Government
Joint business venture keeps PBS children's series alive
By Alicia Zappier
Apr 18, 2006, 14:05

In a move to keep the popular PBS Kids children's series Reading Rainbow on the air, the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association (WNED) and Educate, Inc., have formed a business partnership to co-produce the show until 2007.
Co-founded by WNED, Reading Rainbow was first aired in 1983. It's designed to help children hone their reading skills and is seen by more than two million viewers each week. It features a library of more than 140 episodes and has garnered roughly 250 industry awards.
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents recently approved the sale of the Nebraska ETV Network's production interest in the series to WNED. Educate has set forth a co-production agreement with WNED for the series. WNED, a co-founder and original co-producer of the series, will continue on as co-producer and liaison to PBS.
“There's a huge literacy movement going on, and our goal is to figure out how we can better utilize technology,” explained Donald Boswell, president and CEO of WNED. “We're looking to re-engineer our production capabilities with a $15 million grant by the end of June. We're not looking to completely overhaul the production or style of the show, but we have the insight to understand its future positioning.”
According to PBS spokesperson Stephanie Aaronson, the partnership is not an unusual circumstance for public broadcasting. “PBS has a long tradition of public-private partnerships from production to home video distribution to community engagement,” she explained. “Also these shows are produced independently -- all shows are, PBS does not produce -- so shows come from various production companies and stations.” She added that Capitol Hill has encouraged more public-private partnerships to support limited public funds while reaching more audiences.
Educate owns the popular Hooked on Phonics brand as well as Sylvan Learning Centers. The company plans on introducing a line of Reading Rainbow products and programs, which it has exclusive rights to market and sell.
“This is an exciting move because Reading Rainbow has struggled for eons to get the financial resources it needs to survive,” said Jilly Goldstein, vice president of strategy and education for Educate and former vice president of education at PBS. “With this partnership, we'll be able to ensure the future of a great show as well as conserve its integrity and quality for a new generation of kids.”
As a new co-producer, Educate plans to work with PBS and WNED closely to ensure the future of the show is every bit as credible and effective as it has been in the past. “We're going to take the time to do this right, to meet the changing needs of kids. We know education and we know what parents and teachers want,” she said. “Look at the quality and integrity of our existing products. We plan on bringing the same commitment and integrity to Reading Rainbow.”
Educate and WNED have plans to produce 52 new episodes. According to Goldstein, PBS is interested in keeping the show alive beyond 2007, however, PBS officials were not available for comment.

MORE INFO
Educate, Inc., www.educate-inc.com
PBS www.pbs.org
WNED www.wned.org


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