It’s the new PBS Kids network that DirectTV just switched to. Bye-bye PBS Kids, hello Sprout! Here’s what’s different: most of the shows are now 15 minutes instead of 30 which means you only get one episode of Thomas the Train or Dragon Tales instead of two each segment. And the cynical part of me says that means kids are exposed to twice as many brands they’ll want to buy toys from. There are some commercials. And in-between each show you are treated to one of their hosts, Kevin or Melanie, showing some kind of craft or activity. Man, that Melanie is a sugar-coated, Stepford robot. The way she talks with her wide-eyes, her glued-on smile, and her imitation upbeat attitude is almost insulting. She’s not as snotty as Brenda Blue but not as cool as Steve (did I just say that?). Come on, Sprout people – pre-schoolers are more sophisticated than you think.

Update Oct 10, 2005: Contact information for PBS Kids Sprout and providers carrying the network:

Update Jan 2, 2006: I’ve disabled comments on this post because the discussion is getting repetitive. If you think you have something unique to add, email it to me and I’ll add it. Please don’t comment about this post on a different post. Thanks.

Comments

1. pete on 2005-10-03 10:43:28 wrote: yeah i noticed this new channel sprouted up on my list of DirecTV favorites i have programmed for my kids. fortunately my kids fav shows(sesame street, caillou, barney, and teletubbies) are still 30 minute shows.

2. David on 2005-10-05 07:23:03 wrote: I have a sneaking suspicion that the only TV shows for kids that I approve of, are ones I used to watch myself. Everything else looks very dubious. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been quite negligent of late and I’ve got a guilty conscience. Oh, the paranoia of parenthood.

3. jon on 2005-10-05 12:27:31 wrote: i’m with you, david :) although i now watch a bit of the kids shows now, so the ones i like are still cool. :) we’re actually looking to turn off our satellite, but we’ll absolutely miss the kids channels. in particular Nick Gas, since Super Sloppy Double Dare has become an obsession for my 3 year old boy. j.

4. gerald on 2005-10-05 19:10:38 wrote: i have a 4 year old son his nights were allways the same now he crys to see show that he went to sleep by the shows that are on now he trys to chang the chanels we thank the changs was bad and not educational and my son loved brinda blue

5. robin on 2005-10-06 06:41:19 wrote: I have a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old who were also used to the nightly 30 minute shows….now i feel like they will be ADHD after watching all the 10-15 minute programs. Needless to say I am very disappointed in the new programming schedule. Everyone needs to comment on the channel through pbskids.com or sproutletsgrow.com.

6. Mitch45 on 2005-10-06 07:26:47 wrote: PBS Kids Sprout is simply awful. My 3 year old loved the 30 minute versions of Jay Jay, Thomas, Clifford, et al. Now he gets 15 minite snippets of lame shows like Pengu, James the Dog et al. And those segments with Melanie and that other guy are completely lame. I think Sprout was a terrible idea.

7. penny on 2005-10-06 18:39:15 wrote: my son is four years old he loved jj caillou cliford scent the change he does not get to see them very much we were teaching him from pbs kids it was a good teacher now it is just a lot of junk

8. Olivia Smith on 2005-10-06 18:47:54 wrote: i dont like sprout..my 22 month old daughter is scared of Pengu…she loved Jakers! and it is no longer on…a lot of the good shows are gone like…Authur, Book of Virtures and Clifford! Come on now…lets get PBS kids back…Sprout is lame….

9. jeff on 2005-10-07 05:50:51 wrote: pbs sprout you must thank all kids are 1 year old my kide will not be a part of this

10. pbs kids on 2005-10-07 05:58:26 wrote: we just wont to sale toys to your kids

11. jamie on 2005-10-07 06:58:29 wrote: i have a daycare with 20 kids they would which ch 225 all day now they have lost most of the shows they like here what the kids are saying and it is not good for sprout thank about the kids

12. KIM on 2005-10-08 11:16:20 wrote: IT JUST ANT RIGHT TO CHANGE A CHILDS WORLD LIKE YOU DID

13. Roy on 2005-10-09 20:42:50 wrote: Sprout should be the least of our worries. When a day care provider who is entrusted with the first formal education our children receive says “thank about the kids”. Perhaps the complaining parents need to sit down and watch some Sprout themselves. “we just wont to sale toys to your kids”. “now he trys to chang the chanels we thank the changs was bad”. I’d worry more about some of these parent’s influence on their kids than some fantasy 15 minute show induced ADHD or the occasional Pampers spot. If Sprout is that disturbing, turn it off and read your child a book. Or can you?

14. Jay on 2005-10-10 11:37:29 wrote: The change was after PBS lost it’s funding support from the Bush Administration. Financially PBS had not much choice but to team up with the private for-profit concerns. This is the price we paid for the $300 tax refund checks in 2001. How many of us acually contributed to PBS vs. those of us (myself included) who treated like a FREE commercial-free channel? My complaint, other than the great loss to our nation’s children, is that while PBS lost funding from our government.. yet my taxes didn’t decrease nearly as much as Dick Cheney’s.

15. Mitch45 on 2005-10-10 14:24:29 wrote: I knew someone was going to blame George W. Bush for this eventually. Your argument makes no sense. How does losing funding from the Bush Administration (which I’m not convinced of) translate into breaking the hearts of millions of kids and their parents by replacing their comfortable TV routines with educational shows they loved with junk like Pengu and the icky Melanie and that other guy? I think PBS made a big mistake with the Sprout concept. Right now, my 3 year old watches more Noggin and Boomerang than he used to. He has become a big Tom & Jerry fan and also watches Bugs Bunny (like I did 35 years ago).

