An era ends on PBS stations Friday, when the contract expires for Le Var Burton’s “Reading Rainbow.” After 26 years, and 24 national Emmys, the excellent children’s show will vanish from WPTD-TV (noon weekdays, Channel 16) and many other public TV stations.
The show premiered in 1983. It ceased production in 2006, when funding ran out. The PBS contract expires Friday, so it can no longer feed it to stations.
However, off-air educational rights remain in effect for a year following the last broadcast of each episode, says Darwin McPherson, communications director for Buffalo’s WNED-TV, which has produced the series since its debut in July, 1983. Says McPherson: “We ‘re confident that the Young Writers and Illustrators Contest will live on through PBS Kids.” No word on that yet.
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Knyte
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 12:04 am
I heard the only reason that the show’s run is ending is because no one — not the station, not PBS, not the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — will put up the several hundred thousand dollars needed to renew the show’s broadcast rights.
Lady_Satine
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 12:21 am
I'll always remember it for the Star Trek behind the scenes episode, and also for seeing what the guy behind Elmo looks like.
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SoldierHawk
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 02:49 am
This makes me sad.
The Star Trek one was a classic. The show in general was a classic, and you couldn't have asked for a better host than Levar. He was perfect. This show is one of the top two or three reasons I'm addicted to books and reading (and writing), and probably will be for the rest of my life. For that, if nothing else, I owe the show and everyone associated with it a deeply heartfelt thank you.
Safe trip to wherever it is beloved TV shows go after so many honorable years of service, RR...you'll be missed.
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TheRoboSleuth
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 02:56 am
That show was cool, but dont take my word for it. Dada daaa!
Jack Slater
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 03:05 am
The only thing I have to say about Reading Rainbow is that I was absolutely astonished to learn that Levar Burton was not gay.
Sympathy to those who liked it, though.
Cause that's how I roll bounce.
Ghandi
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 04:09 am
WHAT?!
I grew up on that show!
Burn down Time's Square! Burn down City Hall! Reading Rainbow can't end!
I thought this was cancelled years ago. Learning it was still around, then immediately finding out it's gone again is heartbreaking. Kinda like when Ryu Hayabusa finds out his dad is still alive and then he dies for real shortly thereafter.
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SoldierHawk
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 07:01 pm
Am I...am I the only one here who still watched it?
Am I...am I the only one here who still watched it?
seems that way. i havent seen it in ages. like syd & baal, i thought it ended years ago. i remember watching the intro to it several years ago, and the new song just pissed me off so much i changed it
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SoldierHawk
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 09:06 pm
username wrote:
SoldierHawk wrote:
Am I...am I the only one here who still watched it?
seems that way. i havent seen it in ages. like syd & baal, i thought it ended years ago. i remember watching the intro to it several years ago, and the new song just pissed me off so much i changed it
I hereby blame all of you, on an individual basis, for causing Reading Rainbow to be canceled after all these years! YOU BETRAYED GEORDI YOU ASSCLOWNS!!!
William Shakespeare wrote:
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FNJ
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 09:27 pm
that's a bad ass theme song. I love that really weird synth thing going on. it's trippy as fuck when you listen to it with headphones if you're really stoned.
Optimist With Doubts
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 11:27 pm
SoldierHawk wrote:
YOU BETRAYED GEORDI YOU ASSCLOWNS!!!
Levar is a superstar, he could have put the money up to keep it going. It never would have crossed my mind that LeVar wouldn't show the right amount of respect to the show that helped make him and the organization who helped make him who he is today.
That was LeVar's decision, LeVar Screwed LeVar!
SoldierHawk
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 11:33 pm
Somewhere, Data is crying because of you, Opti. I hope you're happy.
William Shakespeare wrote:
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
Optimist With Doubts
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Posted:
Aug 30 2009 11:53 pm
SoldierHawk wrote:
Somewhere, Data is crying because of you, Opti. I hope you're happy.
I didn't want to lose LeVar, he wasn't paying off from a financial stand point but I didn't want to lose him.
FNJ
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Posted:
Aug 31 2009 02:24 am
um. star trek made him, not reading rainbow.
fuck reading rainbow.
GPFontaine
Joined: Dec 06 2007
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 11244
Posted:
Aug 31 2009 07:44 am
So... what is going to happen to the asset? I can't imagine that the owner would just want to lock it up in a safe and not profit. Perhaps it will be sold to a major network and be available via Hulu.
Optimist With Doubts
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Posted:
Aug 31 2009 08:23 am
FNJ wrote:
um. star trek made him, not reading rainbow.
fuck reading rainbow.
He was on RR first, and before that he was in a kinda popular mini series.
Syd Lexia
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Posted:
Aug 31 2009 10:20 am
SoldierHawk wrote:
Am I...am I the only one here who still watched it?
Somehow, having children's books read to me by the TV lost its appeal after a certain age.
I would only still watch it if LeVar was forced to wear those sweet 3D glasses he wore on Star Trek. I got bored with this show in like '91. I was watching far more intellectual programming like "Who's the Boss".
SoldierHawk
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Posted:
Aug 31 2009 02:14 pm
Syd Lexia wrote:
SoldierHawk wrote:
Am I...am I the only one here who still watched it?
Somehow, having children's books read to me by the TV lost its appeal after a certain age.
Well yeah. But a) the people who read the books almost always did a great job b) most of the books were either ones I loved as a kid, or allowed me to see the general trend in current kids' literature, and c) the show is about so much more than that! The book-reading is only one small part; most of the show have LeVar going somewhere interesting, or demonstrating something worth watching.
William Shakespeare wrote:
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
Char Aznable
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Posted:
Aug 31 2009 04:51 pm
Anybody remember the episode where he goes into the magic hat store that teleports him to different places? That kicked ass.
