Series: The Ten O'Clock News
Program: Evening Compass broadcast
Date: 1975-09-08
People: Pilkington, Greg
Geography: Roxbury (Boston, Mass.)

Clip Description
Greg Pilkington reports on the African American community's reaction to the beginning of Phase II school desegration, and on opening day at the Dearborn School. Pilkington reports that parents complained about the poor state of the facilities at the Dearborn School.

Program Description
Evening Compass newscast on the first day of Phase II desegregation of Boston Schools. Ed Baumeister reports optimism on the part of city and school officials about the opening of schools. Report includes footage of Arthur Gartland (Citywide Coordinating Council) at a press conference, talking about the successful opening of the schools. Paul deGive reports on the opening day at Charlestown High School, which was peaceful despite confrontations between police and Charlestown residents on Bunker Hill Street. DeGive reports that police motorcycles bore down with little warning on demonstrators sitting down in the middle of Bunker Hill Street in Charlestown; that a gang of youth overturned two cars in Charlestown and assaulted an African American student at Bunker Hill Community College. DeGive's report includes footage of Peggy King (Charlestown resident) and Gertrude Harris (Charlestown resident). King and Harris resent the police presence in Charlestown. Judy Stoia reports on reactions to busing and police presence in the Charlestown community. Her report includes footage from an interview with a white teenager who is boycotting school. Stoia notes that Charlestown residents are frustrated at the police presence in the neighborhood. Baumeister reports on the peaceful opening of school at South Boston High School. Donovan Moore reports on opening day at Madison Park High School. Moore's report includes footage of Tom Hennessey (Acting Headmaster, Madison Park High School), talking about the first day of school in a new building. Pam Bullard reports on the successful opening day at the Solomon Lewenberg School in Mattapan. Bullard's report includes footage of Jim Pardy (Assistant Principal, Lewenberg School) talking about the successful opening of the Lewenberg School. Gary Griffith reports from the Police Department Information Center on police activities throughout the city, including the arrest of 77 members of the Committee Against Racism (CAR). Griffith notes that the CAR members were demonstrating along a bus route in South Boston. Bullard reports on the first day of school at the Condon Elementary School in South Boston. Bullard's report includes footage of interviews with Marjorie O'Brien (South Boston parent) and Katherine Ellis (South Boston parent) concerning their views on busing and school desegregation.Greg Pilkington reports on the African American community's reaction to the beginning of Phase II school desegration, and on opening day at the Dearborn School. Pilkington reports that parents complained about the poor state of the facilities at the Dearborn School. Bullard reports that opening day at Hyde Park High School was peaceful. She notes that there were complaints from local residents about the heavy police presence. Bullard's report includes a still photo of racist graffiti on a mailbox in front of the school. Baumeister reports on transportation problems involving school buses. Baumeister's report includes footage of Baumeister questioning Charles Leftwich (Associate Superintendent of Boston Public Schools) about busing problems at a press conference.

Series Description
A local program aimed at the Boston audience, The Ten O'Clock News debuted on January 15, 1976. Its two immediate predecessors were The Reporters and Evening Compass. A news and public affairs show focusing on neighborhood, local and state issues, The Reporters was produced and broadcast on WGBH from 1970 to 1973. The Reporters was then replaced by Evening Compass, which expanded into a twice-nightly news broadcast during the tense moments of Boston's busing crisis. On the air from 1973 to 1975, Evening Compass found an audience through its in-depth coverage of school desegregation in Boston, which began in 1974. The Ten O'Clock News stood out as an in-depth news program. It strove for a balance between local and national stories, between politics and the Arts. The last The Ten O'Clock News program was broadcast on May 30, 1991.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/ton/programs/1477_01