16. Tiago on 2005-10-10 15:31:58 wrote: What are you talking about? I think Melanie is hot!

17. JW on 2005-10-10 16:19:35 wrote: “Man, that Melanie is a sugar-coated, Stepford robot. The way she talks with her wide-eyes, her glued-on smile, and her imitation upbeat attitude is almost insulting.” Wow, I hear ya. DirecTV’s switch from PBSKids to Sprout is an absolute travesty. They had a good program line-up, and now I have to put up with dreck like Noddy. And I find myself WANTING to like Kevin and Melanie, but I just can’t - they’re too annoying. Watching Melanie do her “craft” dance is just gut-wrenching. I hope to God that enough people write, so that they undo this horrible decision.

18. ihatesprout on 2005-10-10 19:03:33 wrote: Ahh, i hate the new sprout channel. My 2 year doesn’t like it either. That Melanie is sooooo aggravating, i see and hear her chugga chugga perfect and eyes and ears song every ten minutes. IS there a place where we can complain to PBS, to get rid of this?

19. JW on 2005-10-11 09:36:02 wrote: Oh, Brother. For some inexplicable reason, my kids wanted to watch Noddy last night, so I sat through it. Then came Melanie’s “craft” dance. I almost chewed off my arm up to the elbow so as to facilitate my escape…

20. ihatesprout on 2005-10-11 18:26:02 wrote: LOL, the more i watch her, the more i hate it. They show the same thing over and over. That craft dance is unbearable, as well as the other ones…

21. Melanierules on 2005-10-12 08:15:27 wrote: I hope Sprout fail, only because I want melanie to go on to a B movie career - way too hot.

22. getridofsprout on 2005-10-12 12:02:43 wrote: I hope that PBS and Directv get the message and get rid of Sprout! My 2 1/2 yr old son doesn’t watch much tv during the day, but our night time routine consisted of Zaboomafoo, Clifford and Dragon Tales and it is extremely hard to explain to him that they are no longer on at night before he goes to bed and therefore thinks that because he has not watched them yet that it cannot possibly be his bedtime. I just think the programming is awful….15 minutes of this, 10 minutes of that and another 5 minutes of something else, ugh!! And is it just me or do they replay Dragon Tales over and over throughout the day but have taken Clifford completely off?!!! My son LOVES Clifford!!! And explain to me how anyone finds Pingu educational when not one single word is spoken during that skit??? And Big Sister, Little Brother is just plain STUPID! We were once loyal PBS watchers, but now we tune in to Boomerang, Disney and Noggin. Good bye, PBSkids, we miss you and hope you will return. The only thing PBS succeeded in doing was turning its loyal watchers to other channels.

23. Chris on 2005-10-12 14:40:15 wrote: @Roy- Well said! When you let the TV do your parenting for you, I can’t imagine you’re in too much danger of literacy. Sprout is the most nauseating filler channel PBS could have thought up. James the Cat and Noddy are insufferable. The only occasional reprieve from this migraine of a channel are the Thomas shorts which are now kept to one 10-15 story. I used to love to watch Zooboomafoo with my kids, and I could even tolerate the politically correct (but fairly benign) miasma of Dragontales. Sprout however, is a poorly thought out and badly executed mess. Melanie looks like she would be parked outside your house at 3am with a pair of binoculars and a box of No-Doz. As for the sacrosanct commercial-free aspect of PBS; the Noggin channel does the exact same thing without government money. PBS has never been exactly shy about letting you know that Pampers, Chucky Cheese, Sugar Frosted Chocolate Bombs, etc are a “proud sponsor of PBS programming” either. At least we have just about every Peep and the Big Wide World on TiVo… Peep OWNS!!!!

24. Margot on 2005-10-12 16:34:54 wrote: Sprout is positively atrocious! T.V. is too fast-paced as it is, and now with 5 and 15 minute segments, it is even worse. While Noddy is not so terrible, and used to be on P.B.S. at one time, the rest is pure trash. My son, who has mild autism, used to love the nightly routine of Clifford, Dragon Tales, Caillou etc. Now bed time is a misery. Even worse, since he often has trouble sleeping, we are in for sleepless nights. We used to turn on PBS kids and have Teletubbies, and some other shows to sooth him back to sleep. Now he cries and tosses and turns, and so do we! This change hasn’t happened to my friends with Cablevision, so I don’t know how much money played a role, but I’d rather see commercials on PBS than this drivel!

25. Billie on 2005-10-13 18:49:46 wrote: I have a 2 year old girl who loved watching Barney and Caillou at night and is very disappointed it was taken off. There is nothing for her to watch to calm her down before bed. As a mother I’m very disappointed

26. beth on 2005-10-14 07:34:20 wrote: My son hates the new sprout. He also as trouble sleeping and the nightly routine of programs helps. I emailed Directv. No sure if it will do any good.

27. frenchmon on 2005-10-14 21:04:02 wrote: PBS Kids is not on any cable or satellite system anywhere. PBS turned it off on October 1. Why did they do that? Nobody wants this damn stupid-ass Sprout network. Oh, I guess they fired Clifford and Arthur and other shows not on Sprout. This network is the worst POS I have ever seen. I HATE IT! PBS is not going to bring back the Kids Channel. It is TERMINATED. We have to sit here and put up with this dumb crappy channel at least until next year, because the word is that PBS plans to develop a channel for grade-schoolers, which could bring back the favorites I like. Me and my little cousin loved Clifford and Arthur and Adventures from the Book of Virtues, etc. As for us, we’re going to Boomerang and other “positive” channels. PBS, you’re fired!

