PBS to cut Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

[Shem]

It's an end of an era.

 

http://www.parentdish.com/2008/08/08/pbs-to-cut-mister-rogers-neighborhood/?icid=200100397x1207093167x1200363596

[Giant Graffiti]

Ugghh... What are kids gonna watch now? Sesame Street? That stopped being good years ago.

[Nedak]

That's horrible.

[Gurges-Ahter]

Yeah it was sad enough when he passed in 03... that show was so instrumental to my development. I now have 2 young sons of my own, and it's sad that they won't be able to watch it like I did. I guess I can always get the DVDs.

 

On a positive note, my older son is 4 and is totally into Star Wars, so at least I have that.

[tk102]

You kind of knew this was coming since Sesame Street hyped up and dumbed down their show (back in 2002 was it?) and Fred passing away in 2003. What makes it a real shame is that PBS hasn't garnished any replacement to the show. Yes, Fred was one-of-a-kind, but it seems like the format (first-person discussion, imagination, guests, field trips, play time, made-up songs/music) and the value messages of the show could have been reproduced in some manner.

 

I appreciate Mr. Rogers more now as a parent than I did as a child. I remember watching Sesame Street followed by the feeling of "having to wait-through" Mr. Rogers to get to the fast-paced Electric Company. I suppose I absorbed more of his messages than I realized and it was only in looking back to appreciate how easily he spoke to children about feelings without trying to dazzle them with excitement.

 

Children need to have contemplation time and his show reflected that truth. It might appear dull or slow-paced by comparison, but hey we're talking about PBS here. Their programs are supposed to require a bit of involvement for the sake of nourishment.

[Gurges-Ahter]

I actually loved Mr. Rogers as a kid, but I can't imagine my son liking it as much as he typically is interested in the more action-packed shows. I also loved Reading Rainbow.

[ForeverNight]

Reading Rainbow + Mister Rogers == Best Kid's TV Shows ever.

 

It's sad that its being cut, but, how long would it be until the Kids realized that "Hey! This is a rerun?"

 

I remember liking Mister Rogers far more than Sesame Street... (Took me four tries to spell that!) After all, Sesame Street seemed to buy into the idea of: "Kids are stupid." Even when I was watching it. ('95-'96)

 

But, the best Reading Rainbow Episode ever? Where LeVar (How do you even spell his name???) took us on the set when filming Star Trek: TNG... nevermind that it is most definitely not a kid's show!

 

Ahh... Back when I didn't have homework... Or school...

[Gurges-Ahter]

Reading Rainbow + Mister Rogers == Best Kid's TV Shows ever.

QFT

It's sad that its being cut, but, how long would it be until the Kids realized that "Hey! This is a rerun?"

Well, maybe.. but what age window do you think kids actually watch the show? From 4-8, maybe? So if the window is 4-6 years, there are 33 years of shows to choose from. I think any given child could go the entire age window without seeing a rerun.

[ForeverNight]

^^^ True that... Except that if you go back 33 years, it'll be somewhat obvious to the kids watching that this is not recent. Unless its a lot cleaner looking (Sharp... I dunno the word I'm looking for) than I think it would be.

 

Too bad it's getting cut... *Sigh*

[ChAiNz.2da]

15 Reasons Mr. Rogers was best neighbor ever

 

Even beyond the show, the man was an inspiration. I think it's a mistake for PBS to drop the show. Especially nowadays with so much on TV that does nothing more than kill imagination and lacks any sense of educational value.

[GodsillY]

I loved Mr. Rogers I can't believe they'd cut the show, but who knows maybe another station like Noggin or something will pick it up. Anybody know if that's an option?

[Aash Li]

I thought they cut the show when he died? O.o I used to watch that show all the time when I was little.

 

But I disagree, Capt. Kangaroo was the best show ever. That and the show with Lambchop. hehe

[Gurges-Ahter]

Capt. Kangaroo came to my school once when I was little. I still preferred Mr. Rogers though.

