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Archives of The Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction (MPATI)
Processed by: Kristi K. Mashon, December 1993
Revised by: Karen E. King, April 1997
7.25 lin. ft.
Administrative History | Scope and Content | Provenance | Series Descriptions
Technology Used
in a New Way
MPATI in Full
Operation
MPATI and
Self-Sufficiency
MPATI Turns into a Tape Library
MPATI Dissolves
The Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction (MPATI) was a nonprofit organization of educators and television producers who pioneered efforts to transmit instructional television to a wide audience before the advent of cable and satellite. Most earlier televised classroom instruction had been produced and shown in-house. These efforts represented a new use of technology; planes equipped to transmit broadcast signals sent "classroom television" to member schools that were equipped to receive the transmission.
MPATI's history can be divided into three major periods that reflected the institution's shifting focus and caused internal reorganization. The project which began as an experiment in 1959 was in operation by 1961 through a grant from the Ford Foundation, producing courses in variety of subject areas mostly for primary and secondary education. Beginning in 1963, MPATI moved into its second phase where it relied totally on membership fees but it was never financially stable. MPATI found it difficult to get enough member schools to finance the organization and its problems only grew when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) refused MPATI's request for more channels on the UHF spectrum. MPATI executives had hoped that by increasing the signals available from two to six that they could develop more courses and attract a larger membership. In its third reorganization, MPATI, which was unable to meet its expenses through membership fees, ceased producing and broadcasting courses in 1968 and became a tape library.
The line-of-sight problem that only allowed broadcasters to send signals from ground-based transmitters to ground-based receivers plagued early television. Yet in 1944, Westinghouse engineer Charles Noble discovered a solution to this problem. A plane flying at 25,000 feet could "see" with a radius of 225 miles which was twenty times more than ground transmitters. Noble's idea was to equip planes with broadcast equipment that would allow them to transmit signals to a larger audience. Westinghouse patented this concept as Stratovision.
The FCC freeze on television channel allocations in 1948 halted Westinghouse's experiments with Stratovision and the idea was shelved until the late fifties. By then, however, television broadcasting had changed. Commercial television for which Stratovision had been originally designed had overcome its early transmitting difficulties. Westinghouse officials, however, recognized that many of the problems of early commercial television were still evident in educational television. In 1958, Westinghouse contacted Philip Coombs, executive director of education for the Ford Foundation, who was very enthusiastic to use Stratovision for educational and instructional television. In 1959, Coombs organized a conference of educators in the Midwest to meet at Purdue University. Those at the conference gave their support for a three-year project funded by the Ford Foundation. Later that year, the FCC allocated two UHF channels for narrowcasting on a 3-megahertz band rather than the 6-megahertz standard to Purdue University for the three-year experiment.
In 1960, MPATI, headquartered at Purdue
University in Indiana, began
the task of organizing, producing, and broadcasting instructional
television
courses primarily for students in elementary, junior high, and high
school.
Howard Cromwell became president of the nonprofit organization. In
cooperation
with other universities, especially those colleges that trained
teachers,
MPATI began the process of developing courses and selecting television
teachers. It selected twenty applicants, some of whom
had previous instructional television experience and had even developed
courses designed for television while others submitted proposals
for instructional programming. Production coordinators helped develop the courses that were
screened by professors who assessed each course's academic value and
engineers
who monitored production quality. Purdue Airlines leased two DC-6 AB
planes to MPATI who transmitted these courses to membership schools.
The Ford Foundation almost totally funded MPATI during its first year of operation. The Foundation planned to phase out its funding for MPATI gradually as MPATI attracted more member schools, slowly becoming totally self-sufficient. MPATI Chairman John Ivey of the University of Michigan spearheaded this effort. The process began in 1962 and accelerated in 1963. This period of MPATI's history is marked by the organization's interest in extending membership and developing a network of member schools. From 1963 to 1965, the Membership and Program Services Division of MPATI was perhaps the most dynamic and important division within the organization. The Division divided the Midwestern states and school districts that participated in the venture into eighteen areas which were under the guidance of colleges and universities that served as resource centers for both the MPATI staff and the membership schools. One staff member from each of these universities served as a field representative.
The membership goal necessary for self-sufficiency was 5600 schools from a possible 15,000 in the viewing area. Initially membership fees were $1.00 per student in 1963, but these rose to $2.50 by 1966. In 1963, MPATI had approximately 1200 member schools and this number grew to about 1770 by 1967. MPATI, however, was never able to reach its goal of 5600 member schools.
There are several possible reasons why MPATI never reached its goal. First, there was a constant problem with scheduling. Schools in the six-state viewing area were spread across the Central and Eastern time zones and the shift by some areas to daylight-saving time compounded the situation. Also, varied class schedules among schools made scheduling problematic and created dissatisfaction. In response, MPATI petitioned the FCC for more UHF channels on a 6-megahertz band to provide for more programming and flexibility in scheduling. The FCC, however, refused.
