Reading Rainbow
| Reading Rainbow | |
|---|---|
| File:Reading rainbow2ndlogo.jpg The Reading Rainbow logo used between 2000 and 2007. | |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 155 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | June 6 1983 – November 10 2006 |
Reading Rainbow was an acclaimed award-winning American children's television series aired by PBS from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006. that encouraged reading among children. Each episode centered on a theme from a book or other children's literature which is explored through a number of segments or stories. The show also provided book recommendations for kids to look for when they go to the library.
Reading Rainbow has won a Peabody Award and twenty-six Emmy Awards, ten of which were in the "Outstanding Children's Series" category.[1]
Show details
Reading Rainbow was hosted by actor and executive producer LeVar Burton, who is also known for his roles in Roots and Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was produced by On-Screen Entertainment for executive producers WNED and Great Plains National.
A regular feature was a children's book narrated by a noted celebrity. Some of the celebrities who have read on the show include Harold Littlebird (born in 1951) of New Mexico (The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush), Michael Ansara (The Gift of the Sacred Dog, And Still the Turtle Watched). Another segment of the show featured Burton in different places talking to different people about their work and other contributions, focusing on the theme of each episode. The final segment of each show, called Book Reviews, began with Burton's introductory phrase, "But you don't have to take my word for it," and features children giving capsule reviews of books they recommend. Burton ended every show with, "I'll see you next time."
The series' pilot, which aired as the show's eighth episode in 1983, featured the book Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport. It was created and produced in 1981 by Twila Ligget (GPN), Tony Buttino (WNED), and from Lancit Media Productions, Larry Lancit, Cecily Truett Lancit and Lynne Brenner Ganek. Burton was the host. Lancit Media produced the majority of the series' episodes until the past few years.
The show's theme song was written by Steve Horelick, Dennis Neil Kleinman, and Janet Weir; Horelick also served as the series' music director and composer. The theme was sung by Tina Fabrik. The original opening, which depicted a cartoon butterfly transforming the surroundings of young children reading books into cartoon fantasylands, was used until 1999. Later episodes used a new opening with the same theme song performed by R&B legend Chaka Khan.
In recent years it had tackled issues that other children's programs have historically avoided, such as poverty in U.S. inner cities, the September 11 attacks, childbirth and its impact on the family, and prison, all from a child's point of view.[citation needed]
LeVar Burton and Star Trek
LeVar Burton's tenure as host of Reading Rainbow coincided with his regular role as Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994). The 1988 episode of Reading Rainbow titled The Bionic Bunny Show dealt with science fiction and included behind-the-scenes footage of TNG as well as the only (to date) authorized broadcast of bloopers from that series. (Both the behind-the-scenes footage and bloopers come from the production of "Symbiosis".) He also mentioned Star Trek occasionally, and during a segment when he was cloudwatching he remarked one cloud reminded him of "the Starship Enterprise".[citation needed]
Animation producers
Feature Book filming
The photographing of the Feature Book segments were by:
- Centron Films (1983-1987; renamed in 1986 to "Centron Productions Inc.")
- Loren Dolezal (1988-1998; renamed in 1995 to "Dolezal Animation") Take Ten Animation teamed up with Dolezal from 1995-1998)
- On Screen Entertainment (1999- 2007)
Opening titles filming
Present and future
Today, Reading Rainbow appears on many PBS stations across the United States. Original production was to have ended in 2005, with the show continuing to air in reruns, but host LeVar Burton said on February 7, 2006 that five new episodes of the show would be shot in 2006 despite the continuing financial troubles of PBS. [2]
On March 7, 2006, Baltimore, Maryland-based Educate Inc. were announced as a co-producer for Reading Rainbow, replacing GPN as producer after the University of Nebraska Regents (the owners of GPN and NET) recently sold its long-time production interest to WNED, with WNED and Educate Inc. signing a co-production agreement. WNED's CEO confirmed that the agreement would allow the securing of needed funding to continue production of Reading Rainbow.[3][4]
However, in a presentation at Pennsylvania State University on January 29, 2007, Burton again announced that he had recently shot his last episode of Reading Rainbow and was retiring, citing differences with the new owners.[5]
Educate Inc. recently announced a new corporate configuration spinning Reading Rainbow into a new products division. The future of the series is speculative.
Funding
Corporate funding for Reading Rainbow is/was provided by the following:
- National Science Foundation (1986-2002), (2006-2007)
- The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (1993-1997), (1999-2002), (2006-2007)
- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1983-1997), (1999-2007)
- Public Television Stations (1984-1989)/ Viewers Like You (1989-2007)
- The Carnegie Corporation of New York (1986-1994)
- Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation (1984-1986)
- B. Dalton's Bookseller (1984-1987)
- The Children's Place (2002-2005)
- Ready To Learn grants (2002-2005)
- United States Department of Education (2002-2005)
- Dayton-Hudson Corporation (1987-1989)
- Barnes and Noble (1999-2002)
- Kellogg's (1983-1984), (1989-1999) [6]
- Pew Charitable Trust (1993-1997)
- RCN (1997-1999)
To date, the only permanent sponsors for Reading Rainbow have been the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Viewers Like You, which have both funded the show for its entire run. There have been many others, however; From 1986 and until 2002, The National Science Foundation funded the show, and The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations funded the show from 1993 until 2002. Both have resumed funding during the 2006-07 season.
Notes
- ^ About Reading Rainbow
- ^ Burton Talks Drama, Diversity, Respect & 'Reading Rainbow'
- ^ Western New York Public Broadcasting Association and Educate, Inc. Announce New Reading Rainbow Partnership
- ^ Educate ventures into television with children's show
- ^ Owens, Alyssa (2007-01-30). "'Reading Rainbow' star encourages imagination". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 2007-1-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ During the years Kellogg's was sponsor, Reading Rainbow would get promoted on the boxes of Kellogg's cereals, generally at the start of each season.
External links
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| See also | |
