Guess senators can't kick Big Bird around anymore

[Big RR]

I did a quick check and didn't find much detail, only nonspecific complaints of bias with examples that made little sense--Grover eating lunch with a--gasp--hippie (whatever that is in 2015) and Oscar living in a garbage can. There was also some complaints that the show depicted the black and Hispanic lifestyles without giving fair time to the euro-white lifestyle; although to me this made little sense as the show is directed to inner city children (even the set is an inner city street) and would reflect that population. And I'd be surprised if the regular cast was devoid of any euro-white faces.

Sounds kind of like tea party bitching that the show isn't Davey and Goliath. But if you have any sites with concrete examples wes, please post them.

eta: Bill O'Reilly also bitched about Bert and Ernie promoting the "LGBT agenda".

[wesw]

well, my opinion was formed by my own viewing of the show, just as my view of Disney was formed by my own experience and by their own products.

I make my own decisions and I stand by what I said

PBS and MPT, in particular, played a large role in my life and were well loved by me.

I would still not like to see them de funded, but they are one place twhere I miss the Fairness Doctrine

[Crackpot]

You know what you need to google? "Moon landing Hoax"

[Big RR]

wes--that's why I asked yu for examples; I only googled it because your post suggested it could shed light on what you believe is this brainwashing.

[wesw]

fair enough RR. the next time I catch sesame street I ll take notes of specific examples , and get back to you.....

[BoSoxGal]

Chicken Steve reincarnated.

[MajGenl.Meade]

wesw investigates under cover

[Big RR]

[rubato]

Well, I think going with HBO, or any pay per view/ subscription channel, is a mistake which I hope they correct in 5 years.

The world is so densely complex that we need simple things to be simple for the sake of comprehension.

Ses. Street is a brilliant resource for children's education and should be distributed for free as widely as possible.


Yrs,
Rubato

[BoSoxGal]

It's still going to be freely available - just that new episodes are first-run on HBO, then on PBS after a few months. During the initial few months, the episodes on PBS will be compilations of reruns. The educational benefit to all kids through public television will not be compromised; I think CTW made a good deal that helps keep the show strong and vital in a time when funding for public television is compromised.

[rubato]

Right, I get it.

But compromising the finances like they did makes it easier for the forces of ignorance and darkness to kill it.

I don't think the extra money makes up for it.


yrs,
rubato

[BoSoxGal]

Did you read the article? I'm guessing perhaps not, because the difficulties Sesame Street faces in staying on the air without partnering were pretty clearly set forth in the bolded portion I'm quoting below, which also explains how readily available Sesame will still be to lower-income kids without cable TV:

Indeed, “Sesame Street” will continue its run uninterrupted on PBS this fall, with the season featuring a selection of episodes from the last few seasons edited in new ways. Mr. Dunn emphasized that “Sesame Street” typically featured a mix of new and old episodes each season, and its preschool audience likes to watch episodes over and over, which increases their educational impact.

“Timing does not matter to kids,” he said. “The more they watch it, the more they like it.”

Episodes will also continue to be available for streaming on PBSKids.org and the PBS Kids video app, which offer four episodes at a time and are refreshed each week. About two-thirds of children now first discover “Sesame Street” on demand, Mr. Dunn said.

“Sesame Workshop’s new partnership does not change the fundamental role PBS and stations play in the lives of families,” Anne Bentley, a PBS spokeswoman, said in a statement.

Sesame Workshop’s partnership with HBO is expected to shore up its finances. The group’s revenue sources include product licensing on Sesame-branded merchandise, as well as support from corporations, government agencies and foundations.

Historically, less than 10 percent of its funding for “Sesame Street” episodes have come from PBS, with the largest source of income from videocassette or DVD sales. But with the rapid rise of streaming and on-demand viewing, DVD sales have plummeted, buffeting Sesame’s business.

PBS was not able to increase its payments to Sesame, forcing it to cut back on the number of episodes it produced and the creation of other new material. Now, PBS will not pay Sesame Workshop a licensing fee, which now is about $4 million a year, according to an executive with knowledge of the funding who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

In 2014, Sesame Workshop lost $11 million, according to its audited financial statement. Its total operating revenues were $104 million, down nearly 14 percent from the previous year.

It is not clear how much HBO is paying, as financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“In order to fund our nonprofit mission with a sustainable business model, Sesame Workshop must recognize these changes and adapt to the times,” said Joan Ganz Cooney, who co-created “Sesame Street” in the late 1960s.

For HBO, the partnership provides the network with prestigious and popular television programming for both its cable network and its new stand-alone streaming service HBO Now, which is aimed at people who do not have or do not want cable TV subscriptions.

In addition to the new series, HBO licensed more than 150 library episodes of “Sesame Street.” It also licensed about 50 past episodes of “Pinky Dinky Doo” and “The Electric Company” from Sesame Workshop.

“ ‘Sesame Street’ stands for excellence and quality in children’s programming, and we stand for excellence and quality in all programming,” said Richard Plepler, chief executive of HBO.

