Show Business: A Novice for Public TV

For most of its five-year history, public television has been caught up in controversy and confusion. On one side have been those—in control until now —who have wanted something like the BBC, a vigorous national alternative to the commercial networks. On the other have been those—mostly in the Nixon Administration—who have wanted to spread federal money to strengthen local public stations as a "complement" rather than an alternative to commercial TV. With last week's installation of Nixon stalwart Henry Loomis as president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the localists appear to have...