Wednesday, September 2, 2009

R.I.P. Reading Rainbow

Yes it is a sad day for television and our collective inner child. After 26 years on the air (the third longest run in PBS history after Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street) Reading Rainbow has been cancelled due to lack of funding. Apparently the problems started when the Dept. of Education under the Bush administration decided to shift focus from encouraging a love of reading to the basics of learning HOW to read (spelling, grammar etc.) But you don't have to take my word for it...

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/08/did_education_dept_help_kill_r.html



Thanks for all the memories.


2 comments:

  1. What the shit. Why didn't some wealthy philanthropist step up to the plate for these guys? Cripes. Rest In Peace to one of my dearest friends growing up. Butterfly in the skiiiaiaaaaaa...

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  2. Really the best show ever. Levar Burton spearheaded the whole thing. It was not a situation where people made the show and then stuck him in front of the camera. He was involved with production on every level. Just another reason why Levar Burton is one of the truly unsung heroes of the last 30 years.

    Fuck the children. That was sorta the main outcome of the entire Bush administration. It is a pretty good policy. Sometimes I am deeply ashamed.

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