"PRNewswire article"

The article came from PRNewswire
LONDON, Jan. 20


Parents can't get away from it. Whether you like it or not, television inevitably plays a part in your children's lives.

But who is responsible for what they watch? Is it solely down to you, the parents, or do program makers and broadcasters shoulder some of the responsibility for the type of programs available for youngsters?

Recent years have seen a huge expansion in choice for children, with the launch of five new children's channels on cable and satellite. With so many more programs available, many of them imported from America, it is perhaps becoming even more important that parents know what's being watched.

Nickelodeon is a cable and satellite channel dedicated to kids. Launched in September 1993, the channel aims to connect with kids both on and off air. It offers kids free phone, fax and post services and goes out on the road to kids across the UK throughout the year. Its most popular shows include Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, Sister Sister and Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Nickelodeon also undertakes extensive research with both kids and parents to ensure that the channel is getting it right and continues to offer kids what they want.

A survey conducted for Nickelodeon reveals that most parents take a fair share of responsibility for what their children watch. Parents either monitor all their children's television viewing habits or are at least aware of what their children are watching.

Maggie Brown, media correspondent on the Guardian, feels that a lot of good things have come out of the cable and satellite children's channels. "For example, the old cartoons that a lot of us grew up with - things like Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo and the Flintstones - are being shown on the Cartoon Network," she says.

"And on channels like Nickelodeon there have been some interesting and quite influential American programs like Clarissa and Sister Sister, which looks at the problems of teenage children.

"But there is a danger that the imported programs are crowding out the made-for-British programs which we have grown used to - the Blue Peters and Playschools."

Janie Grace, managing director at Nickelodeon, feels parents would probably prefer their children to watch British programs. "But it's mainly the adults who worry about it," she says. "If you ask the children `does it matter to you that the voices on this show are American?', they look at you blankly."

Nickelodeon has, in fact, made a considerable effort to anglicize its output, linking its imported shows with chat from `home-grown' presenters. The channel has also commissioned shows from British production companies.

So how much does Janie take parents' views into account: "We get very positive feedback from parents. They tend to look on us with affection and approval. Occasionally they will complain to us about something and when they do, we take their views very seriously and we do answer them.

"We are an adult-free zone, but we are not anti-adult."

However, at the end of the day, on a children's channel it has to be the children's views, not their parents', that count. John Leach, from Music Box, a producer of children's programs, explains: "Our first priority has to be to entertain and get them to watch the program," he says.

"It's also very important to keep up-to-date and not to use words and expressions that they stopped using two years ago. If a presenter leaps in front of a camera talks about something being 'groovy', for example, they'll switch straight over."

But often, many parents will be glad to hear, it is more than simply a case of providing entertainment. Says Janie Grace: "Obviously, we want children to be entertained, first and foremost, but through that entertainment we can answer their questions and help them make sense of the world. We can broaden their horizons."


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eric@ezz.u-net.com

Eric Last, 25/5/97

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