Beyond Our Control, the weekly satirical review for television is now scheduled to have its fourth season premiere Saturday, January 30, at 5:30 PM EST on WNDU-TV, Channel 16. WJA-TV, the Junior Achievement Television Company which produces the program, is now in the final stages of production as the group prepares to open its tenth anniversary season of television programming on WNDU-TV.

Twenty-three students of area high schools and four advisers fro the staff of Channel 16 have joined under the auspices of Junior Achievement, a national program of economic education, to produce Beyond Our Control. The company, functioning as a model corporation, sells stock to raise operating capital, creates a program concept, leases studio facilities from WNDU-TV, and then engages in producing the thirteen-week series. The project is financed by the sales of commercial advertising within the show to area businesses.

Wm. Thomas Hamilton, Executive Vice President and Genera Manager of Wndu-TV, and a member of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement, inaugurated the project in 1960 with the cooperation of the late Robert Riedel, then Executive Director of JA in South Bend. The program, probably the first of its kind in the United States, was designed to attract talented young people to broadcasting careers by giving them practical experience in television production, sales and business administration. Since its inception, more than two-hundred fifty area teen-agers have participated in the unique educational project.

Since 1968, WJA-TV has presented Beyond Our Control, modestly claimed to be one of local television's most ambitious weekly programs. As the title suggests, the show is television-oriented, exploiting the medium to reflect humorously upon all aspects of American culture-including television itself.

Experimental animated film, on-location actuality-style reports, skits parodying television programs and commercials, frequent musical interludes and a diverse assortment of other features-all characterized by generally irreverent tone-are presented each week in what the producers somewhat hopefully describe as a fast-paced and humorous framework. The weekly "Rock of Ages" reprise of vintage popular music will return this season according top the producers, as will frequent interruptions for commercials--both real and otherwise.

New to the program this season will be the presentation of student-produced films. High school and college filmmakers will be showcased on the program whenever available films present themselves, and the producers have invited interested filmmakers to contact them for the full information on the project.

(ADDITIONAL)

Eight area high schools are represented in the cast of Beyond Our Control this season, and the company membership is as follows:



Jackson: Marcia Blodgett, WJA-TV President; Sue Denning, Production Manager; Bob Gilroy, Kim Hitchcock, Tom Keayes, Chris McVay and Rich Muessel

Mishawaka: Kim Guidi, Jim Jordan, Brian McLaughlin and Becky Semenak.

LaSalle: Karen Janowiak, Bob Morton, Julie Ratkiewicz, Nancy Ross and Sherry Shane.

Adams: Jim McDonald and Kevin Wright.

Marian: Tom Hojnacki, WJA-TV Art Director; and Marty Horvath

Washington: Sandra Joseph

Clay: George Papp, WJA-TV Sales Manager.

Riley: Jim Skwarcan.


This year's advisers from the staff of WNDU-TV are once again Joe Dundon, Greg Giczi, Bill Siminski, and Dave Williams.