Although the University can maintain that there has been no policy change, and even explain why, it accepted a contract to televise in 1950, refused one in 1953, and accepted one in 1955, it has not yet made any public statement on the implications of such a move.

The 1950 contract was not comparable to the new agreement, in two important ways. First, television five years ago was must less significant in terms of possible attendance losses and increased football audiences than it is today. Second, the contract this year is for only one home game, not all home games.

Saturated in TV

Boston and its environs are virtually saturated with television sets at the moment. Virtually every local alumnus can afford a television set. Most of them have afforded one. What this will do to attendance is hard to predict, and the HAA will not know much more than it does after only one local telecast. Such problems as comparative records and the weather will make comparative statistics on

University Television Policy Statement

"Harvard's decision to telecast the Harvard-Brown football game to be played at the Stadium on November 12, 1955, does not represent a change in Harvard's position in connection with the NCAA television program. Although the NCAA program for 1955 is, in our opinion, a material improvement over former NCAA programs in that it provides for the selection of games to be televised on an area rather than a nation-wide basis, Harvard is still opposed to nation-wide control of football television. Our position has been and is that we must reserve to ourselves the right to decide whether and when to telecast Harvard football games. The offer to telecast the Harvard-Brown game came to us directly from Columbia Broadcasting System. The athletic officials at Brown were, of course, consulted before the offer was accepted." the Brown game nearly impossible to evaluate.

Moreover, with only one game on TV, football enthusiasts will not have become used to watching games from their homes, as certain experts claim baseball fans have, and so this year's conclusions may be applicable if the program is expanded next year.

Sell Out Almost Certain

Another problem is the relative effect of televising popular and unpopular games. The HAA is not willing to say whether next year's Yale game will be televised. Certainly with the game being played at Soldiers Field, the possibility would be extremely attractive. Unlike this year's Yale Bown game, next year's game is virtually assured of being a sell-out, with or without TV.

There is no way of knowing how far local television could go if the HAA were willing, for the NCAA still restricts the number of television dates. The University will almost certainly refuse to buck NCAA regulations, even if it disapproves of them, since to do so would be to risk expulsion and to make opponents almost impossible to find. During the more restricted era from 1952-54, the University killed feelers on the subject.

Warm and Comfortable

But the most important question is the effect of television on local radio broadcasts. The arrival of CBS was accompanied by the departure of WBZ. The reasons given were disagreement about fees and dissatisfaction with the low quality of coverage. There seems to be reason to believe that with television covering one game directly and reproducing possibly four others. WBZ felt its contract was less than exclusive.

Indeed, there is only one major group to whom radio broadcasts are of importance if there is television coverage--the student. Many students would rather be warm and comfortable in their rooms with a date, than cold and uncomfortable in a cheering section. To accommodate them, WHRB has annually requested permission to broadcast the game.

Get Out and Cheer

Every year their request has been refused on the grounds that WBZ had an exclusive contract. This year, WBZ has no contact. The games will be broadcast only from New York, useful for the HAA in maintaining alumni interest, but not to local enthusiasts, who must now buy tickets.

The HAA apparently reasons that the ideal situation would be to have television of all games, assuming the contract is large enough to cover the attendance decline. This would mean that the budget would balance, and the student would be under even greater pressure to get out in the stands and cheer, along with his paying date.

Few radio stations are looking for television competition in a saturated area, and equally few want to broadcast the games which television would have. Meanwhile, the faculty committee on athletics deliberates the fate of the Saturday afternoon stay-at-home