“The Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction (MPATI) was not officially PBS, though it operated with similar educational goals. Active in the 1960s, MPATI was a pioneering, non-profit organization that broadcasted classroom lessons from airplanes flying over north-central Indiana to schools across six states. Because it was created to bring educational television to schools before the widespread availability of cable and satellite, it is often remembered alongside classic public television initiatives. PBS itself was officially established later, launching in October 1970.”

(MPATI was based at the Purdue University Airport in West Lafayette, Indiana).

Read the full article “Early Experiments in Public Broadcasting” at:
The Rockefeller Archives.