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5. [[underlined]] Question: What experience does the Institution have in mass electronic communications? [[/underlined]]

[[underlined]] Answer [[/underlined]]: Nearly 50 years ago, in 1923, the Smithsonian began its use of the electronic media by initiating a series of weekly broadcast talks on scientific subjects over a local radio station. The program continued for four years. In 1933, with the cooperation of the National Broadcasting Company and the U. S. Office of Education, the Institution launches its very popular series "The World Is Yours." This program lasted six years and was broadcast by 85 stations across the country.

Since the 1960's, the Smithsonian has been concerned, from time to time, with the systematic development of television programs and popular motion pictures, directly or indirectly, about the Institution and its activities. In 1966-67, the National Broadcasting Company network developed a series titled [[underlined]] "The Smithsonian" [[/underlined]] which was telecast on 173 stations. A popular educational series aimed at the junior high school level, it stressed the excitement of the search for knowledge and the breadth of Smithsonian interests. This series still is being circulated to schools through McGraw-Hill, Inc., with 15% royalty of the National Broadcasting Company's net income still coming to the Smithsonian. In recent years, the Office of Public Affair's fund from these royalties and other television and film payments has totaled about $11,000--with relatively little effort.

Over the last eight years, the Smithsonian has been the subject of several major educational network documentaries as well as hundreds of news featurettes. In National Educational Television's "What's New"