COMMITTEE ON BROADCASING AND TELEVISION (COBAT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-01634R000300030031-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 11, 2000
• Sequence Number: 31
• Publication Date: April 25, 1958
• Content Type: MIN

Approved For Re~ease 2000/08/27 :CIA-RDP78-0~ 34R000300030031-2
CONFIDENTIAL
OPERATIONS COORDINATING BOARD
Washington 25, D. C.
April 25, 1958
MEMORANDUM OF MEETING: Committee on Broadcasting and Television
(COBAT)
35th Meeting held 10:00 A. M. ,
April 18, 195$, Room 2040 HEW Building
Committee Members Pre3ent:
U4 IA Robert A. Bauer, Acting Chairman
State William A. Ivi cFadden
Florence T. Dowling, Alternate
Richard T. Black {wepresenting TPIB)
CIA Representative Px?esent
ICA Gale C. Griswold, A~,ternate
.Defense John C. Broger
Col, Harry W. McClellan, Alternate
OCB S?iaff Ralph R. Busick
Others Present;
Defense LtA Colo John H. Lay
1. The minutes of the March 3 meeting were approved.
2, The Acting Cxa.airrnan sazggested that ccrs;deration of the COBAT
report, a woxking draft of w~iich had been distributed to COBAT members,
be gostpaned until USIA has had an opportunity to re-e~carnine its section
of -the xeport.
3, The Defense member gresented an oral report on some possi-
bilities which have occurred to lum and otiaers in his agency, especially
during and since his recent trip to Europe, He pointed out that of course
they have been aware for years of the large "~;,~~~~y" audience Armed Forces
Network has around the world. They have, however, been constrained by
circumstances to i.gi~oxe that audience and its potentialit.es. {In one test,
he reported, after a mail plug on one 30-minute program for seven
consecutive days,. the station received 125,000 letters from tY;e "ghost"
audience.) AFN is now considexing the~ros and cons of establislhing
television stat.~.ons in a number of countries where it now has ~ro~?,~io .stations
Approved For Release 2000/08/27 :CIA-RDP78-016348W~3~AL2
USIA declassification & release instructions on file
 Approved For Re~ease 2000/08/27 :CIA-RDP78-01~6~34R000300030031-2
GONFIDENTIAL
~~~.~: axot TVa This, it is probable, would sti:~xnulate i~-terest in commercial
T'V s~tarcic>ns p ;~f opp~rc~~.t;~,~;~, to estabL~,s~.exzt of such TV stations developed
~.za ~:re government, AFN prc~'f~a.hYy vroule~ drop the :tea*te_,. At tY?e request
o:~ tite Caxnmitiee, the Defense nzen~ber agreed to p'~^epare a ~rri~~;ten
repast onL'Yie subjecu: for COBAT's peruNal.
4. The A4ti,ng Ghairman reported orally on his ai:tendance at the
meeting in Br~!zssels of the European B~: oad~casting U.n:~.on (E.B?7~. Impres-
sions of uliffex?ent deve~.opmen~ts and attitudes among EB'J members we:ie:
a. Bruns role - ~J'S5R eras offering evart,~?thzn, free, T1is stirxz~~.uated
U~ to dc~ la~?,~?wv?.se, expediting de.k3.very, so as not to be deft be:Iszr~do
bd At Mrs Bauer's suggestio:!, wrich was ~velca~med, the Gez~rrzaxas
a` a'nce b~~g.~r, ~,repa~atY:oxzs to make available to ~elevi:ioz~. statx,ons in
Jf~'est F3erli~, f~.xm z-na~~er3.ais, sa that the stations rxza?y co:~npete titi~ith
E~?aClt Ber~~.~.~. 3t-z~,~43n~i p
co Berl,?n authorit~.es wens g;.ad to provirYe 9:he 6:G0 to ?x:00 :r ~;No
he~ur each day f~rr ~'V for American txoops, Thus ehould ta.?~e away x~,i=,ch
csf the Eaa~; Berizn atxdien~;e whis;h, not tal:,en ice. b~,r Cammranisrn, is
gradually accept3zig yhe idea of two Germaries. T3zere is a large poten-
tial Gcnz~:man and Austri~~n audience izs A olio and Tyr' belz~.nd t?~ie Cur*airz.
d. 'G'ienaaa TV rotations receive 500 letters zncfz~:a~?!y, of which
407/o come fsyom Czechs. Hungar-y has a large and??nc~~ alsoa The USSR.
ambassador has accused Vienr;ese of being ~Nestern? unn,eu?tral, etco , but
Austrians blandly retort they are neuxral miY,itarily, ThQ Austrians a: e
ge~-iuinexy interested 3x. the ~'~~est, are proud of Y.~eirg A13strian, are
interested in TV. Fnrmer fears of the influence the Ir~~Lz Ct.rtaiaz
TV Sfiatiorx at Fxas;;~slava might have over Austrians may be fcargotten, for
B?rati.s~.ava's influen~re is negligi~ale.
e. Ita.'r.~r TV has a Iarge audience in Yugoslavia; test of tY~.is is
ta.e greaS: number of requests received for textboAks on Itali4n TV.
5. The next meeting of the Committee wi3l be head at tYze call of the
Ghairmarz.
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alpil R o Bu S 1 v k
OC B Staff Repre senta.?~ive
COFdFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2000/08/27 :CIA-RDP78-016348000300030031-2