National Educational Television Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
National Educational Television
Ownership
Final NET logo from October 5, 1970 to March 1972
Country	United States
Headquarters	New York City
Owner	Ford Foundation (1954–1972) Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1967–1972)
History
Founded	November 21, 1952 (72 years ago) (1952-11-21) in Washington, D.C.
Launched	May 16, 1954 (1954-05-16) (as a network)
Closed	March 1972 (1972-03) (17 years and 9 or 10 months)
Replaced by	PBS
Former names	Educational Television and Radio Center National Educational Television and Radio Center

The color NET logo was part of the building in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

National Educational Television (NET) was an early American TV network. It showed educational programs. The Ford Foundation first owned it. Later, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) also helped run it.

NET was on air from May 16, 1954, to March 1972. It was then replaced by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Many TV stations that were part of NET later joined PBS.

A group called the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) helped save NET's old shows. Over 10,000 TV programs from 1952 to 1972 are now saved. You can find them in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.

The Story of Educational TV
Logos and Identities
See also

The Story of Educational TV

Starting the Educational Television Center

The network began in November 1952. It was first called the Educational Television and Radio Center (ETRC). The Ford Foundation helped start it with money.

ETRC didn't make its own shows at first. Instead, it helped local TV stations share their educational programs. This way, good shows could be seen by more people.

Growing as a Network

In 1954, ETRC moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan. On May 16, it started acting like a real TV network. It sent out five hours of TV shows each week. These shows were sent to stations by mail, often on film. People sometimes called it "The Bicycle Network" because of this.

By 1956, ETRC had 22 TV stations showing its programs. The shows were known for going deep into topics. They had long interviews with important writers and historians. But some people thought the shows were a bit boring. They were very academic and not always fun.

Moving to New York and New Name

In 1958, the center moved to New York City. Its name changed to the National Educational Television and Radio Center (NETRC). At this time, NETRC wanted to become a major TV network.

It started bringing popular shows from the BBC (like An Age of Kings) to the U.S. It also showed more programs, up to ten hours a week. Most of these shows were still made by local stations or other companies.

Becoming National Educational Television

In November 1963, NETRC changed its name again to National Educational Television. It stopped focusing on radio.

NET started showing serious documentaries. These were part of a show called NET Journal, which began in 1966. These documentaries looked at big social issues like poverty and racism. Critics liked them a lot. But some local stations didn't like them. They felt the shows were too political or had a certain viewpoint. Another show, Public Broadcast Laboratory, also caused similar complaints.

The Birth of Public Broadcasting

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson asked for a study on educational TV. The study suggested that educational TV should become "public television". This new system would be run by a group called the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The CPB would get money from the government and other places. This money would then go to local stations and groups that made shows.

President Johnson signed a law about this on November 7, 1967. This law created the CPB.

NET Becomes PBS

One of NET's last on-screen logos (from 1968).

NET logo used until 1958

Black and white logo used until 1968

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) started in November 1969. NET still made some shows and was the network's name. But the shows like NET Journal were still causing problems. People thought they were too political and funded by the government.

So, the Ford Foundation and the CPB decided to close NET. PBS would take over as the network. But PBS would not make its own shows. Instead, local stations and other companies would create programs. This way, PBS would avoid the problems NET had.

In early 1970, NET agreed to join with a local New York City station, WNDT. WNDT changed its name to WNET on October 1, 1970.

On October 5, PBS officially started broadcasting. NET stopped being a network then. But some shows that started on NET, like NET Journal and NET Playhouse, stayed on PBS. They were now made by WNET. The NET name was fully retired two years later.

Some very famous shows that began on NET are still on PBS today. These include Washington Week and Sesame Street.