Friday / Weekend Open Line


Friday, June 19th. As radio broadcasting matured and television was being birthed, the Federal Communications Commission was established on this date 70 years ago to regulate use of the airwaves in the public interest. The agency’s job has grown much larger and more complex in the years since, and includes all nonfederal government use of the frequency spectrum. Current issues include obscenity on the air and the blurring of distinctions between telephone companies and cable television. Among the outlets the FCC monitors are nearly 9,000 radio and television broadcasting establishments, over 5,300 cable television systems, and nearly 12,000 wireless telecommunications carriers, along with satellite and wired communication services. You can find current data on the country’s economy by downloading the ‘America’s Economy’ mobile application at <www.census.gov/mobile>.

Saturday, June 20th. The first Chinese student to graduate from an American college was Yung Wing, a naturalized American who received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut this month in 1854. That year, some 16,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in California, though ensuing restrictions greatly reduced the annual arrivals for decades thereafter. Today, there are almost 3.7 million Americans of Chinese descent, and they are no longer a rarity on college campuses. Nearly 29 percent of school age Chinese-Americans are enrolled in college or graduate school, while 27 percent of adults have graduate or professional degrees. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at <www.census.gov>.

Sunday, June 21st. This is one of the nation’s favorite days — Father’s Day. Aside from the usual observance, with cards, a gift, or dinner at his favorite restaurant, it’s a day to say thanks to the dads, stepfathers, grandfathers, and other father figures for all they’ve done to help raise the following generation. The occasion dates back to 1910, when Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington wanted to honor her father, who raised six children by himself after his wife died. The idea caught on, but didn’t become official until 1966. Across the country, there are 39 million men who are the fathers in households with natural, step or adopted children of any age. Nearly 25 million of them are part of married couple families with children younger than 18. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.