[MacTavish]

Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood, Magic School Bus, Sesame Street, Arthur, Reading Rainbow = Best Childhood PBS Shows Ever.

[GodsillY]

I always loved Magic School Bus and Arthur, but Mr. Rogers will always be number one

[Gurges-Ahter]

Yes, I have so much to thank Mr. Rogers for. If it weren't for him, I never would have learned how to use my imagination, and I have managed to imagine myself into an exciting career as a Sr. Financial Analyst! lol my job is so boring.

 

Only kidding, of course. I wish there was more quality programming like this on for kids today. My son watches cooler shows, but definitely not as developmental/inspirational. I mean, Spongebob is funny, but he doesn't teach kids all that much.

[mimartin]

Sounds to me like PBS is leaving it up to member stations as to how they handle Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.

PBS stations have the option of broadcasting the series everyday or once a week as best suited for their local community interests. For those that choose to air the series daily, PBS is feeding 185 episodes over the summer, allowing easy access to a library of episodes. For those stations choosing to air the series weekly, they can pick up the weekly feed this fall. [/Quote]

 

I also found this reassuring:

In addition, PBS and Family Communications, Inc. are planning to preserve Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood content and make it available on demand through Web streaming so families access it 24/7.[/Quote]

 

Like most of you, I grew up on Mr. Roger’s. I was upset with what I perceived was PBS’s plan for the show. While I don’t understand PBS decision I do feel better after reading their press release. It seems to me like they are not abandoning the show completely.

[GodsillY]

Yes, I have so much to thank Mr. Rogers for. If it weren't for him, I never would have learned how to use my imagination, and I have managed to imagine myself into an exciting career as a Sr. Financial Analyst! lol my job is so boring.

 

Only kidding, of course. I wish there was more quality programming like this on for kids today. My son watches cooler shows, but definitely not as developmental/inspirational. I mean, Spongebob is funny, but he doesn't teach kids all that much.

 

I don't know about inspirational but in terms of developmental TV shows if you get Noggin they have a lot of shows my little sister watches, it's supposedly proven to help develope kids and what not, I also don't know how old your son is. My sister is four and she's a genuis lol.

[MacTavish]

I mean, Spongebob is funny, but he doesn't teach kids all that much.

 

I agree, actually some of the stuff on there is borderline TV-14 and MTV shows it now.

[Gurges-Ahter]

I don't know about inspirational but in terms of developmental TV shows if you get Noggin they have a lot of shows my little sister watches, it's supposedly proven to help develope kids and what not, I also don't know how old your son is. My sister is four and she's a genuis lol.

 

My son is also 4, and he's a smart kid too. However, I attribute most of his intelligence to genetics and the montessori program he's gone through. He does watch Noggin quite a bit (I usually leave it on for him before he goes to bed). The rest of the time he either watches Boomerang (old school cartoons) or Spongebob. He's particularly interested in the DC comics shows like Justice League Unlimited. He watches movies quite a bit too, and he absolutely loves Star Wars. He's actually watching Spiderman right now. Noggin does have some good developmental shows though. So does Sprout, but he's outgrown most of those. The younger one (he's 1 and a half) watches Sprout a lot, although he's not as into TV. He also likes Spongebob though.

[Jae Onasi]

Sounds to me like PBS is leaving it up to member stations as to how they handle Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.

 

I also found this reassuring:

 

Like most of you, I grew up on Mr. Roger’s. I was upset with what I perceived was PBS’s plan for the show. While I don’t understand PBS decision I do feel better after reading their press release. It seems to me like they are not abandoning the show completely.

I'm glad that people will be able to access the show--I loved what he had to teach, even on some difficult subjects. My kids are a little too old to appreciate his shows, but maybe those shows will be available when they have kids.

[ChAiNz.2da]

Sounds to me like PBS is leaving it up to member stations as to how they handle Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.

 

Quite the reassuring news. Thanks for the link mimartin.. definitely eases my mind