A Children’s Television Neighborhood Without Mr. Rogers?

We here at Early Ed Watch were sad to learn, via the terrific Strollerderby, that PBS is planning to remove the venerated Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood from the weekday television lineup of children’s educational programming they provide to affiliate stations. Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood will still air on PBS once weekly on weekends, and individual stations will also have the options to purchase episodes to continue airing during the week.

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood is currently the longest-running show on PBS, where it has aired since 1971. (The show previously aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the now-defunct National Educational Television network) Mr. Rogers revolutionized children’s television when it began broadcasting, and its influence continues to be reflected in children’s television today, as well as generations of children, now adults, who grew up hearing Rogers’ message that, “you make each day special for me, just by being yourself.” Still, tastes–and attention spans–change, and some individual PBS affiliates have already discontinued the show last year to replace it with newer programming. And the show, which recorded its last episodes in 2001 and currently airs reruns from 1979-2001, also cannot evolve to adjust to changing times. (Fred Rogers, the shows eponymous creator, passed away in 2003).

What do you think of PBS’ plans to eliminate Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood from its daily children’s programming line up? Is it an important update to keep programming current with today’s diverse population and children’s evolving needs and attention spans? Or is it a loss of an important voice in children’s lives? Weigh in in the comments below.