Advisors: The Mother of Children's TV

by Lauryn Axelrod
Winter 1997

Peggy Charren doesn't see herself as a TV watchdog and never has. But this 69 year-old grandmother and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom has been an active and effective children's television advocate for more than 30 years. Her crusades for better children's television have resulted in major legislation and industry change and she's not through yet.

Why Can't Children's TV Be Better?

In the pre-cable, pre-VCR 1960's, Charren, the mother of two young daughters, was frustrated by the lack of quality children's television programming available for her kids. With a background as a children's book fair organizer and a love of children's books, she thought that children's television should be more like a good children's library.

So in 1968, Charren founded Action for Children's Television (ACT) as a three-year effort designed to get broadcasters and legislators to pay more attention to the needs of children, at the time one of the largest yet most underrepresented television viewing audience. But unlike some other media critics, Charren was always a strong supporter of the First Amendment; she was never interested in the censorship of television, but rather the potential of television to teach.

"ACT never tried to get bad programs off the air," Charren explains. "Only to get more good programs on."

Working for Change

In the early years, ACT received a tremendous amount of publicity as a grassroots organization of housewives and mothers struggling against the Goliath television industry. Large organizations such as the National PTA, The National Association of Pediatrics, religious and labor groups stood behind ACT and formed a coalition that eventually caught the attention of lawmakers, the FCC and the TV industry.

The result was what Charren refers to as "The Golden Age of Children's Television," and a number of high quality children's programs, like ABC's After-School Specials and NBC's Little House on the Prairie, poured into the living rooms of America.

When many of these shows were canceled in the early '80's, Charren and ACT went into high gear and filed complaints with the FCC and the legislature. With the support of Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., the landmark Children's Television Act of 1990 was shepherded into law. The law mandates that broadcasters provide a certain amount of programming specifically designed to educate children every day.

Unfortunately, the TV industry didn't respond as well as Charren hoped. Most networks didn't create new educational children's programs, claiming that existing programs, like The Jetsons, were educational and fulfilled the law. Charren kept pushing and as a result, starting in September 1997, broadcasters are required to provide at least three hours of specifically designed educational children's programming each week.

Keeping Watch

ACT closed its doors in 1992 and the legislative effort to oversee its implementation is now continued by the Center for Media Education, but Charren remains a vocal advocate for children's television. She keeps a watchful eye on how well broadcasters are complying with the new three-hour children's programming minimum and, although she believes there have been improvements in children's television over the years, she is quick to say that the real potential for children's programming has not been fully realized.

"The industry needs to recognize that the marketplace isn't always the best way to measure quality when it comes to children's programming," she says.

Charren would like to see the TV industry develop more dramatic and historical programming for children and increase programming for children between the ages of 7-12, for whom there aren't enough high quality shows.

From her position as the foremost guardian of children's television, Charren vows to continue to speak up for television's most vulnerable and neglected young audience members.

"I want to make sure that my grandchildren and their children have as many quality programs and choices on their screens as possible," says Charren. "That's what good television is all about."

Peggy Charren Recommends...

Peggy Charren isn't prone to giving recommendations. However, she does suggest a few children's shows that both she and her grandchildren enjoy, as well as several new ones that appear promising:
Arthur: A bright, challenging animated series based on the popular children's books whose themes include poetry appreciation and censorship. Ages 6 and up.
Nick News: Linda Ellerbee's savvy, kid-friendly news program that even adults will learn from. Ages 8 and up.
Bill Nye, The Science Guy: The science is right on and it's fun to watch. Ages 5 and up.
Pepper Ann: A new animated series on ABC whose lead character is a smart young girl. No sexist stereotypes here. Ages 6 and up.
Fudge: A live-action adaptation of Judy Blume's books on CBS. Ages 8 and up.
Ghostwriter Mysteries: Intelligent pre-teen thrillers produced by the Children's Television Workshop. Ages 8 and up.