Currently, there is a race among streaming services for children’s programming, with the outlets recognizing that they can entice parents to subscribe if they capture their children’s attention. Amazon, Netflix and other online outlets are pouring resources into acquiring and developing their own original children’s series.

Mr. Dunn said that Sesame had talked to a number of HBO’s competitors before settling on a deal. As a result of the HBO partnership, “Sesame Street” episodes will no longer be available on Amazon and Netflix.

This is not the first time that Sesame and HBO crossed paths, with “Sesame Street” creating parodies of a number of popular HBO series over the years. On Thursday, people used Twitter to brainstorm about how the two brands could work together even more closely. One suggestion was to cast Bert and Ernie as the stars of the next season of “True Detective,” HBO’s dark crime drama.

[MajGenl.Meade]

[rubato]

Did you read the article? I'm guessing perhaps not, because the difficulties Sesame Street faces in staying on the air without partnering were pretty clearly set forth in the bolded portion I'm quoting below, which also explains how readily available Sesame will still be to lower-income kids without cable TV:

Indeed, “Sesame Street” will continue its run uninterrupted on PBS this fall, with the season featuring a selection of episodes from the last few seasons edited in new ways. Mr. Dunn emphasized that “Sesame Street” typically featured a mix of new and old episodes each season, and its preschool audience likes to watch episodes over and over, which increases their educational impact.

“Timing does not matter to kids,” he said. “The more they watch it, the more they like it.”

Episodes will also continue to be available for streaming on PBSKids.org and the PBS Kids video app, which offer four episodes at a time and are refreshed each week. About two-thirds of children now first discover “Sesame Street” on demand, Mr. Dunn said.

“Sesame Workshop’s new partnership does not change the fundamental role PBS and stations play in the lives of families,” Anne Bentley, a PBS spokeswoman, said in a statement.

Sesame Workshop’s partnership with HBO is expected to shore up its finances. The group’s revenue sources include product licensing on Sesame-branded merchandise, as well as support from corporations, government agencies and foundations.

Historically, less than 10 percent of its funding for “Sesame Street” episodes have come from PBS, with the largest source of income from videocassette or DVD sales. But with the rapid rise of streaming and on-demand viewing, DVD sales have plummeted, buffeting Sesame’s business.

PBS was not able to increase its payments to Sesame, forcing it to cut back on the number of episodes it produced and the creation of other new material. Now, PBS will not pay Sesame Workshop a licensing fee, which now is about $4 million a year, according to an executive with knowledge of the funding who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

In 2014, Sesame Workshop lost $11 million, according to its audited financial statement. Its total operating revenues were $104 million, down nearly 14 percent from the previous year.

It is not clear how much HBO is paying, as financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“In order to fund our nonprofit mission with a sustainable business model, Sesame Workshop must recognize these changes and adapt to the times,” said Joan Ganz Cooney, who co-created “Sesame Street” in the late 1960s.

For HBO, the partnership provides the network with prestigious and popular television programming for both its cable network and its new stand-alone streaming service HBO Now, which is aimed at people who do not have or do not want cable TV subscriptions.

In addition to the new series, HBO licensed more than 150 library episodes of “Sesame Street.” It also licensed about 50 past episodes of “Pinky Dinky Doo” and “The Electric Company” from Sesame Workshop.

“ ‘Sesame Street’ stands for excellence and quality in children’s programming, and we stand for excellence and quality in all programming,” said Richard Plepler, chief executive of HBO.

Currently, there is a race among streaming services for children’s programming, with the outlets recognizing that they can entice parents to subscribe if they capture their children’s attention. Amazon, Netflix and other online outlets are pouring resources into acquiring and developing their own original children’s series.

Mr. Dunn said that Sesame had talked to a number of HBO’s competitors before settling on a deal. As a result of the HBO partnership, “Sesame Street” episodes will no longer be available on Amazon and Netflix.

This is not the first time that Sesame and HBO crossed paths, with “Sesame Street” creating parodies of a number of popular HBO series over the years. On Thursday, people used Twitter to brainstorm about how the two brands could work together even more closely. One suggestion was to cast Bert and Ernie as the stars of the next season of “True Detective,” HBO’s dark crime drama.

Right, I GET IT.

I think I said that already. Funding problems are creatures both of reality and of the imagination. They began in the era before VCRs and DVDs and got by on the funding avail. then.

"... Everybody wanna get rich right away
Right away, right away, right away
Everybody wanna get rich right away
Everybody wanna be king for a day
Everybody wanna get rich right away ... "

Maybe its time for Sesame street to die? Maybe it's outlived its own vision. Pity.


yrs,
rubato

[BoSoxGal]

Sesame Street is awesome sauce and I support the CTW in whatever means they must pursue to remain available to kids of all classes; until they actually show evidence of being unduly influenced by their corporate overlords, I'll assume they have the ability to stand strong against coercion just as they have for years under Congressional pressure.

[Big RR]

And it isn't like the muppets aren't part of a big corporate franchise; I think I read a muppets TV show is planned for the fall.