Saving “Sesame Street”
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 23 December 2024
⏱️ 32 minutes
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Summary
“Sesame Street” is an American institution. It began airing in 1969 as an educational program intended to help toddlers prepare for kindergarten. It has grown into a cultural staple and become one of the longest-running shows in TV history.
Back in 2022, Laura Meckler learned that Season 55 of “Sesame Street,” which will start airing next year, will focus heavily on the emotional well-being of young kids. She spent almost two years following the cast and creatives behind the show as they researched, wrote, and filmed their upcoming season.
But as she was reporting, Laura learned that “Sesame Street” is in a fight for its own survival. Warner Bros. Discovery, which currently distributes “Sesame Street,” has announced that it will not renew the show’s contract for another term. Now, the iconic show is on the hunt for a new streaming partner and is preparing a major reimagining as it tries to adapt both to the needs of today's kids and to the increasingly competitive world of children’s TV.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We're moving here. |
| 0:02.3 | This is a little loud, guys. |
| 0:05.0 | Quiet folks, please. |
| 0:06.5 | Quiet, |
| 0:08.0 | about to get a lot louder. |
| 0:09.0 | Last year, post-education reporter Laura Meckler was able to get incredibly close access to the making of an iconic television show. |
| 0:18.0 | And then the performers are holding their Muppets ready to go. |
| 0:24.6 | The show was Sesame Street. |
| 0:27.0 | Let's read from line 41, please. |
| 0:28.8 | And Ernie enters and action. Sunny Street is one of the longest running shows currently on TV. |
| 0:47.2 | It started in 1969 as an educational program on public television. |
| 0:52.7 | The goal was to prepare young kids for kindergarten. |
| 0:56.6 | Laura Meckler watched Sesame Street as a kid, and when she had children of her own, she |
| 1:01.7 | showed them Sesame Street. |
| 1:03.6 | I have always just felt a connection with Sesame Street because it's something that just feels |
| 1:09.5 | like it's always been around. |
| 1:11.1 | It's really part of our culture, and I think that there's just something about Sesame Street because it's something that just feels like it's always been around. It's really part of our culture. And I think that there's just something about Sesame Street that gives |
| 1:15.4 | those of us who have had as part of our lives kind of the warm fuzzies. Back in 2022, in the wake of the |
| 1:21.7 | pandemic, Laura and the education team were thinking a lot about the mental health and emotional |
| 1:26.9 | well-being of young children. |
| 1:28.8 | Because we knew, like, there were so many signs that this was a real problem that kids had really |
| 1:35.4 | been battered through the lockdowns and the lack of social interaction. And I was like, you know, |
... |
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