Other problems contributing to MPATI's failure to obtain self-sufficiency were its inability to enlist large school districts in Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, Cleveland, and Chicago that were committed to local educational television enterprises. Other districts had a "wait and see" attitude and there were some districts that received MPATI's open circuit broadcasts without payment.
MPATI TURNS INTO A TAPE LIBRARY
In 1967, MPATI executives decided that the organization could no longer produce and broadcast courses based on its membership income. This period marked the third major reorganization of the institution. Under the direction of the Executive Board, MPATI ceased broadcasting and became a tape library in May 1968. For the next three years, MPATI served as a lending library to its member schools.
Due to continuing financial problems, new technologies, and the development of competing educational and instructional television programs, MPATI dissolved in 1971 and its library went to the Great Plains National Instructional Television Library. It turned over its assets and financial obligations to the liquidating agent, Faye Ebrite. Over the next two years, MPATI engaged in contract disputes with Westinghouse and eventually filed suit. However, the two settled the controversy. In 1973, Ebrite settled all accounts marking the end of MPATI and its efforts to bring instructional television to a wide audience.
The Archives of the Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction spans from 1957 to 1973, although the bulk of the material dates from 1962 to 1968. The collection document MPATI's efforts to produce and broadcast instructional television courses, its interest in developing and maintaining a base of membership schools, and the organization's eventual dissolution. Types of documents include contains correspondence, memos, reports, membership surveys, course evaluations, minutes, financial records, pamphlets and brochures, and photographs that comprise the MPATI administrative records.
The collection is divided into the following series and subseries:
- Series 1: Executive Services Division
- Series 2: General & Administrative Services Division
- Series 3: Membership and Program Services Division
- Series 4:
Course Development Division
- Subseries 1: Studio Teacher Applications
- Subseries 2: Copyright Clearance
- Subseries 3: Course Development General Correspondence
- Subseries 4: Advisory and Curriculum Commissions
- Subseries 5: Course Planning and Courses
- Subseries 6: Broadcast Schedules
- Subseries 7: Resource Guides
- Subseries 8: Summer Workshops
- Series 5: Research and Evaluation Division
- Series 6: Broadcast Services Division
- Series 7: Public Information Division
- Series 8: Photographs
The Archives of MPATI were donated to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by the Great Plains National Instructional Television Library in June of 1990.
Series 1: Executive Services Division, 1957-1972 (0.50 lin. ft.)
The Office of the President and
the Executive Board were among the offices
that fell under the Executive Services Division. This particular series
contains records that reveal the mission of MPATI and its philosophy.
Its
records include the organizing charter, general policies that emerged
over
time, fundraising records that show how MPATI struggled to get
corporate
funding and maintain it during its existence, and meeting minutes of
the
Executive Board. Documents include correspondence, memoranda, reports,
and meeting minutes.
-
Subseries 1:
General Policies
This subseries contains the organizing documents for MPATI. It also holds general policies established when the organization was founded as well as those evolved during MPATI's history. Planning documents that show how the idea and philosophy behind MPATI are also in this series.
-
Subseries 2:
Fundraising
Correspondence from Jack Ivey, who became President of MPATI, soliciting funds from various nonprofit foundations and commercial companies form the bulk of this subseries. These records are primarily from the early days of MPATI's history when the organization was trying to raise enough money to buy equipment and get started.
- Subseries 3:
Meeting Minutes
This subseries primarily holds meeting minutes from MPATI's Executive Board. The Board consisted of educators and broadcasting professionals who volunteered their time to serve on the board of this nonprofit educational organization. Also found in this subseries are meeting minutes from the Advisory Board which was comprised by professors who served to oversee the content of MPATI's instructional television. These professors typically came from midwestern universities whose background was education.
Series 2: General & Administrative Services Division, 1959-1973 (1.5 lin. ft.)
This series contains memoranda,
correspondence, and financial records
that document the daily operations of MPATI. The Offices of the Vice
President,
Secretary-Treasurer, and during MPATI's liquidation, Liquidation
Officer,
are found in this division of the organization. The majority of records
found in this series belong to either Robert Woerner who served as
Secretary-Treasurer
during MPATI's entire existence and Faye Ebrite who served as
Liquidating
Agent from 1971-1973.
- Subseries
1: General Administration & Correspondence
This subseries contains memos and correspondence that document the regular operations of MPATI and the responsibilities of its employees. The subseries is arranged first by memos and then by correspondence.
-
Subseries
2: Budget and Finance
These financial records include budget projections, budget reconciliations, spreadsheets with accounts by department, and reports of travel expenses. These records are generally arranged by type and then by year. These records reveal the financial transactions of MPATI before the liquidation process began.
-
Subseries
3: Contracts and Agreements
This subseries holds the contracts and other agreements with various companies for broadcasting and aviation equipment. In this subseries are the contractual documents between MPATI and Westinghouse as well as records documenting the dispute between the two.