28. frenchmon on 2005-10-14 21:06:00 wrote: Worst Channel in the History of Television

29. Angie on 2005-10-15 04:21:36 wrote: We try not to watch too much TV, but when we do, and depending on the circumstances of the day, we hope that we can find something soothing, educational and enjoyable for our 3 year old son. As crazy as it may sound, we specifically chose digital cable in order to pick-up the PBS Kids channel; as it is the only channel that we have found that brings what we needed in programming to us. All of a sudden…it was simply gone. There was no warning that our routine would be disrupted; just gone. Our son (as do many of his little friends) love to watch the occasional Barney, Dragon Tales, Zooboomafoo, Caillou & especially Clifford. Unfortunately, we subscribe to Time Warner cable, who as of yesterday, do not even have the means of bringing this seemingly less attractive “Sprout” to our living room. We find this very hard to believe, as Time Warner is one of (if not) the largest cable provider in Ohio. How is it possible that they are unable to pick-up the replacement channel? We hope that we are able to get the new �Sprout� program, and that it can at least provide a resource of primarily educational programming for our children, temporarily. We further hope that WOSU is able to reevaluate both; the needs of the communities, and the funding difficulties that they may be faced with, to find a better solution. We miss PBS Kids…and hope that the long-term solution is more favorable.

30. Nancy on 2005-10-16 07:27:51 wrote: I like the fact that most of the shows are shorter on sprout. It allows me so say “One more show then we turn the TV off” without it being a full hour of Sesame Street (which my kids don’t really care for anyway). I feel like it makes it easier to control the amount they watch. By the way, a common complaint of Sesame Street is that it bounces around in 2-3 minute segments - doesn’t that promote a short attention span worse than a cohesive 15 minute show?!? I would imagine parents of school aged children are feeling the change, but I know that my local PBS station still has the PBSkids favorites in the afternoon. My girls LOVE the addition of Angelina Ballerina which had not been on our regular PBS. And yes, Peep rocks (discovery channel)and Melanie has to go!

31. Hank Scorpio on 2005-10-16 16:11:43 wrote: Hate to go against prevailing wisdom, but anything that gets Kipper back on the air can’t be all bad. My kids miss Jakers and Clifford, too, and find Melanie and whatsizname annoying, but are enjoying some of the new programs. And don’t be hatin’ on Kipper– the writing and the animation are both great. It’s like Jeeves and Wooster for kids.

32. wendy says on 2005-10-16 18:42:59 wrote: The kids miss thier show at night like jay lya the jet plane clifford the big red dog and caillou and barney especially was an after bath rituial. you play Dragon tails way too much were sick of it already.you need more varitey of shows at night by adding some of these back in to the schedule as well instead of the same crap all night long

33. frenchmon on 2005-10-16 23:02:39 wrote: Curious About PBS Kids Sprout? I Can Help. S=Stupid P=Preposterous R=Ridiculous O=Obnoxious U=Uninteresting T=Television (or Torture)

34. Lee on 2005-10-17 19:07:24 wrote: Normally I avoid all of the above described problems by relying solely on our cable’s on-demand feature. I live in Boston and use comcast cable. What’s bugging me to death right now is that the on-demand folks are asleep at the wheel. There are two Thomas episodes, zero JJ episodes and 1 Bob episode.

35. OMG! on 2005-10-18 07:40:57 wrote: I would say “Holy CRAP!” but this ‘sprout’ channel isn’t even worthy of being deemed as such (I can’t even bring myself to capitalize it). Thank God we live near Chicago—our PBS station (WTTW) still “gets it” when it comes to giving kids and parents and everyone in-between what they want, love, and most importantly, can learn from. Thanks a lot, Directv, for ruining a good thing, and when my daughter wakes up in the middle of the night from a cold, the flu, or a bad dream I’m left scrambling to find something that calms everybody in the house down. (Hooray for all the Nickalodeon/Cartoon Network/[some]Disney channels, but PBS is supposed to be the “gold standard” by which kids’ shows are formulated). And speaking of ’nightmares,’ is it me, or is James the Cat straight out of the (early) ‘70’s? Yes, I have been watching animation for THAT long, and that cartoon doesn’t even evoke the longing for MY childhood that a 2-minute Schoolhouse Rock can. Some network person needs to change the name to “P.U. Sprout,” ‘cause this channel smells. Badly.

36. A Mad 5 year Old on 2005-10-18 07:45:27 wrote: My little girl cryed for 3 days about the change and was very mad. She wanted me to call the channel and tell them to put it back! Also put them on a time out for being mean to all the kids! I hope we at least get to see the old pbskids.com on some other channel. She really misses it! Concerned Mother……..

37. Doug on 2005-10-18 19:02:41 wrote: You folks are unbelievable. First of all, most of you need to get some remedial grammer and spelling lessons. Secondly, I would not leave my kids (who love the new Sprout) with “Jamie”, the daycare worker who evidently parks her 20 kids in front of the television instead of doing projects or preparing them for school. To the geniuses that include “Holy Crap” and “POS” in their blogging vocabulary, Sprout programming is probably dwarfing the bad “programming” you do to your kids on a daily basis…I hope you speak to them with a little more forethought. Lastly, you’re all whining about the shows going from 30 minutes each to 15-10-5 minutes….think about it….how long were the shows when you were kids? If memory serves me correct, almost all cartoons were 8 minutes long…yes…. 8 minutes. If you guys think it’s that bad (or scary), drop the channel, watch something else, or turn your television off and read your kids a book. I think the variety of Sprout is good…. it gives kids a wider variety of shows in the same amount of time. Some of the projects they do are kind of cool too and teach some good motor skills. I guess different kids like different things and there’s no way to please everyone… particularly their parents. Signed, a PBS Kids and Sprout fan.

