Harold Engel is most notable for his long (1931-1968) association with WHA radio and television, one of the oldest stations in the United States, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Through this association, he became a promotor of educational broadcasting in the state during the formative years of radio and television.

Born in 1903 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, Engel attended Ripon College (B. A., 1925) and the University of Wisconsin (M. A., Economics, 1932). It was only after teaching junior high school in Flint, Michigan (1925-1928) and writing advertisements for General Motors, that Engel joined the staff of WHA radio. He began with the production of a children's safety program and helped to organize other educational programs, e.g. the Wisconsin College of the Air, 1933. A major part of Engel's career at WHA, however, was given over to legislative and public relations.

As a long-time assistant director of WHA, Engel took an active part in the expansion of the station's facilities. This included a move to Radio Hall in 1934 and the early planning and promotion in the 1950's and 1960's of a communication arts building on the University of Wisconsin campus. His desire to increase WHA services led to attempts to secure a clear channel (unsuccessful) in the 1930's, FM in the late 1940's, and television in the early 1950's.

Engel's activity in behalf of educational broadcasting extended beyond the confines of WHA's operations. He championed the construction of a state-wide FM network and fought against the encroachments of commercial radio and television broadcasters. Also, during much of his tenure at WHA, Engel served as professor of radio (and later television) education at the University of Wisconsin.

In addition to his work in Wisconsin, Engel served as a consultant to the New Mexico Radio Service (1935-1936), to the Rocky Mountain Public Radio Council (1937), and to the Philippines in 1950 (as a Fulbright Scholar) and 1966-1967. He also spent some time in 1945 studying the operation of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Engel's organizational affiliations include the Wisconsin State Radio Council, Wisconsin Broadcasters' Association, National Association of Educational Broadcasters (Executive Secretary, 1938-1941; President, 1941-1942, 1946-1948), and the National Association of FM Broadcasters (Educational Director, 1963-1964).

The papers of Harold Engel deal exclusively with educational broadcasting. Major emphasis is upon his connection with WHA radio and television. The papers are divided into six major categories. The first is personal; the next four are related to WHA: radio operations in general, radio service, television, and building plans. The final one consists of other radio and television material.

The PERSONAL material is that which concerns educational broadcasting but does not specifically pertain to WHA operations. Included here are articles by Engel, a report that Engel helped to draft for the Rocky Mountain Public Radio Council in 1937, and correspondence and printed items concerning his relationship to the Wisconsin Broadcasters' Association, State Radio Council, and the National Association of FM Broadcasters. There is also biographical data located here.

WHA RADIO, GENERAL contains a variety of information on WHA: early development, policy statements, staff (including Malcolm Hanson, an early employee, ^[1*] and articles and speeches by Harold B. McCarty, station director, 1931-1968), programs, plans for growth, correspondence of Engel with Wisconsin legislators, as well as articles about WHA. Unfortunately, there are only bits and pieces of information about each topic. The same is true for the section on WHA RADIO SERVICE. For the most part this section deals with the campaigns for a clear channel and FM. In both cases there is a significant amount of opposition correspondence, clippings, and other items. Notable is Engel's involvement in refuting charges by the Chicago Tribune (1938) that WHA was controlled by the "La Follette machine" (for which he received a letter of support from Hans V. Kaltenborn, November 5, 1938), as well as his opposition to a related attempt by commercial stations to have WHA taken off the air.

WHA TELEVISION consists primarily of correspondence (including a letter, April 9, 1953, from August Derleth to Mrs. Fred Risser), resolutions, and newsclippings that deal with the campaign to establish educational television in Wisconsin in the early 1950's. Again, the opposition is represented; this time by material relating to the Wisconsin Committee on State-Owned, Tax-Supported Television. A facilities improvement proposal, 1958-1960, a bid for assignment of Channel 3 (then operated by WISC-TV), and articles on WHA-TV are also included.

The section on WHA RADIO AND TELEVISION, BUILDING PLANS is not very extensive considering Engel's part in the expansion of WHA's facilities. There is some documentation of his activity for a communication arts building, dating from the 1940's and 1950's, and information on building alterations, 1938-1954.

The section of OTHER RADIO AND TELEVISION MATERIALS, in addition to a volume of annual reports, 1938-1957, for the University of Wisconsin Radio-Television Committee, is limited to material relating to other Wisconsin stations in which Engel took interest as an educational broadcaster. Represented here is Engel's involvement with WLBL (a related state-owned station at Steven's Point, later Auburndale), the role that he played in the fight of WMVS-TV, Milwaukee Vocational School, against a takeover of its channel by a commercial station, 1953-1955, and the establishment of WUWM-FM, 1957-1964, the Milwaukee campus station of the University of Wisconsin.