From:      Ross Donnelly <rdonnell@nando.net>
To:        A16.A16(kidstv)
Date:      9/1/95 9:54pm
Subject:   Programming for children

I am very much in favor of requiring television stations to
provide educational programming for children. We have two
children, ages 12 and 9, who are not selective in their
television viewing. They want to watch television and will
generally choose the best program available. When the choices are
universally poor, however, they will still watch. Our solution
has been to restrict the times when they can watch television,
which automatically eliminates many of the most vapid and
objectionable programs.


I think to be most effective, a requirement to increase the
number of hours when broadcasters must provide educational
programs should stipulate that the programs be provided when
young children are watching television. In our household that
would be in the late afternoons when the children get home from
school, and on Saturday mornings. The children generally do not
watch television after supper on school nights, and on the
weekends we will rent a video if there are no evening shows
suitable for the family to watch. Other families may have
different viewing habits, however, so I believe we need a system
which requires broadcasters to coordinate their educational
programs to insure that something is available during all the
viewing hours when children are likely to be watching.

--Ross Donnelly