She asked PBS to notify its member stations of the nature of show so they could review it before airing it.Īnd she asked for the refund "in the interest of avoiding embroiling the Ready-To-Learn program in a controversy that will only hurt" it. She asked that her department's seal or any statement linking the department to the show be removed. She began on Monday, replacing Rod Paige as President Bush's education chief. With her letter, Spellings has made criticism of the publicly funded program's depiction of the gay lifestyle one of her first acts as secretary. "Congress' and the Department's purpose in funding this programming certainly was not to introduce this kind of subject matter to children, particularly through the powerful and intimate medium of television." She asked PBS to consider refunding the money it spent on the episode. ![]() "Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the lifestyles portrayed in the episode," Spellings wrote in a letter sent Tuesday to Pat Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of PBS. By law, she said, any funded shows must give top attention to "research-based educational objectives, content and materials." Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the "Sugartime!" episode does not fulfill the intent Congress had in mind for programming. PBS gets money for the "Postcards from Buster" series through the federal Ready-To-Learn program, one aimed at helping young children learn through television. WGBH also plans to air the episode on March 23, Sloan said. However, the Boston public television station that produces the show, WGBH, does plan to make the "Sugartime!" episode available to other stations. "Ultimately, our decision was based on the fact that we recognize this is a sensitive issue, and we wanted to make sure that parents had an opportunity to introduce this subject to their children in their own time," said Lea Sloan, vice president of media relations at PBS. She said the Education Department's objections were not a factor in that decision. The episode features two lesbian couples, although the focus is on farm life and maple sugaring.Ī PBS spokesman said late Tuesday that the nonprofit network has decided not to distribute the episode, called "Sugartime!," to its 349 stations. The not-yet-aired episode of "Postcards From Buster" shows the title character, an animated bunny named Buster, on a trip to Vermont - a state known for recognizing same-sex civil unions. Postcards from Buster Family Reunion: Nashville, TN.WASHINGTON - The nation's new education secretary denounced PBS on Tuesday for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian characters, saying many parents would not want children exposed to such lifestyles. “Postcards from Buster Family Reunion: Nashville, TN.” ![]() “Postcards from Buster Family Reunion: Nashville, TN,” Video Genres Children's Topics Travel Citation Chicago: It also builds children's familiarity with vocabulary related to family and community. For children who are in the process of learning English, this episode models ways to give commands and directions and to ask questions to learn more about another person and his or her life. ![]() They will observe similarities and differences between their own experiences and those of the children and families in this episode. meets Barin, a nine-year-old girl from Nashville's growing Kurdish community, she decides it's much more important to help Barin make her own video postcard for her dad who works in Iraq as a translator.ĮDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: Children will gain some understanding of the culture and history of the Kurdish American community in Nashville. The Read family reunion is in Nashville, and Buster joins them as the official cameraman. Series release date: 2004 Program Description "Putting Buster on the road and immersing him in real-life settings via the live-action 'postcards' is a perfect vehicle to teach children about the rich and complex cultural life that exists across America." "It's important for children to experience cultures different from their own," says WGBH executive producer Carol Greenwald. Narrated by Buster, they are woven seamlessly into each animated story. These first-person video "postcards" will be in the form of live-action, P.O.V.-style footage of the places visited in the show. Buster will stay in touch with his friends back home via a small, hand-held digital video camera. Close Series Postcards from Buster Program Family Reunion: Nashville, TN Program Numberīuster, one of the most popular characters on ARTHUR will accompany his airline pilot father as he flies the fictional Latin rock group Los Viajeros on a concert tour of the United States, with forays into Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
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