LeVar Burton leads the show

Twenty-three year old Carlos Parra is angry. As the host of Orlando's 95.3 FM Party Night radio broadcast, his listeners love to hear him spin rhythmic beats. But they heard more than dance music on a night in May, 2003. Parra and his fellow deejays made a plea to their audience—largely 18 to 34 year olds—to have their voices heard and to take a stand against the madness.

What prompted the young broadcasters' furor? Anti-war sentiments? A political speech? Immigration regulations? None of the above. Parra, an education major, states matter-of factly, "We can't believe they are thinking of taking Reading Rainbow off the air."

And neither can his audience. "Callbacks from our listeners were very responsive," recalls Parra. "They are especially disheartened to think that their own children might not be able to see the show. We want to hear from LeVar so he'll say it isn't so."

The LeVar that Parra refers to is LeVar Burton, the amiable host of Reading Rainbow. He first came to national attention performing as Kunta Kinte in the classic Roots miniseries and later played the blind Lieutenant Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Burton himself has gone out on a limb to draw attention to the funding challenges that currently threaten to cancel the beloved show. While onstage accepting this year's Emmy for outstanding children's series, he implored, "If you are a wealthy philanthropist out there, I'm not that difficult to find."

Creating a Groundswell"My work is devoted to getting kids to read," explains Dr. Twila Liggett, the creator and co-executive producer of Reading Rainbow. However, the bleak funding climate has forced Liggett to expand her focus to include the overall financial outlook of continuing the series.

Recent decisions by backers of the show such as the Kellogg Company and Barnes and Noble have prompted Liggett and the rest of the staff to call on the show's fans for help. Referring to the Emmy broadcast, she says, "I didn't think he'd do it, but he is a brave man, our LeVar, he has great instincts—sometimes you have to create a groundswell to make your needs known."

Thus far, Reading Rainbow has received thousands of e-mails and calls in response to Burton's plea. Says Nan Schweiger, a producer with the program, "All of this publicity is showing us just how deeply people care about Reading Rainbow. We are hearing from so many people—including large amounts of those in their twenties who grew up with the show—who want it to continue so they can share it with their own children."

Michelle Adams, the Ready To Learn Coordinator at WHRO TV 15 in Norfolk, VA conducts educational outreach in schools, daycare centers and libraries and utilizes Reading Rainbow in her trainings and workshops. "Kids love the show," says Adams. "I think it is a wonderful program and I really hope they are able to find funding to keep it going."

Opening Books, Opening MindsReading Rainbow was designed to encourage and motivate young children to read books and visit their local libraries. According to a report by the RMC Research Corporation, the program effectively promotes literacy development by encouraging independent reading for interest and pleasure. It is the PBS show most widely used in schools.

The 145 Reading Rainbow programs produced to date are magazine-format adventures that highlight children's books with a variety of segments relating to the featured book's theme. Each program includes three children's book reviews, written and delivered on-camera by kids.

The last four Reading Rainbow shows were created in response to children's exposure to post-9/11 images. The programs provided positive action models for kids by featuring a young founder of a global youth group and exploring the worlds of the students of Public School 234, just a few blocks from Ground Zero.

The President of the International Reading Association, Dr. Lesley Morrow, is disgusted at the prospect of losing the show. Through her research, she has found that children who partake in voluntary, recreational reading tend to be excellent readers. "There is no better guide for good reading than listening to a good model as is presented on Reading Rainbow," argues Morrow.

Times Change, Funds Disappear
The situation is clear, argues Schweiger, "If we don't get more funding, the show will end; no new shows means no future."

It costs approximately $250,000 to produce each Reading Rainbow program and still more to promote it. The amount of money the show has had to work with has varied dramatically over the years. "We need about $5 million a year to create 15-20 quality shows per year," says Schweiger.

[1]Initially, Reading Rainbow's production schedule consisted of 15 shows per year. However, as funding decreased, the numbers gradually declined to five to ten shows. No new shows were produced for 3 years prior to the 9/11 broadcasts. Current economic conditions have forced many funders to cut back on their giving.

One continual funder of Reading Rainbow has been the Public Broadcasting System (PBS). PBS provided $1.25 million to the show in 2001 and again in 2002. Yet, for fiscal years 2003 and 2004, PBS's contribution has decreased considerably to only $1 million per year.

These cutbacks come at a time when PBS website heralds the fact that its operating revenue has grown from $262 million in 1998 to a projected $324 million this year—a 24 percent increase in just five years. PBS says that this revenue growth has enabled more investment in national programming, advertising, promotion and in the development of their website.

That includes new children's programs. Boobah, The Misadventures of Maya and Miguel and Postcards from Buster are three new additions to the PBS lineup for the fall.

Asked why Reading Rainbow's funding level has decreased while the PBS programming budget has increased, Schweiger responds, "That's a good question."

Negotiations with PBS continue. According to Liggett, network executives made a commitment for a couple more years of support during a recent children's programming session. "It will help make a few more shows, but nowhere near what we would like," she says.

Having worked with the show for seventeen years, Schweiger has experienced lean times before, but she and the staff refuse to compromise on quality. One example: Reading Rainbow's popular on-location shoots. "They make our show special," states Schweiger. "We have always done shows that cost more than in-studio shows because we feel it is crucial to do these shoots."

In response to questions about Burton's salary, Liggett scoffs at the notion that his pay is contributing to a cash shortage at Reading Rainbow. Without revealing a specific figure, she considers his payment less a salary and more an honorarium. "He has taken only three increases in twenty years and compared to what he'd get in the commercial venue, it's peanuts."

A classroom favorite

New HorizonsReading Rainbow is calling for innovative thinkers to ease their funding dilemma. "I am always open to new ideas," says Liggett.

Morrow, for one, is surprised that funders do not recognize the important value of the program. "In a world of glitz, razzmatazz and noise, Reading Rainbow is pure, clear, uncluttered and authentic. It is a real reading experience."

Liggett says that when the series began in 1983, the idea that a PBS show would need to merchandise itself simply did not exist. As time wore on, however, and shows such as Nickelodeon's Blues Clues caught on, Liggett found herself trying to tap into the merchandising funding pot.

"I had a meeting with a licensing guru who said 'you feed kids' minds, I'd like to help you out." Well, eight months later, he said, "I've got to tell you Twila, your show is so pure—you really go for their heads and hearts, which is a hard place to hang merchandising on.'"

While she does not shun merchandising, Liggett believes that emotional connections—not merchandising fads—lead to longevity for a program. "The landscape has changed to the point where everyone thinks that merchandising is the most crucial concern, but those shows simply go away."

The producers have explored new avenues for funding, including literacy tie-ins and publication of educational series called Reading Rainbow Readers. But the campaigns faltered in the absence of advertising and promotion dollars. "Home videos have also been tried, but they didn't take off," says Liggett.

The producers are optimistic that their united fans will help organizations understand the importance of partnering with the show. "I am hoping that there will be a partnership," says Liggett. "As we speak, information packets are being sent out to potential funding partners."

No matter what happens, Reading Rainbow has made its mark on the popular culture landscape. A recent discussion on Jump the Shark, an on-line forum where fans and critics discuss television shows, illustrates the unending fondness that legions of parents, teachers, children and twentysomethings feel for the show. Says a random young writer, "I watched it religiously as a kid and I still sit down to watch it now if I see it's on. Any show that inspires kids to read is great, and I love LeVar Burton."

Resources:

• Inquiries about donations to the show should be directed via email to Steve Lenzen [2] or Nan Schweiger [3].
• The Reading Rainbow Web site [4]
• Children can explore the Reading Rainbow kids' site [5]