is a batron of the Fund for Excellence and rums at ua iaoo ana shortly thereafter began laying the groundwork for public televi- sion "What I realized was mat if vnuSw ant to do television Lex- KET thanks Toyota Motor Manufacturing for helping to make Possible quality programs on KET It's a simple statement but for 0 Leonard Press executive director of the Kentucky Educational Television network it reflects a certain ideal The key is whaf Trussing ington isn't the place that needs it most" he said "One thought led to another and finally we wound up designing a statewide system and I worked on that promoting it for several years while I was still teaching at die university" Thf ntatpnvni an mnmU rrf the credit spot KET uses for its biggest supporters i8 not accompanied by a SDonsor's lococ there Press a rfatHti mine Bcwofcacame to Lexington in 1952 to teach at Profile: Leonard Press is no mention of a particular product or product line the sponsor's name is not connected to any particular program and the sponsor has no say in what goes on the air or how it gets there The statement is about as far as KET will go in allowing local sponsors to trade on their contributions It bucks what Press sees as a trend toward commercializ Center New York and Ann Arbor Mich 1980 (on sabbatical from UK) consultant National Association of Educational Broadcasters to initiate national radio programs (on sabbatical) 1961 chairman of die Department of Radio Television and Film at UK and director of die UK Broadcasting Service consultant to and interim director of Broadcast Facilities Program US Department of Education 1963 executive director' Kentucky Authority for Educational Television 1963-present Executive director Kentucky Authority for Educational Television BlrthptaOK Lowell Mass Far: Wife Lflhan who is directs state's Governors Scholars program Education: Bachelor's degree in accounting Boston University 1948 master's degree in cotnnumications 1952 Boston University CflT Radio and television assistant to die director of publicity Boston University 1948-52 program supervisor University of Kentucky Broadcasting Service and instructor and assistant professor of broadcasting University of Kentucky 1952-58 consultant to National Educational Radio and Television From the very beginning Press wanted to use television as an educational tool The motivation he said was shared by many people in his generation think we were all' social workers at heart in those days and we were activists we wanted to do things And when I thought in terms of writing or producing it was" in terms of the Great American Nov- eL and changing die world" The hours Press spends on the job now are not quite as long as they used to be but he works hard His outside interests he said are tennis and photography but he admits he hasnt done either with regularity in some time A current passion he said is collecting crystal "Ifs a cliche but in many respects my work is my hobby There's very little else that I enjoy as much so I do it I love doing it I love the people I work with at all levels" Ultimately Press must be considered a survivor He is one "If a cliche but in many respects my work is my hobby There's very little else that I enjoy as much so I do it I love doing it I love die people I work with at all levds" Virginia Fox president and chief executive officer of the Southern Educational Communications Association said Press was "a purist both in terms of the mission and remaining non-commercial" He opposed allowing sponsors to promote their products and participate in programming decisions she said and also ing puoiic television As executive director throughout KETs 20-year existence Press is die man responsible for resisting that trend This Friday KET wfll celebrate its 20th anniversary of statewide broadcasting Before die first broadcast 20 years ago Press spent six years securing support for the idea from educators and others around die state As executive director of KET Press runs die largest land-based television network in die United States The network has 15 trans- mitters scattered around the state and employs 185 people KETs most recent budget was $152 million Those figures contrast sharply with those of 20 years ago when there were only 68 employees and the network functioned on a $18 million budget Press' objection to allowing sponsors to promote themselves doesnt keep their logos and promotions completely off KET since many national programs are underwritten by corporate sponsors But Press said that was a reality the station had to live with since die practice was so widespread He draws the line at the local level Press is recognized nationally by his colleagues not only as a purist on issues of corporate sponsorship but also as a leading advocate of die use of television for public service KETs General Educational of a few people around die country who can truly say he was involved in public television from its earliest days- He has played ball with the state's politicians but says he is far from satisfied with the funding KET receives In retrospect he says he feels luckv to have ended un wrvVincr makes us different" Press is a native of die Boston area His father was a hat manufacturer and his mother raised a family He majored in accounting at Boston University "because it was a practical dung to do my father said" An elective course in broadcasting got him off that track "My real interest I think was in creating through writing production thafs what I wanted to da I wanted to create programs from die very earliest days" When he finished school he went to work as a radio-television publicity specialist for Boston University From that position he helped produce two of the earliest educational television programs in Boston for WBZ a commercial station He enjoyed dot but didn't feel he was doing it enough So he quit after four years and his wife Lillian supported him while he "tried to be a writer" That enterprise lasted three months in part because be "worried too much about not work Development program has en- abled many Kentuckians to receive their high school diplomas by watching courses on television Other public television executives see that as a hallmark achievement Under Press's guidance die station is expanding its television classroom Next year KET will go on line with a new satellite network that will enable students all over die state to take courses that might not be available in their local school districts Strictly from a business standpoint Press' stance on corporate sponsorship may be costly to KET though it's unclear by how much But he continues to hold the line ten has always held to die position that public television should be exclusively noncommercial'' said Jack McBride general manager of die Nebraska Educational Television Network "He has taken a very vigorous position in a very conservative manner on mat point" 'Len has always held to the position that public television should be exclusively noncommercial' Jack McBride Nebraska public broadcaster felt such derisions should be based on what was useful rather man what got the best television ratings Press confirmed mat assessment "What we're fond of saying is that our client is the viewer the commercial's client is die advertiser" he said "That's what in an education-related field "You wind up in a state like Kentucky as I did and you find yourself able to contemplate putting a new instrument like tins into being here and you hear nothing but and see nothing but need for educational bootstrapping in the state and you infc'My God what an opportunity! What an opportunity! What you could do with this? I'm sure that Tveahvays thought too grandiloquently in that respect but then why not' Almost how -r ui unse terms?".