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Jim Robertson papers

 Collection 0058-MMC-NPBA

Ellis James Robertson (1918-2009) began his noncommercial broadcasting career as program director at WTTW (Chicago, IL) from 1954 to 1959. Starting in 1959, he held various Educational Television positions, including director of station relations and vice president and later president for network affairs. He also served as vice president and general manager for Community Television of Southern California, where he planned, equipped and constructed KCET. In 1970, Robertson became the Director of Radio for the National Association of Educational Broadcasters and the director of National Educational Radio. Later, he worked with a lobbying service, the Association for Public Radio Stations, and in 1973, became a consultant in public broadcasting.

In 1993, after conducting informal interviews with 56 pioneers in educational broadcasting with his wife Anabel Robertson, he published the book Televisionaries. The collection documents Robertson's oral history project, his work at National Educational Radio, and his consulting work as part of Robertson Associates, Inc.

Dates

  • 1946-1989, and undated
  • Majority of material found within 1970-1982

Use and Access to Collection

This collection is open to the public and must be used in the Special Collections reading room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

Duplication and Copyright Information

Photocopies or digital surrogates may be provided in accordance with Special Collections and University Archives duplication policy.

Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs unless otherwise specified. It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission to publish materials from the appropriate copyright holder.

Archival materials may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws or other regulations. While we make a good faith effort to identify and remove such materials, some may be missed during our processing. If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.

It is the archive user's responsibility to determine publication rights regarding the oral histories in this collection.

Extent

13.25 Linear Feet

Biography

E. James (Jim) Robertson had a long and distinguished career in commercial and educational broadcasting. Robertson was born in 1918. He began his broadcasting career in 1934 while still in high school in Madison, Wisconsin. During his junior year at Madison West High School, Robertson arranged for his school to have a half hour show once a week on the local commercial NBC radio station, WIBA. In the summer between his junior and senior years, Robertson had a quarter-hour poetry program once a week on the same station. As a result of this work, Robertson gained the attention of H.B. McCarty, then director of the University of Wisconsin's pioneering radio station, WHA. McCarty invited Robertson to volunteer at WHA as a student announcer during the summer of 1935.

Robertson pursued his higher education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He was hired as a part-time announcer at WIBA in 1937 at the end of his freshman year. By the time he graduated in 1940, he had three years of professional announcing and programming experience at a commercial station.

Robertson continued his work in commercial radio during the next three years at various stations in Wisconsin. After working for a few more months at WIBA, he moved on to a management position at a station in Marinette, WMAM. In December 1942, he was hired as Program Director of WCLO in Janesville, where he worked for a year.

In 1943, Robertson was invited to join the Milwaukee Journal radio station WTMJ as an announcer. He helped to produce programs as well, and became the Radio Program Director in 1946. A year later, on December 3, 1947, WTMJ-TV went on the air as the eleventh television station in the country. Robertson had been instrumental in launching the station, having hired the first staff and produced the first programs. He remained in charge of television operation until 1952, when he resumed radio programming.

Robertson's noncommercial broadcasting career began in the fall of 1954, when he was selected as Director of Programming for WTTW in Chicago. Again, he played a vital role in the planning and organizing of a television station. WTTW-TV went on the air in September 1955. At WTTW, Robertson worked with other well-known names in early broadcasting, such as John Taylor, Chalmers Marquis, and Harry Skornia.

Robertson remained at WTTW until 1959, when he was named as the first Director of Station Relations at National Educational Television (NET), which at the time was still the National Educational Television and Radio Center. In this capacity, Robertson served a liaison between ETV stations and NET, conducting visits to member stations and administering grants. He assisted in the organization of an Affiliates Committee with William G. Harley, Hartford Gunn, Jonathan Rice, and John F. White.

In 1962, Robertson became Vice-President for Network Affairs for NET, retaining supervision of station relations but with added responsibilities. He served as liaison with the FCC, Congress, and other national public broadcasting organizations. He acted as NET's contact with Newton Minow, the Chair of the FCC. Robertson helped develop the Educational Television Facilities Act of 1962, the first federal legislation concerning educational broadcasting. In addition, he played a role in developing the All-Channel Act of 1962. Robertson also helped with the development of video tape technology, and distributed video equipment which the Ford Foundation had provided. While at NET, he headed the effort to get stations on the air in key communities, such as Los Angeles.

In 1963, Robertson became Vice-President and General Manager for Community Television of Southern California. A year later, he once again was responsible for the planning, equipping, and constructing of a new television station. KCET began operation in September 1964.

Robertson once again returned to radio in 1967, when he was named the Director of Educational Broadcasting at WHA, University of Wisconsin. He stayed at WHA for three years, during which time he headed the State Radio Council's eleven station radio network. He also acted as advisor to the Coordinating Committee on Higher Education in planning for statewide networking and interinstitutional communications. In addition, he assisted in drafting legislation creating the State Educational Communications Board which coordinated state educational radio and television, and developed a statewide public television network. In 1968, while at WHA, the National Association of Educational Broadcasting acknowledged Robertson's dedication to educational broadcasting by electing him Chair of the NAEB Board.

In 1970, Robertson was selected as Executive Director of National Educational Radio (NER), a division of NAEB. While he was with NER, Robertson worked closely with the FCC, lobbying on the Hill for support of educational broadcasting. He helped form the Association for Public Radio Stations and assisted in drafting that organization's constitution.

Robertson left NER in 1973 and began his own public broadcasting consulting firm, Robertson Associates, Inc. In 1979, he began an oral history project in which he and his wife Anabel Robertson interviewed 56 pioneers in the field of public broadcasting. The project was funded primarily with grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)>. These interviews were the basis of a book by Robertson entitled Televisionaries, which documents the history of the founding of public television in the U.S., from the late 1940's to 1967. The book is an important contribution to the broadcasting industry, written by a man who was himself influential in establishing and developing educational radio and television. Robertson has continued his involvement in public broadcasting. In 1985, he served on the Advisory Board for southwest Florida ETV and public radio stations.

Arrangement

Organized as five series.

Series 1
Public Broadcasting Oral History Project
Series 2
Robertson Associates, Inc.
Series 3
National Educational Radio
Series 4
Public Broadcasting
Series 5
Audiovisual Material

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

The Jim Robertson Papers were donated to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by Jim Robertson in September of 1990, April of 1991, January of 1992, and September of 1994.

Title
Guide to the Jim Robertson papers
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Heather Moore.
Date
1995-08-00
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Revision Statements

  • 1996-01-01: Revised by Karen E. King.
  • 2007-04-15: EAD markup checked and verified using JEdit software by Karen E. King.
  • 2008-11-13: EAD revised by Karen E. King.
  • 2010-07-21: EAD revised by Karen E. King.
  • 2011-04-06: EAD revised by Karen E. King.
  • 2017-11-12: Finding aid reviewed and edited post ArchivesSpace migration by Rebecca Thayer.
  • 2019-01-22: Minor updates and revisions made post-ArchivesSpace migration by Jen Wachtel.
  • 2019-02-06: Audio cassettes added to Series 2 Subseries 1 and subseries scope and content note updated; box of print material added as Series 2 Box 11; arrangement and housing of videocassette, audio reels updated, and color slides updated; and rights statement for oral histories added to use and access note by Jen Wachtel.
  • 2021-11-19: Jim Baxter rewrote the collection abstract; Sam O'Donnell updated gendered language.

Library Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives

Contact:
University of Maryland Libraries
Hornbake Library
4130 Campus Drive
College Park Maryland 20742
301-405-9212