-
Subseries
4: Liquidating Agent
This subseries contains financial records and correspondence of Faye Ebrite, Liquidating Agent, and shows her activities in dissolving MPATI.
Series 3: Membership and Program Services Division, 1957-1971 (2.5 lin. ft.)
This series documents the
activities of the Membership and Program Services
Division. This division was the largest and among the most important
divisions
in MPATI's organizational structure. Its concern was generating new
members
and collecting registration fees. Initially Membership and Program
Services
were two separate divisions that merged in 1964. Membership concerned
itself
with generating new member schools. Program services acted as a liaison
between member schools and MPATI. Before and after the two merged, Area
Councils served regions of the midwest. These councils were headed by
an
education professional, usually a college professor. The councils
worked
to generate membership and ensure that member schools received MPATI
broadcasts,
etc.
-
Subseries
1: General Administration
Memoranda and reports comprise this subseries that records the administrative activities of the Membership and Program Services Division. It also contains some meeting minutes of Area Council meetings.
-
Subseries
2: General Correspondence
This subseries contains correspondence between the various vice presidents for Membership, Program Services, and later Membership and Program Services and Area Council leaders as well as school administrators. These letters reveal the relationship between MPATI and its member schools and also show the extent to which MPATI worked to meet the educational needs of member schools based on schools' demographics.
-
Subseries
3: Membership Registration
This subseries contains correspondence, memoranda, and reports from field representatives who served as liaisons to member schools and generated new members.
-
Subseries
4: Area Councils
This subseries contains correspondence that show the organization and operations of the various Area Councils and reveal their oversight power in both membership activities and course content. These documents are arranged by area.
Series 4: Course Development Division, 1961-1966 (1.0 lin. ft.)
This series contains
applications, correspondence, schedules, brochures
and guides. Organizationally, the Course Development Division rivaled
Membership
and Program Services in importance. This division concentrated on the
content
of MPATI's educational telecasts. The division was comprised by
Advisory
Commissions also called Curriculum Commissions. College professors in a
variety of academic fields as well as elementary and secondary level
educators
served on these committees. They were generally arranged by subject
area.
This series records their activities and documents MPATI's efforts to
find
suitable television teachers, develop courses, train school teachers on
how to use the programs in their classrooms.
-
Subseries
1: Studio Teacher Applications
This subseries contains teacher applications arranged alphabetically.
- Subseries
2: Copyright Clearance
Correspondence and memoranda in this subseries reveals MPATI's attempts to get copyright clearance for courses developed outside MPATI.
- Subseries
3: Course Development General Correspondence
In this subseries, correspondence reveals the philosophy behind course development as well as the daily operations of the division.
- Subseries
4: Advisory and Curriculum Commissions
Correspondence and reports document the efforts of the Advisory Commissions to ensure quality programming in various academic areas.
- Subseries
5: Course Planning and Courses
Reports, evaluations and memoranda document the process of developing MPATI courses. Course transcripts are not in this subseries.
- Subseries
6: Broadcast Schedules
This subseries contains schedules of MPATI courses distributed to member schools.
- Subseries
7: Resource Guides
This subseries contains informational guides given to classroom teachers on MPATI courses.
- Subseries
8: Summer Workshops
This subseries contains correspondence and other planning documents for summer workshops to orient and train teachers to use MPATI courses.
Series 5: Research and Evaluation Division, 1962-1968 (0.75 lin. ft.)
The Research and Evaluation Division conducted two major surveys to evaluate the content of MPATI programming. The first evaluation was conducted in 1961-1962 just three years after MPATI's inception. The purpose of this evaluation was to show contributors how effective MPATI's telecasts were. The second major evaluation occurred in 1967-1968 when MPATI surveyed elementary and secondary member schools to get their assessment of MPATI's programming. Memoranda, correspondence, and survey forms comprise this series.
- Subseries
1: Central Studies
This subseries contains the information from MPATI's first major survey.
- Subseries
2: Surveys
This survey contains memoranda, correspondence, and survey forms from member schools rating the content of MPATI's programs. These records are arranged by state, city, and school.
Series 6: Broadcast Services Division, 1962-1968 (0.5 lin. ft.)
Memoranda, evaluation forms, and reports comprise the records in this series and document the activities of this division. These records reveal MPATI's technical standards for its programs and the quality control measures taken. These records are technical in nature.
- Subseries
1: General Administration
This subseries contains correspondence and reports documenting the criteria MPATI set for the quality of its programming.
- Subseries
2: Production Evaluations of Program
Telecasts
This subseries contains evaluation forms that rate the technical quality of telecasts.
Series 7: Public Information Division, nd (0.25 lin. ft.)
This series contains brochures, flyers, and other materials that were created to describe MPATI's activities and mission.
Series 8: Photographs, nd (0.25 lin. ft.)
This series contains photographs that were removed from other parts of the collection. These photographs were submitted by teacher applicants and are promotional stills from their educational courses.
A complete guide in Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) format can be found here.
