Other TV executives must be envious. In the midst of an August notably devoid of buzz for new fall shows, CBS is already getting a huge burst of PR for one of its efforts.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, the show in question is "Kid Nation," the reality series that dumped 40 children at a New Mexico ranch for six weeks without any contact with parents or tutors. And although CBS says an army of child psychologists and others was on hand to keep the peace, it's unclear how many of these network-employed grown-ups were interested in the welfare of something besides a TV show.
What's clear is that the kids were overseen by TV producers and film crews who egged on the little ones to act out a junior-varsity version of "Survivor."
As a parent who's covered the television business exclusively for nearly a decade, I just think of the phrase "healthy environment for kids," and the first thing that pops into mind is the set of a reality-TV show.
"She feels like it was summer camp," Peggy, the mother of a 12-year-old "Kid Nation" resident, told my colleague Maria Elena Fernandez, who's been following the story. (CBS says it won't give out last names to protect the kids' privacy -- as if the kids will still have any once this thing airs on national TV.)
The show's executive producer, Tom Forman, also used the "summer camp" comparison.
Sure, it's a lot like camp, if by "camp" you mean a place where the organizers won't let you participate unless you sign a 22-page, single-spaced, legally exhaustive contract allowing them to whisk your child to unspecified "remote" and "inherently dangerous" locations. And wash their hands of any responsibility for the kid's life or safety (including any failure to conduct thorough background checks or to keep kids free from HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases: Who says our society won't give pedophiles an even break?). And, yes, stick a camera in the child's face anytime except for bathroom breaks.
The kind of camp this brings to mind has nothing to do with canoes, hiking and s'mores. The nation in "Kid Nation" makes North Korea sound utopian.
"It's ghastly and a shame," Paul Petersen, a former child actor, told me, referring to "Kid Nation." Petersen runs A Minor Consideration, a nonprofit watchdog and advocacy group that monitors child labor in the entertainment industry. "I've never seen anything like this, in terms of wanton disregard for the lives of children."
