Television Debuts at Baylor

Television May First Be Seen Here March 4

Baylor May Give Students and Friends Treat When Hoover Makes Inaugural Address

Waco Times-Herald
January 7, 1929

Wacoans may soon be given an opportunity to witness a television demonstration.

If the inaugural address of President-Elect Herbert Hoover is broadcast by a television process. Baylor students and invited guests will probably "see and hear" the program on March 4.

At Science Hall

Only four years ago, the inaugural address of President Calvin Coolidge was broadcast [on the radio] and Baylor students assembled in front of the Science hall to marvel at such a wonder. A loud speaker installed on a tree was the means of hearing it. Classes were dismissed for an hour that this marvel might be introduced to doubting students. But this year may come another present-day miracle.

Dr. Spencer Gives Promise

Dr. S.H. Spencer, head of the physics department at Baylor, has promised his classes this event if there is any possible chance. He has ordered a final "piece" for the television apparatus, which he expects soon. The only possibility of missing the address will be failure of the broadcasters to radio by television, Dr. Spencer said Monday [Jan. 7].

"It will not take very long to put up our apparatus for television. It will work absolutely if they treat us right up in Washington. Of course, we can get it over radio, anyway, but it will be a new thing for Baylor students if we can both see and hear our president's inaugural address," he said.

Early Radio Training

Waco Times-Herald
October 13, 1935

Untrodden Field is Being Explored by Baylor Class

Few Textbooks on Radio Speaking, So Paul Baker and His Students Go on Their Own

With only 10 or 20 books so far written in the United States on radio, Paul Baker and his radio speech class of 22 at Baylor university are having to make their rules as they proceed on what to do to be a radio success.

"Some of the people who are having radio careers now know what they're doing and why they please audiences," says Baker, "but most of them don't. The general rule is, try out and if you have a good speaking voice, go on with your career. If you don't, stop. We want to find out what makes pleasing voices, how to train them, and what to do after we get them."

Consequently, he is having all 22 students write skits, chiefly concerned with the humor, drama and sweep of college life and these are presented in the old Baylor chapel -- the one practically forgotten on the third floor of the main building, one of the cupolaed oldest buildings on the campus. Until a few years ago, this auditorium -- once large enough to accommodate the entire student body, now scarcely able to hold a fraction of it -- had old-fashioned mottoes in Latin painted on the walls, gravely informing students that "dulce et decorum est mori pro patria" and reminding them that Baylor was "pro eccesia, pro Texana."

Baker had a decorator from New York suggest plans for refinishing the auditorium. The class furnishes its own performers, skits, audience and critics in programs broadcast no further than the auditorium now, but later will broadcast by remote control from station WACO.