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[ BEA CONVENTION ]A transcript of theBEA conventionkeynote presentationKathleen KeefeVice President, SalesHearst-ArgyleTelevision, New York888 Seventh Avenue27th Floor New York,NY 10106(212) 887-6824Fax: (212) 887-6845kkeefe@hearst.comChristopher H.SterlingProfessor of Mediaand Public Affairs,as well as, PublicPolicy and PublicAdministrationand Director,GraduateTelecommunicationsProgramThe GeorgeWashingtonUniversity805 21st Street, NWWashington, DC20052chris@gwu.edu18BEA AT 50—PAST, PRESENTAND PEERING FORWARDKathleen: For a half century now, BEA has focused upon thecombined interests and needs of the electronic media businessand education . . representing both sectors, we want to provideyou with three or four quick “snapshots” of how things havechanged over BEA’s first half century . . . and offer a glimpse ofthe future . . .BACK IN 1955 . . .Chris: As few here will remember, let’s set the scene . . .Dwight Eisenhower was in his first term…the Cold War wasnearly a decade old. . .. . .the first artificial satellite was still twoyears into the future (and it would be Russian!) . . . Bill Haley’s“Rock ‘Round the Clock” headed the charts of something called“top 40” and a young man named Elvis would soon be famous. .. .the first transistor radios had just gone on sale . . . and virtuallynothing (save for a few huge mainframe computers) was digital.Kathleen on broadcasting a half century ago:• Just over 400 commercial and less than a dozen educationalTV stations; save for a very few wealthy households,• TV came only in black and white• CBS and NBC dominated the business—ABC came in avery weak third, even with Disneyland which had begun the yearbefore,• DuMont network about to leave the air• Almost nobody had heard of cable television (served just 1%of households)• First demonstration of videotape was a year away• 2,700 AM outlets, but only 552 declining FM stations (wasthat band disappearing?)Chris on early broadcast education:• Until recently, radio had dominated college programs in electronicmedia• Focus was on “professional” education—training futureemployees• Dominant courses included announcing, radio drama,writing, production—and not much about effects and impact,policy, or theoryFeedback March 2005 (Vol. 46, No. 3)