'Reading Rainbow' Fights For Survival (Award-winning PBS show may end without new funds)

www.cnn.com ^ | May 29, 2003 | Associated Press

[conservativeinbflo.]

New York (AP) - In a plea for the life of "Reading Rainbow," host LeVar Burton returned to a familiar setting: the stage where he picked up the PBS show's seventh Emmy Award for best children's television series.

"If you are a wealthy philanthropist out there, I'm not that difficult to find," said Burton, the show's executive producer and host since it began in 1983.

He's still waiting. And "Reading Rainbow," which has counterintuitively used television to introduce children to a world of books, may only have a few months to live.

"Reading Rainbow" has several strikes against it in the battle for funding. For starters, it has no access to merchandise licensing deals, an increasingly important part of PBS' funding scheme for children's shows. There are no "Reading Rainbow" action figures to sell, no "Reading Rainbow" jammies to keep the kids warm at night.

[conservativeinbflo.]

Well...another one bites the dust. This makes me ill. I watched this show when I was little, when it first started. Of course something this valuable and wholesome can't stay afloat in a society where public schools explicitly teach kids how to administer oral sex. Just another example of how today's parents don't give two figs about their families. Load 'em up with pop and twinkies, and let them do whatever they please.

[AD from SpringBay]

I wonder if LeVar has bucked up?

[A-teamMom]

Yes, it is a good show. But there are so many other wholesome options for kids, too. For example, Discovery Kids channel has "Popular Mechanics for Kids," "Jaws and Claws," "Bonehead Detective," "Ultimate Guide to the Awesome" and "Prehistoric Planet." Those shows teach kids about science, math, history, etc. The Noggin channel has old episodes of "Sesame Street" and other PBS offerings.

I personally don't want my tax dollars funding PBS. The adult shows and specials are highly slanted to liberal ideas and causes. With such a plethora of offerings from which to choose, we don't need to fund public television or radio. I find it interesting that liberals in general bash corporate America, until they need money to save a pet project.

[tallhappy]

I only recently found out what a great show this is.

More recent ones, though, did seem to become infected with the liberal propaganda bug to some degree.

Just repeating the old ones would probably be fine. Still, it'd be the end of an era - an era I missed.

[dandelion]

Really - this is a great show, always has been. I don't normally go to bat for PBS, but the majority of their kid's shows are far and away the best on TV. For homeschoolers, PBS rocks.

I wonder if a person can just give to the shows they like? In that case, I have some change in the sofa - that's all I have for a savings account nowadays :P...

[SengirV]

Can't Seasame Street and Barney funnel some of their $$$ billions to RR?

[yankeedame]

...the PBS show's seventh Emmy Award for best children's television series.

The free market - like the Truth - will out. IOW, if this show is so great why are they pleading for money?

[dogbyte12]

There are no action figures to buy, no cross merchandized cereal flavors. That is why it is dying out.

I am not a fan of PBS, but Reading Rainbow is about one of the only things that makes it worthwhile. It just shows kids the magic of books. Period. Unless, you think Lavar should jazz up the show by picking titles such as "The Trix Bunny's Guide To Yummy Breakfasts", it will need underwriting to survive.

[4mycountry]

>>>Can't Seasame Street and Barney funnel some of their $$$ billions to RR?

Better yet, why can't Barney just hand over everything and get off the air insted of RR?
I could live with that. ^^

[rabidralph]

And "Reading Rainbow," which has counterintuitively used television to introduce children to a world of books

Then shouldn't he be doing his show from a library?

[cloud8]

I'm glad something on PBS is worthwhile for the kids, and it would be too bad to see it go. However, take a look at this from the CNN article: "This season, only four new [Reading Rainbow] shows were made. The production company has a $2 million annual budget, and no money to go forward, he said." Hey, that's $500K a pop...for reading children's books? What do they have...special effects? a cast of thousands? That money is lining someone's pockets, and I don't think they're Mr. Burton's.

[Slainte]

PBS must not be using the "If PBS won't do it, who will?" slogan any longer.

Isn't it bizarre that a network that supposedly prides itself in presenting programming that couldn't possibly be found anywhere else is going to stick a fork in an award winning series because it doesn't have merchandising potential.

Oh, geez. Silly me, I forgot the hypocrisy is part and parcel of the liberal thought process...

[MattAMiller]

My third grade teacher used to show us this every Friday. I hope he find funding. No reason to take it out on parents though. They're giving money to Public Television which is appearently not managing it well.

[MattAMiller]

The free market - like the Truth - will out. IOW, if this show is so great why are they pleading for money?

This very site pleads for money every couple of months if you haven't noticed.

[HungarianGypsy]

Here's an e-mail I got in reply to a letter I wrote to Reading Rainbow:
"We appreciate your concern for Reading Rainbow. Many people like you have graciously offered to contribute, and the overwhelming response has touched our hearts.
The most important way you can assure the future of Reading Rainbow is to communicate your passion for the series to your PBS station. Here's how
1) Send your PBS station program manager a message about why you value Reading Rainbow ? they need to hear that you believe the series is important and relevant. [Visit www.pbs.org -- look to the left of the page for a box to key in your zip code, then click on the station icon or call letters to get to the station site.]
2) Donate the amount you were intending to give Reading Rainbow to your local station in honor of Reading Rainbow ? this will signal the importance of the series, as well as help the station pay their fees for the series.
If you want to go a step further, send a message to PBS's national program chief specifying why Reading Rainbow is important to you [John Wilson, VP Programming, PBS, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria VA 22314].
Your message and donation will impact the continued scheduling of Reading Rainbow at the local level ? as will messages & donations from many others. This system-wide support is a very important factor for us as we work with companies and foundations to raise money for this nationally known and loved series.
Thanks again from all of us at Reading Rainbow.
Ann Hudson
1-800-228-4630"