38. Sproutsux on 2005-10-19 11:01:53 wrote: Doug spelled grammar wrong, nice going MR. Wizard.

39. Doug on 2005-10-19 12:36:03 wrote: You caught me…… ……signed, Mr. Wizard

40. Gekko on 2005-10-19 17:42:26 wrote: Doug may have spelled one word wrong, but he’s right about everything else. Most of the commentary on this site reads like it was written by people who spend way too much time in front of the tube. What kind of parents leave their kids in a daycare that parks their kids in front of a tv all day? That’s insane! Any of you ever happen to read some of the latest research saying kids under 2 should NEVER watch tv, and older kids should watch as little as possible. Evidently that wasn’t mentioned on the latest inside edition. Sure, give your kids half hour of sprout, then read ’em a book before bed. What the heck people.

41. MK on 2005-10-20 11:22:41 wrote: I am appalled at sprout. I SWEAR it will give a kid ADHD. Gave me a headache. Thankfully there is Noggin (which I used to find too fast paced and now it seems downright slow!) and shows like Oswald and Connie the Cow and Franklin that soothe the 2 year old rather than hyping him up like a coke. I think it is not surprising that some marketing execs told PBS to do this to stay successful. Gosh, it is so darn sad. We are going to stick to tapes and dvds from the library and forget watching this at all. Now PBS lost a member and gains nothing from our family from having a commercial based channel.

42. anniebananie on 2005-10-20 12:56:48 wrote: I like Melanie… I think she is hysterical…..I watch it with my son just to see her segments… How do I get a gig like that… ? dancing around …and acting silly all day!

43. CindyRen on 2005-10-20 14:16:42 wrote: I have to agree with the Pro-Sprout crowd. My children love Sprout and love Melanie! They make the crafts, sing, and dance with her whenever we watch. She is and SHOULD be silly. Are you all fearful of people that look you directly in the eye and are optimistic about “kid” topics? Melanie does not address topics like AIDS in Africa with children; she plays moonbeam wheel games with them! My 2.5 yr old son had me write in that he “wanted to be her friend” and my 5 yr old daughter has sent in one of the many crafts she has done. I happen to be a child psychologist and if parents are this upset about TELEVISION (wanting LONGER programs, specific shows at 9PM? not to mention a daycare upset…oh, don’t get me started on that) and have to constantly INSULT and write hateful PUT-DOWNS- it seems like there is some other deep-seated unresolved baggage.

44. Annie on 2005-10-20 16:31:58 wrote: I can’t believe the negative comments! My 21 month old and I love PBS Kids Sprout. The short segments are great, it leaves us extra time for games and reading. Too slow paced? My todller son thinks its just right and Melanie’s cheery disposition is a great plus! Noggin’s programming is good, too, but a little fast-paced for toddlers.

45. MADSO on 2005-10-21 09:12:57 wrote: pbskids is on chanel 11&7 and there none of that icky pbskids sprout stuff. i hope they aslest make the shows longer and get rid of shows like pingu and the annoying show hosts & the cermercails.

46. Carrie on 2005-10-21 21:02:10 wrote: Noddy rocks! My son loves him and we’re searching for videos in the USA. Yes Melanie is annoying and we miss Mr. Rogers. Change is too drastic - bring back the old stuff.

47. Coleen on 2005-10-22 11:01:03 wrote: I think some of you may be disappointed because now your child is only glued to the tube for 15 minute increments, thus, “back in your face” sooner. My 3.5 year old loves the new programs…now he gets to watch 3 or 4 shows before going to bed! Three-year olds don’t look at tv through the eyes of a clock–they have no idea the show is 15 minutes shorter. And, is much as Melanie may irritate me…he loves her. She plays games with him, gives great craft ideas, does little exercises or dances, etc. I don’t know for sure, but the majority of the comments here seem to be about what’s best for the parent–not the child. I’m hard-pressed to believe your 2 and 3 year olds are disappointed about the commercials they’ve gained or the 15 minutes they’ve lost.

48. Anita on 2005-10-22 16:52:10 wrote: My 3 year old daughter loves ‘sprout’. Sure, she misses some of the pbskids shows, but all in all, it’s not too bad. Sounds like some of you may be letting your television do the parenting….which is never good for your child

49. AliCrane on 2005-10-23 13:01:17 wrote: WE LOVE SPROUT. Keep it coming. I love the shows and for the limited amout of time my 4 year old watches tv he gets to see many shows on normally on PBS. THANK YOU SPROUT. We support you totally. Thank goodness for wholesome tv… It’s nice to know at night that my sons gets to see some friendly shows he misses when at nursery school.

50. Mike C on 2005-10-23 13:04:41 wrote: My son loves the new channel. The shows now have variety. Isn’t that the spice of life? Melanie and Kevin are fun and get down to the childrens level. We do not have to love the shows but the children do. PS..NODDY is great. Show him more. My son loves the choices Sprout now has. Thank you for the great shows!

51. Wendy on 2005-10-24 12:06:14 wrote: I also do not approve of this change in programming to Sprout. I read all of the comments and we seem to be the majority. I hope that the people responsible for this change will hear these responses and change it back to PBS Kids. My situation is different. I have a 10 yr. old and a 7 yr. old and they loved watching Mister Rogers and Adventures from the Book of Virtues. These are the programs they chose to watch in their limited time allowed for TV. Now they will not be able to see these programs as our other two local PBS stations (WGTV-8 and WPBA-30 from Atlanta) have decided long ago to take these wonderful programs off the air. I also do not understand why nobody else mentioned these programs except one person who mentioned Book of Virtues only. I watched Mister Rogers as a child myself and now I enjoy watching it with my children. Do any of you who were not watching it understand all that your children were missing by not viewing Mister Rogers? This show offers so much to children. First, it helps children build healthy relationships with family and friends. Mr. Rogers talks kindly to the children and sings songs to them to build their self-esteem (he really loves and cares about children). He takes them to his dentist and doctor visits to reassure them in situations where they may be experiencing fears. He has handicapped guests and talks about accepting people for who they are even if they are different. He talks to the children about feelings they might have and how to handle those feelings in the appropriate way. In addition, this show exposes children to good culture with guests such as Eric Carle (children’s author), Yo Yo Ma (cellist) and his son (pianist) , Itzhak Perlman (violinist), The Marsalis family (jazz musicians) and many others. Mr. Rogers takes the children to art museums and local artists’ studios. They take factory tours where children see how things are made (my children’s favorite). Finally, children explore their own creativity as well when they repeat a craft or recipe they saw Mr. Rogers create. They are also encouraged to use their imagination but to understand the difference between real and make-believe with The Neighborhood of Make Believe segments. I will conclude with a quote from an article about Mister Rogers written by Suzanne Williams. “Rather than loud, fast-paced animation or entertaining education, he (Mr. Rogers) presents a caring adult who visits with children, affirming their distinction and value, understanding their hopes and fears.” You can read the whole article by copying and pasting this link into your browser’s address. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/R/htmlR/rogersfred/rogersfred.htm

52. Teresa on 2005-10-24 14:16:07 wrote: I applaud the new idea of PBS Sprout, but it is missing something. It is missing the traditional shows that made PBS, PBS. Shows like Arthur, Clifford, The Adventures from the Book of Virtues mended the generation gap between siblings. My two daughters are 3 and 7. The traditional PBS shows was something they had in common. Please consider bringing these shows back. They are the backbone of PBS and they deserve to stay on PBS Sprout.

53. Churlish Fellow on 2005-10-24 18:00:26 wrote: I must say I’m surprised at how much stock people put into television. Yes, we let our son watch TV, yes I love plucking my brain out on occasion and just sitting on the couch, yes there are great and wonderful things we can learn on television (mostly on PBS such as with Nova and the like). But to depend upon the thing to entertain and educate our children? To somehow demand that things should remain the same? I’m curious what percentage of people irate with PBS Sprout actually donate any money to PBS. I’ve a friend who works at a PBS station and it’s appalling the conditions under which they work … voice mail replaced with answering machines on everyone’s desk, a 3 year plus salary freeze, old and outdated equipment … you get what you pay for and we’ve been paying nothing.

54. kristin on 2005-10-25 12:00:58 wrote: I totally agree with the majority of comments about PB Kid’s Sprout. We’ve been watching from day one, since we used to watch the old line-up regularly. I think the new format, both the shows and the host, is completely awful. I keep reminding myself that it is geared toward young children, but I still hate it and have not warmed up to it. I think the intermissions with Melanie are the worst part. I would like it better if it was just standard programming. And, some of the new shows are just weird…I think some of them are foreign-produced. I, too, miss 30 minute shows, not these 15 minute segments. It’s as though they think your average 2 or 3 year old can only sit through a 15 minute program…not true. Also, when Melanie comes on, my 2 1/2 year old daughter ignores her and plays with her toys or pulls out a book…she has no interest in the lame presentation by Melanie…she is just awful….don’t get me started on her lame dancing. It is so fake and really insults a child’s intellgence, as well as the parent’s. I have contributed loyally to PBS over the years, but became disgusted when I found my funds were helping to produce a Spanish Sesame Street (this is the US, isn’t it?). I voiced a complaint about this and recieved no response. Now, with the absurd Sprout programming, I do not plan on future contributions until PBC shows an interest in what viewer’s want to see.

55. Josh on 2005-10-26 16:40:29 wrote: Our high-functioning autistic 3 1/2 year old son loves Sprout. He’s getting into the new shows, like Noddy and Kipper and Pingu. I enjoy the shows they run, they are low-key, calming episodes that are perfect for evening/pre-bedtime viewing. Once again proof that everything sounds better with a Brit accent! Pingu may not have actual language, but it’s abstract presentation helps kids learn to INFER based on gesture and tone which is critical to successful communication. For kids like mine, any chance they get to be exposed to those “clues” is worthwhile. I agree that Melanie is annoying, but the kids I’ve seen seem to like her direct enthusiasm. I know they only spent one or two days shooting all her segments, but they could have at least given her some different outfits to break the monotony! I would much rather have seen an animated host like Noggin’s Moose A. Moose. The shorter episodes took some getting used to, but as another parent alluded to, it makes it MUCH easier to break up the party at bedtime!

56. Betty Perkes on 2005-10-26 21:46:14 wrote: What a nightmare your pbskids sprout is. My family feels so disappointed in your new programming. We have dissabled people relying on the joy of watching tv PBSkids when they aren’t able to do other things. This new sprout is so far off, that I find myself changing the channel and using boomerang-disney-and other channels to try to help them feel happier. This is such a shameful thing that has been done to many, many people in depriving them of such a simple joy of really good programs. I suspect that money is possibly mixed up in this somewhere. If that is the reason then SHAME–SHAME on the programers and others that might be involved in this sick change. What an insult to the little childrens intelligence as well as others that was depending on PBSKIDS to help them thru their days. Please Please bring back the good programing . We miss it so much and this pbs sprouts is nothing less than a sick joke. Betty Perkes

57. Idalcia on 2005-10-27 18:04:19 wrote: As far as Sprout goes: I totally agree with Wendy. There is much more happening here than attention spans, differing parenting values, and commercials. This whole situation is about quality programming. I am a homeschooling mother of three children and as such we really have very little time to watch tv. Our homeschool day begins at 9:00 am and ends at 5:00 pm. Naturally, `what rare time

58. Idalcia on 2005-10-27 18:17:38 wrote: As far as Sprout goes: I totally agree with Wendy. There is much more happening here than attention spans, differing parenting values, and commercials. This whole situation is about quality programming. I am a homeschooling mother of three children and as such we really have very little time to watch tv. Our homeschool day begins at 9:00 am and ends at 5:00 pm. Naturally, what rare tv time we have has just got to be good. It has to be well worth it. That being said, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to know that know matter when you should happen to turn pbs on, that a great show is ready land waiting to entertain your child while at the same time give her something to wrap her brain around? That is what we had with shows like Mr. Rogers, 3-2-1 Contact, Sesame Street, etc. The “new” stuff is great, too. I must say I’ve used “Between the Lions” here and there for homework. Sprout could possibly be that which our children look back upon with nostalgia, just as we do when we remember our favorite shows, but only if quality as opposed to quantity becomes their raison d’etre.

59. Idalcia on 2005-10-27 18:22:52 wrote: Ah, well. I see I’ve posted 1 1/2 times. That’s what I get for trying to type with an energetic four year old sitting on my lap!

60. Betty Perkes on 2005-10-27 20:20:09 wrote: I lost the response from you could you please reply so that I may see my comment on the web. Thank you

61. JW on 2005-10-27 20:46:37 wrote: I never said that I was dependent on TV to raise my kids; I just feel like my options suddenly got worse. I used to have Caillou and Sagwa in the background mornings. They were pleasant and unobtrusive. PBS Kids had a good program line-up, and now it has been replaced by something with a WORSE program line-up, and is MORE annoying. Now I have to put up with constant advertizing (for upcoming shows and diapers) and I have to watch Melanie’s convulsive movements. I think, “God - someone stick a bite-bar in her mouth so that she doesn’t bite her tongue off.” That Kevin guy has to go, too. He’s way too annoying. At least reduce his amphetamine dose. Sheesh.

62. Susan on 2005-10-28 09:05:15 wrote: I want PBS kids back. The shows are terrible on Sprout, and they repeat the same thing over and over. What is up with Big Sister, Little Brother? there isn’t one english word in the show. Is this what kids are supposed to learn?

63. unknown on 2005-10-28 20:25:18 wrote: my dauhter dosent like the shows .and that person who intruduces the shows ! and my kids want pbs kids ,pbsgo back and sprout out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

64. DB & BB on 2005-10-29 07:09:43 wrote: JW. I think you’re right-on, MELANIE HAS GOT TO GO ! I have a 3 yr.old, and we used to watch “Between the Lions, Reading Rainbow & Clifford” all the old programming together. Now we see Pingu and James the Cat, these shows are just awful! They don’t even try to teach anything, I know that the TV isn’t supposed to be a teaching tool, but sometimes while trying to fix dinner it’s nice to know that what we’re have our preschoolers watch is somewhat educational. And what happened to the “Book of Virtues”? That was such great show! Now we get to watch Melanie with her nauseating singing and dancing. I think if I have to see Melanie do the “craft” dance one more time, I think I’m going to hurl! My husband and I watched it the other night and I thought his eyes were going to roll into the back of his head, when he saw her! We want the old PBS back, instead of this stomach-turning, SPROUT!

65. DB & BB on 2005-10-29 07:35:22 wrote: To All: Here’s a E-Mail address I found and since have placed my own views. [email protected]

66. total Mom on 2005-10-29 07:43:40 wrote: I have found that Sprout is actually great for me and my kids. I only let them watch TV when it is snack time and have found the new 15 minute schedule is perfect. They can watch a quick show - eat their snacks - and get back to playing and learning time. I personally don’t let them watch TV at night so the new line up does not affect us there. We spend time reading before bed.

67. SB on 2005-10-29 17:01:39 wrote: How can a generation that grew up on Mr. Rodgers be so angry? Play nice now “big sprouts” you are sounding awfully weedy. If you think the Sprout format is so lousy then turn off the TV and interact with your kids yourself.

68. Prilly Shaw on 2005-10-30 19:42:52 wrote: I agree. sprout should not be watered. Where did Reading Rainbow and Between the Lions go? Not patronizing enough, I suppose. We are going for DVD’s that we control.

69. Phil on 2005-11-03 17:33:55 wrote: I think that the PBS Spout network is very good. My 13 month old loves it, and it is certainly better than regular television. This is great evening time with my little one and Melanie with the wonderful shows that she hosts. Melanie is wonderful and makes us smile when we see her (we play the little games together with her). She bring karisma to the network. Is not often in life that you find a wondeful personality like MELANIE! You people that think ill of her are sadistic and have no soul. It is people like you that enjoy the liberal media and the farce that it truley is. ROBOTS yourselves…and idiots to boot!

70. momiam on 2005-11-04 03:29:40 wrote: Wow. I’m amazed. I too hate Sprout, but do we have to be ugly? My kids hate Sprout. Yet again, PBS Kids has altered our evening. My kids don’t watch that much television. But, the evening routine of one show definitely wasn’t hurting them and provided a time marker in the evening. My concern has more to do with the fact that they have eleminated all of the older child programming such as Cyberchase, etc. I will be emailing them. And, as my boys said, “We’ll just watch it on antenna tv instead.”

71. Rose Nikolai on 2005-11-04 16:48:45 wrote: I do not like Sprout and my kids do not like Sprout. My daughter is 8, and she was devastated when PSB Kids changed to Sprout. We now watch PBS on local TV where we can watch Arthur, Between the Lions, and Reading Rainbow. I only purchased the family plus programming from Direct TV for PBS KIDS.

72. Beth on 2005-11-05 20:15:49 wrote: My children, 4 and 2, actually enjoy PBSkids Sprout. They love the variety of shows and the new characters. As far as what some of you are talking about, try searching your channel guide for the other shows like Clifford, Dragon Tales and Zoboomafoo. They are still on in my area, full length, but on a network channel, from early morning until mid-afternoon. And if you actually watched the shows like Pingu, Big Sister and Little Brother, and Noddy you’d see that they do actually teach lessons. Most of them concentrate on ‘right from wrong’ type themes. You could also try turning the TV off and reading with your kids if you don’t like the shows presented. My kids like to look at books with me, do crafts, learn counting and ABCs - and they never complain about what’s on the TV. They enjoy what they get and I enjoy it with them. That’s what life is about.

73. Linda on 2005-11-06 14:34:26 wrote: My Children are 10 1/2 & 2 1/2. My 2 1/2 likes some of the shows on Sprout but Sprout looses his attention very easily when certain shows air. My 10 1/2 misses all of the programs we used to watch as a family, shows like Arthur, Mr. Rogers & our all time favorite Piggly Winks. These were shows that she could watch w/her little brother now she has no interest in watching PBS & wants the real PBS back.

74. Linda on 2005-11-06 14:59:19 wrote: Something else I thought I would mention is that we do not hate Sprout. I want my kids to see non threatening programing & Sprout is just that. At one time Noddy was on Regular PBS & then just went away. For the loyal PBS viewer please note that most shows that are on Sprout made an appearance at one time or another on Regular PBS. Having an 8 yr difference in my kids age I have seen a lot of shows come & go. Puzzle Place, Allegra’s Window, Loonette the Clown. I was always sorry to see those shows go but as my daughter grew the shows grew w/her. It seems that PBS is only catering to the wee ones 6 & under. My daughter loves PBS but as I said in my prior message she no longer has any interest since all that are on are baby shows. One thing that I will mention to Direct TV is that having a Tot show is great but if we are going to pay for programming we should have a choice. I would love to see the old PBS come back as an added channel & keep Sprout where it is. Also, please keep in mind, we may not understand shows like Pingu or Big Sister & Little Brother, they have a language all their own. Not the English language, something more. These shows will peek your interest & as you watch w/your little one, the curiosity is there. I was irritated when I 1st heard the little snipetts come on but when I saw my 2 1/2 laughing as he watched Pingu I was compelled to sit w/him to see what was so funny & I got it! We are not TV Junkies & we are not mad at Sprout for airting. I work, my husband works & my kids are at school & day care. Evening time is when we sit together as a family to see something cute & then we get the kids ready for bed. We just would like another PBS choice for our oldest.

75. Solomon on 2005-11-07 13:32:24 wrote: PBS Kids Sprout is great! We have a 1-year old who is simply enamored with Melanie - every time she hears her voice she turns her full attention to the TV. She also loves most of the shows. What’s most important to me is the consistency. The Good Night show is on every night before she goes to bed, which gives my daughter something to look forward to, even on weekends. The 15-minute segments are also attractive, since a child’s attention easily wanders. The concepts and themes are very simple. Maybe it’s not enough for some older kids, who want longer programming and more complex concepts that mirror real life, but for little ones, it’s the best!

76. Mamavich on 2005-11-07 14:11:42 wrote: We don’t watch TV enough to know what comes on when, but I was kind of wondering what happened with my “approved” channel 295. The new Sprout format is rather strange, but I like the shorter programs since my son is only allowed to watch a very limited amount TV; we are now able to break it up into short segments. I was looking for “James the Cat” toys when I found this bulletin board. I think James the Cat is absolutely hilarious! I guess I am a child of the 80s. I sing the song at the top of my lungs when it comes on, much to my 2-year-old’s amusement (which I am sure will soon change to disgust). It looks like I might be alone in my parental enjoyment with the fat diplomat. I think Melanie is annoying, but I like that she does activities that require movement in between the programming. My son tries to follow along and do the “simon says” and red light, green light" type activities. I guess the wordless cartoons don’t bother me because we usually sit together and talk about what is going on in the program. We too find ourselves looking at other kids’ networks for shows more than we used to though! But really, does anyone know where to get James the Cat paraphernalia? :-)

77. Chrissy on 2005-11-07 15:16:08 wrote: I love PBS Sprout!!!!!! I love PINGU the penguin!!!!!! You go Sprout. This iis the only channel my one year old and 7 year old like together!!!! I love noddy!!!!!

