Geeky Drunk

If you grew up in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, or even recently . . you probably know Mister Rogers. Whether you were a huge fan or not, you probably remember watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood at least once, if not hundreds of times. The show was a huge influence on me. Now if you’re thinking that the name of this website doesn’t fit this topic, well tough luck toots, because the website name is kinda in jest and I’m an all around good kid pretty much.

I used to watch Mister Rogers and Sesame Street twice a day. The same programs twice a day! And I don’t remember being any less excited for the second airing than I was the first. Name a show today that you would be willing to watch twice a day, every day. Well maybe you’re not 5 years old, but still you get my point. And I bet several of you out there are guilty of the same thing.

I learned my ABC’s and 123’s from Sesame Street. However, from Mister Rogers I learned how to be a real person, how to have good values, how to look at the positive, how to focus on the simple rather than the complex, and how to like myself just the way I am. And a lot more.

So it is pretty sad that PBS has recently decided to only transmit Mister Rogers Neighborhood once a week, instead of every day. To think I used to be able to watch Mister Rogers twice a day, and now i’ll be down to only once a week. A few PBS affiliates have promised to keep Mister Rogers on every day, but I have a feeling that Barney and Teletubbies will beat out the only real person still able to talk to our children today.

There is a somewhat new website, Save Mister Rogers, that has a Facebook group and has been trying to get people like you to contact your local members of Congress and help them urge the President of PBS to keep Mister Rogers on five days a week. After all, the Pubic Broadcasting Station is tax payer and publicly funded. PBS should be airing what we feel is most important for our kids, not what is most profitable.

I pretty please urge you to contact your elected Congress members and explain why the tax payer funded PBS should continue airing Mister Roger’s Neighborhood daily . . . or maybe PBS won’t get any more millions of our dollars next year. (Like Fred Rogers convinced them to do many years ago and saved PBS - in this video.)

Below is a copy and paste you can use, but try to add some personal stuff in your emails and just admit the below copy and paste is a better explanation than you could ever do.

PBS has recently announced plans to virtually eliminate daily broadcast of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, a children’s program that has enriched the lives of millions of American children of all backgrounds. The gentle, accepting, understanding message of his program is in stark contrast to the coarseness of most “children’s” programming today. Mister Rogers provides vital social and emotional education to kids, embraces and celebrates diversity and promotes understanding and tolerance-all things that are in short supply in our world today. Furthermore, Fred Rogers almost single handedly saved PBS during his 1969 testimony to Congress before Rep. John Pastore. He-and we-deserve better. Please encourage Linda Simensky, PBS’ Senior Director of Children’s Programming, to reaffirm PBS’ commitment to broadcasting Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on a daily basis. I would not support continued funding for PBS or the Corporation for Public Broadcasting without Mr. Rogers.

Well, whatever you can do would be great. Thanks for being you.

Filed under: Geeky Drunkness