Series Will Launch its 20 City Outreach Tour in August
(NEW YORK, New York - July 13, 2009) Get out your circuit breakers as The Electric Company turns into a power strip! Starting September 7th, Sesame Workshop's hit program The Electric Company, will be charging up PBS KIDS GO! with a daily dose of literacy superheroes and wily pranksters. Six-to-nine year olds will be able to tune in every day to see Hector, Jessica, Lisa and Keith outwit their scheming neighborhood prankster-counterparts in a way that reinforces strong literacy skills and teaches kids that reading isn't just for school-reading is cool.
"Reading and writing are critical developmental areas for children and children who are struggling with literacy skills by second grade are often at risk for never being able to catch up," said Linda Simensky, VP, Children's Programming, PBS. "By offering The Electric Company every weekday on PBS KIDS GO!, we are opening the doors for more children to explore reading and just how much fun it can be."
Kids are plugged into The Electric Company making it the #1 show on PBS KIDS GO! in its block, and the current doesn't stop there. The show's hit website, pbskidsgo.org/electriccompany, has had nearly four million site visits and over 11 million Electric Company video clips played since its launch in mid- January 2009.
Also this fall, The Electric Company will be partnering with local PBS stations, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as well as after-school organizations to bring a "Shock" to twenty cities nationwide with The Electric Company 2009 Circuit Tour. Starting August 8th, The Electric Company's star beat boxer, Shock, will host a 90 minute experience in each city beginning with a 25-minute multimedia, interactive show. The Circuit Tour will also include hands-on pre- and post-show activities that will engage kids with interactive content, games and demonstrations in an effort to give today's 2nd grader the literacy tools necessary to succeed in 3rd grade and beyond.
"We are thrilled to bring this critical piece of The Electric Company directly into communities around the country," says Randell Bynum, Director of Educational Outreach for The Electric Company. "We look forward to sharing a live, interactive Electric Company experience that will turn kids on to the power of reading."
The Electric Company is part of PBS KIDS Raising Readers, a national literacy initiative focused on using public media to improve the reading skills for children ages two-to-eight, with an emphasis on children from low-income families. The effort is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and a Ready To Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education, part of a cooperative agreement with CPB- and PBS.
Visit The Electric Company at:
www.pbskids.org/electriccompany
The Electric Company YouTube Channel
The Electric Company on Facebook
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. As the single largest informal educator of young children, local Sesame Street programs produced in countries as diverse as South Africa, Bangladesh and India are making a difference in over 120 nations. Using proprietary research to create engaging and enriching content, Sesame Workshop produces programs such as Dragon Tales and Pinky Dinky Doo. In addition, multimedia needs-driven initiatives provide families tools for addressing such issues as children's health, military deployment and emergency preparedness. As a nonprofit, product proceeds and philanthropic donations support Sesame Workshop's educational research and creative content for children around the world. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org .
ABOUT PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, offer all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and outreach programs. With positive character role models and content designed to nurture a child's total well-being, PBS's online and community resources - including PBS KIDS online (pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), PBS Teachers (pbsteachers.org, PBS KIDS Raising Readers and literacy events across the country - leverage the full spectrum of media, technology and community to build knowledge, critical thinking, imagination and curiosity. Empowering children for success in school and in life, only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 356 public television stations, serving more than 115 million people on-air and online each month and reaching 99% of American homes.
About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
CPB, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,100 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related on-line services.
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Press Contacts:
Sesame Workshop
Alicia Durand/Ellen Lewis/Phil Toscano
212-875-6223/212-875-6396/ 212-875-6687
alicia.durand@sesameworkshop.org
ellen.lewis@sesameworkshop.org
philip.toscano@sesameworkshop.org
The contents of this release were developed under a grant, #PRU295A050003 and #PRU295B050003, from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
www.pbs.org/pressroom