Tuesday, May 6, 2008

THE RHETORIC BEHIND SESAME STREET

In the years before Sesame Street aired there was an extensive amount of research that went into the production. One of the focus points of my research were the civil rights movement, Sesame Street researchers specifically addressed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a major influence on civil rights into the production. We all all know how important it was during the civil rights movement to have as many resources as possible to get the idea of acceptance out to as many people as possible. Another focus point was the violence that was being shown on television. Children were watching television that was inappropriate. This came from two reasons the violence from the civil rights struggles, the protesters being abused by authorities, such as being sprayed by fire hoses, and being taunted by other who did not agree with their protests. After the assassination of President Kennedy television ran 24 hour news shows to cover the story in depth. Nightly news would broadcast all the craziness. With the fight for civil rights there was a rise in power for blacks which strengthen the Black Power movement which were not positive protest. This whole situation only was the beginning. The assassination of Dr. King set off riots all over the United States. EVERYTHING made it on television. At that time there were a few other children shows but nothing that really had an impact in any area. There was nobody willing to fund a children's program which is why there were none. Until the Federal Communication Commission(FCC) made it mandatory for each broadcaster to show at least 3 hours of children programming per week. If they did not comply then the broadcasters would not be able to renew their yearly license. The final focus was that children were not really learning enough during their preschool years and when they began school they were having a hard time academics wise and their socialization skills were very poor. Sesame Street's goal was to improve the lives of children everywhere, at first it was geared towards low income urban children but it appealed to children of all walks of life. Sesame Street premiered on November 10, 1969. The series has received 109 Emmy Awards, more than any other television series. Sesame Street is televised in more than 120 countries. It is one of the longest running shows in history.

No comments: