<sod>Alabama was one of the earliest states to enter into [[educational television]] broadcasting when the [[Alabama General Assembly]] created the Alabama Educational Television Commission in 1953. In an unusual move at the time, the Commission requested allocations for four stations which would air the same programming at all times, fed from a central studio in Birmingham.  At the time, it was apparent that much of the state outside of Birmingham, Montgomery, and [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]] was too poor and too rural to support a standalone educational station.  The Commission thus wanted to ensure that all of the state's children would have access to educational television. <eod>
<sod>Alabama was one of the earliest states to enter into [[educational television]] broadcasting when the [[Alabama General Assembly]] created the Alabama Educational Television Commission in 1953. In an unusual move at the time, the Commission requested allocations for four stations which would air the same programming at all times, fed from a central studio in Birmingham.  At the time, it was apparent that much of the state outside of Birmingham, Montgomery, and [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]] was too poor and too rural to support a standalone educational station.  The Commission thus wanted to ensure that all of the state's children would have access to educational television.<eod>