PBS KIDS Sprout

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PBS KIDS Sprout
PBS KIDS Sprout logo
Type Cable television channel and VOD service
Country United States
Availability National
Owner Comcast (40%)
HIT Entertainment (30%)
PBS (15%)(closed)
Sesame Workshop (15%)
Key people Sandy Wax (president)
Launch date 2005
Past names (none)
Website www.sproutonline.com

PBS KIDS Sprout (sometimes referred to as PBS Sprout, KIDS Sprout, or just Sprout) is a US digital cable television channel, video-on-demand (VOD) service, and website providing PBS KIDS shows and original programming for preschoolers and their families. Sprout launched initially as a VOD service on April 4, 2005, and later as a cable and satellite channel on September 26, 2005. Sprout is a partnership owned by Comcast (40%), HIT Entertainment (30%), PBS (15%), and Sesame Workshop (15%). Children's programs also can be seen in educational and informative on Sprout.

Shows currently on Sprout

[edit] PBS KIDS Sprout personalities

Nina is the host of The Good Night Show. She is portrayed by Michele Lepe and is joined by Star, the loveable and lively star-shaped puppet, Hush the goldfish, and Lucy, an enchanting puppet firefly, who helps introduce episodes of Sprout favorites Sagwa, Kipper and Angelina Ballerina. The Good Night Show premiered in September 2005 and was created to help parents wind down their kids after a busy day.

Barney is a purple dinosaur who guest hosted the Thanksgiving marathon of 8 Barney episodes on PBS KIDS Sprout. Barney also hosted "Barney's Friendship Day" in August 2006.

Big Bird from Sesame Street guest hosted Sprout's "Spring Surprise" episodes in April 2006.

[edit] Criticism

When PBS KIDS Sprout was launched in 2005, it replaced the commercial-free PBS KIDS Channel generating some complaints flagrant disregardand bloggingbaby.

The 2006 dismissal of one of Sprout's hosts, Melanie Martinez, also generated some criticism. In 1999, Martinez was cast to play the role of a student in two 30-second videos, Technical Virgin and Boys Can Wait, spoofing abstinence-only public service announcements. The videos were widely available on the Internet and involved explicit sexual dialogue and themes. While there was explicit language related to sexual acts and portrayal of sex toys in the videos, there wasn't any nudity or profanity. In July 2006, Sprout terminated Martinez when it learned of these videos, which it deemed "inappropriate for her role as a preschool host."

In his columns on 26 July and 3 August [1], PBS ombudsman Michael Getler criticized the decision, writing that "it would have been a greater bow to freedom of expression and against guilt by association for the program and PBS to stick by her". In a 5 August 2006 article in The New York Times [2] Martinez says: "I've done lots of roles and worn many costumes. I did not think a spoof P.S.A. would come up like this again." When Sprout announced the hiring of Michele Lepe [3] in October 2006 as the new host of the Good Night Show, Sprout was once again criticized by the PBS Ombudsman. The criticism focussed on why Lepe (who has portrayed a number of roles in film and TV) including an undercover police officer who poses as a prostitute in the film Jamaica Motel was not "inappropriate for her role as a preschool host" as had been the case with Martinez.

On 22 January 2007, Business 2.0 criticized PBS KIDS Sprout for the firing of Melanie Martinez, naming the blunder in the Top 20 of their popular 101 Dumbest Moments of Business(2006)[4].

[edit] External links

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