Update [2005-2-12 18:5:29 by doug r]:"Sugartime" was shown as scheduled on Friday-unfortunately I had to work at the time.
What did you all think?
KCTS Television has decided it will broadcast the "Sugartime" episode of the PBS series Postcards from Buster on Friday, February 11 at 4:30pm. Our sister station KYVE in Yakima will also air the episode at that time.The episode had originally been scheduled to air on February 2, but PBS withdrew the program from the national schedule in response to concerns expressed by some over the content of the program. KCTS was not consulted in this decision. Subsequently, WGBH in Boston, which produces the series, announced it would make the program available to public television stations directly if they wished to broadcast it independently of PBS.
KCTS requested a copy of the program for review, so that we could make our own decision about a possible broadcast.
Postcards from Buster is a children's series that has two key educational goals: to build awareness and appreciation of the many cultures of North America, and to support the language learning of children who are in the process of acquiring English. Buster is an animated character who travels the continent visiting real children and recording aspects of their lives with his video camera. Over the course of the series, Buster visits more than 45 different families, introducing young people from many ethnic backgrounds; exploring the role of religion in their lives; and visiting kids living in a variety of settings in cities, suburbs and the country.
In the "Sugartime" episode, Buster visits Vermont during mud season, and enlists the help of his new friends in finding the perfect Mother's Day gift for his mom. This episode is about exploring the wonders of Vermont - from sugar houses to dairy farms to nighttime bonfires. As with all episodes of Postcards, the children briefly introduce the viewer to their family, and in this case the children have two moms. The producers included this family in the series because various census reports conclude that at least several hundred thousand children in the United States live in a similar family structure.
The episode has been criticized in some quarters by those who feel it would inappropriately expose children to information about non-traditional families with same-sex partners in parental roles. We acknowledge that the topic of same-sex couples is a sensitive one for some people, but after screening this episode we are comfortable that it addresses the issue in an age-appropriate way for the viewers that we serve. Just as in other episodes of the series, parents' lives in "Sugartime" are included only as a backdrop to the kids' lives; the focus is on Buster's visits to a sugar house and a dairy farm.
KCTS has not rushed into this decision. We have taken the time to review the program, compare it to other episodes in the series and discuss the issue internally. We also received helpful feedback from a member of our Advisory Board's Education Committee, and were contacted by many viewers, most of whom advocated for the broadcast of the program. Ultimately, however, the decision to air the program was rooted in our belief that KCTS and KYVE serve diverse communities which are comprised of many different kinds of families, and that it is healthy for children to learn about that diversity in appropriate ways.We encourage our viewers to watch the program, and then to tell us what they think about it.
Best regards,
Susie Rei
Viewer Services Representative
I love the left coast!