Children S Television

A Mickey Mouse look-alike who preached Islamic domination on a children's television program was beaten to death in the show's final episode. In the skit, the "Farfour" character was killed by an actor portraying an Israeli official trying to buy Farfour's land. He was killed "by the killers of children," said Sara, the teenage presenter. Israel has denounced the series, broadcast on Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV.

I am far past childhood, but I still like watching TV made for kids. Some of this is out of professional interest, obviously, but in the long span of my life and working life, the professional interest is comparatively recent, and I have never really stopped paying attention to children's television, never felt above it, or beyond it. Indeed, the more I've watched it, the more I've grown to think of it as the medium's better self ? by its very nature more colorful, wilder, weirder, purer.

Opening what is being billed as the first international conference on "Children and the Media" Monday at the Ambassador Hotel, Rep. James Bates (D-San Diego) called for intense "public pressure" to rectify "the disaster" of children's television.

The girl who helped change children's TV wasn't originally conceived as a fearless bilingual character. In fact, she wasn't always a girl. In the original concept, she was a rabbit … a male rabbit. But the creators finally fixed on doe-eyed Dora Marquez, who kicked off the first show with three simple words: "Hi, I'm Dora." Dora began traveling through the jungle — speaking bits of Spanish along the way — and onto the nation's television screens in August 2000.

The good news about children's television, says ABC's Squire D. Rushnell, "is that there are many more options today." The bad news, he adds, shrugging his shoulders, is that there are not many diamonds out there in the field of children's programming. Rushnell, a veteran of 27 years in broadcasting and responsible for children's programming at ABC--from afterschool specials to animated shows such as "The Littles"--described children as "the most fickle audience in all of television."

The Clinton Administration's bid to burnish its "family values" image by taking on the TV industry on behalf of parents suffered a setback Wednesday as a key Democrat withdrew his support for a plan that would require broadcasters to air three hours of children's programming each week. Federal Communications Commissioner James H.

Accusing the television industry of evading the intent of congressional legislation, a key lawmaker urged the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday to require broadcasters to air at least three hours a week of educational programming for children. Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.

Barring unlikely roadblocks in the House, Congress is expected to deliver landmark children's television legislation to President Bush within days. The action would mark the second time in less than two years that Congress has conveyed to a Republican President its contention that children's television should occupy a special, protected corner of the communications marketplace.

A federal appeals court Friday ordered the Federal Communications Commission to review its 1984 decision deregulating the content of children's television because the FCC had "failed sufficiently to justify its action." In a unanimous opinion by Judge Kenneth Starr, an appointee of President Reagan, the U.S.

Before Barney, before Big Bird, there was . . . the Captain. Millions of Americans grew up with Bob Keeshan's grandfatherly Captain Kangaroo persona, the jovial keeper of the Treasure House, who invited children into a safe, gentle world where Mr. Green Jeans, Mr. Moose, Tom Terrific and Grandfather Clock held sway. The show ran on CBS from 1955 until 1984, then continued in reruns on some public television stations until 1993.

More than an entire day -- that's how long children sit in front of the television in an average week, according to new findings released Monday by Nielsen. The amount of television usage by children reached an eight-year high, with kids ages 2 to 5 watching the screen for more than 32 hours a week on average and those ages 6 to 11 watching more than 28 hours. The analysis, based on the fourth quarter of 2008, measured children's consumption of live and recorded TV, as well as VCR and game console usage.

In a deal that will surely make activist groups froth and may have rivals looking over their shoulders, Discovery Communications Inc. and Hasbro Inc. are partnering on a new kids' cable channel aimed at the elusive 14-and-under demographic. Under the terms of the deal, Hasbro, maker of Trivial Pursuit, G.I. Joe, Transformers and Scrabble, will pay $300 million for a 50% stake in Discovery Kids Network, the cable programmer's children's channel, which is available in 60 million homes.

One of the most popular characters in "The Penguins of Madagascar" is Julien, a lemur who has somehow deluded himself into believing he is a king, against much evidence to the contrary. As Hollywood has long known, there can be a jackpot in animals behaving badly. In just a few weeks, the animated "Penguins of Madagascar" has claimed a royal perch at Viacom's Nickelodeon, the cable network famous for "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "iCarly."

Barney the dinosaur, a beloved toddler's icon to some and a cultural punching bag to others, has taken on a new role: steppingstone. "Barney & Friends," filmed in a nondescript office building in suburban Dallas, has lately become a launching pad for child stars shooting along the career path blazed by Miley Cyrus and a generation of Mouseketeers before her.

Nickelodeon welcomes one of the world's most beloved literary characters to its preschool lineup with the launch of "Olivia" on Jan. 26, followed by a week of new episodes. Presented in conjunction with media content company Chorion and animated by Brown Bag Films, the new half-hour series invites children into the life of an adventurous, can-do 6-year-old pig named Olivia. Based on author-illustrator Ian Falconer's award-winning titles, "Olivia" will be transformed into computer-generated animation and will air regularly at 11:30 a.m. weekdays.

School is almost here, which means I will get to sleep in while my 7-year-old daughter, Hannah, learns whatever you learn in second grade nowadays (I believe it's how to build your own Web page and the economics of texting). But as her return to school nears, I find myself saddened, not only because as a night-shift worker I will soon be spending less time with her, but also because my TV viewing habits will probably change. PBS Kids, the Disney Channel and the plethora of Nickelodeon stations won't get as much airtime on the Jumbotron in our living room.

You know about Mr. Rogers, Big Bird and Barney, the saccharine-as-they-come purple dinosaur that raked in millions. Well, now, kiddies, there may also be a "fun-loving, magical farmer" named Mr. Buckethead coming to a television screen near you. Mr. B, called Buckethead because he goes around wearing a bucket as a hat, is the host of what's been billed as the surest road to investment profits since Barney took over entire sections of F.A.O. Schwarz.

Stepping directly into an increasingly contentious debate over television regulation, President Clinton has urged the Federal Communications Commission to require TV broadcasters to air at least three hours of children's programming per week. In an unusual one-page letter to FCC Chairman Reed E.

In an updated blast from the past, PBS will air a new version of the 1970s children's series "The Electric Company." The series, aimed at reducing the literacy gap between low- and middle-income families, will promote the idea that "reading is cool" with help from online and community-based activities, Sesame Workshop said. Weekly episodes of "The Electric Company" are scheduled to air nationally in January on PBS Kids.