78. Shirley &Matt on 2005-11-07 16:28:05 wrote: We as parents dislike the brother and sister show and pigu these shows are rude and teachs nothing. We would like to see the whole show such as with Drangon tales two epsiode they would only last 1/2 hour. We would like to see Barney and Clifford. Shirley & Matt

79. CINDY on 2005-11-07 16:30:42 wrote: i hate pbs kids sprouts. my kids do not even care to watch it as much now. i guess that’s good, but the programming and the Hostess are beyond awful. there is no sincerity or true enthusiasm. my kids do not like her. who is she fooling?

80. Jesica on 2005-11-07 18:19:21 wrote: WOW… if it has screwed up your child’s nighttime routine, maybe tv shouldn’t have been part of it. And maybe, if you don’t like it, or your little one is really complaining, then shut the tv off. Read your kids a book… talk to them…. just spend time with them. And if your tired of hearing the same song all day… well, why is your child watching tv all day… get off your computer, take your kid outside. Show him the or her the world. My son enjoys the programming. I only let him watch about a half hour or 45 minutes, and LOVES Pingu. He laughs out loud to it. And, althou I can agree that Melanie is a little to sticky sweet for me, she’s still better than any power ranger or other violent character my son could be watching. And with all the money everyone saved by not donating to PBS to keep commercials off the channel, take your money and buy your little kids their barney dvds. Then you can just hit repeat and have them watch that all day.

81. Sabrina on 2005-11-08 05:15:16 wrote: if your kid can’t sleep at night because of a TV channel, don’t you think there is something wrong on your part? It’s a channel on TV!!!! Go read your kid a book or something….this is why there are so many annoying brats running around now a days. Go do something for yourself and your kids instead of writing a letter to direct tv….i highly doubt they give a crap about what your kid is doing. Remember the days when we didn’t need to worry about if a cartoon was violent because we knew better than to do what we saw on t.v…..plus our parents taught us wrong and right and didn’t leave it up to a television show?!?!

82. Nancita on 2005-11-08 10:34:57 wrote: My 2 boys love the new Sprout! It’s great to have the 15 min segments. The kids think they “get away” with something when I say, “Ok, right after that show”. Plus that birthday announcement time really has my almost 6 yr old excited!

83. JESSE on 2005-11-08 12:12:16 wrote: SPROUT IS REFRESHING. IF MELANIE AND THAT ASIAN MAN WERE WHITE NO ONE WOULD BE COMPLAINING. I THINK MELANIE IS PERFECT TO HOST THE SHOW. SO ALL YOU GROWN ADULTS QUIT COMPLAINING AND CHANGE THE CHANNEL IF YOU DONT LIKE SPROUT. STOP BLAMING YOUR KID’S FOR YOUR OPINIONS…

84. on 2005-11-09 16:39:14 wrote: My little 2 and a half year old girl loves sprout. I personally, get annoyed with it SOMETIMES, but that’s because I am an adult, and it is targeted for kids! Melanie seems really NICE, but of course a bit irritating sometimes. Dragon tales, caillou, kipper, noddy, she loves all the shows… I recently discovered this channel… we still get regular PBS kids where I live, so I don’t know what that stuff is all about. I also read to my child before bed, but she watches tv too somtimes before we read.

85. Supercat1 on 2005-11-10 12:54:36 wrote: My husband and I have a love/hate relationship with PBS Kids Sprout. Yes, Melanie and that other guy are REALLY annoying, but [cringe] the kids like them! And don’t gag, but I wouldn’t mind it half as much if they only rotated/changed their stupid little ditties. How many times can you hear the “craft” song and those same jingles and one liners over and over and over and over again?!? and why does she always wear the same clothes? the kids don’t need THAT much stability…they can handle a new outfit! As for the shorter show length, I don’t mind. Like at least one other commentor, I dig the fact that I can say, “OK, kids, one more show and we’re going to bed”! We hate that good shows that were on PBS Kids in the evening were chucked, like Zaboomafoo and Caillou. Although I notice that these two are still on, it’s during the day when we’re not there! They love Noddy! It’s silly but we even enjoy watching it with the kids. They like Pengu too…they are a bit neutral on shows like Kipper, James the Cat, etc. BUT, I’m sorry, even if you’re European, Big Sister/Little Brother sucks. Maybe they’re hoping will spend more $ and get a DVR (if you haven’t already) to record favorites and watch them whenever we want, which is, of course, what I want to do! But I hate DirectTV and our contract is up in a month and we might switch to Dish or Cable. It’s either that or give up TV altogether, which, in an ideal world, is what we SHOULD do…my kids could deal fine, but me…. I love TV sooooo much, it’s sad but true! Sideline: to those of you who made critical comments on the “daycare” provider who lets their kids watch TV: I could not agree more! I don’t like getting all moral and stuff, but when it comes to innocent kids I get all worked up. I put my 3 yr. old and 21 mo. old in daycare because we both work full time. I am so happy that my kids are provided with good life lessons, socialization skills, basic education and preparation for school at daycare. What kind of daycare lets kids watch TV? The main reason I feel OK about letting my kids watch TV at night and on weekends is because they go without TV from 8-5:30 M-F. If I were a stay at home mom, I’d have to be really disciplined about when the TV would be on!

86. mary ellen on 2005-11-11 09:09:52 wrote: it is a very sad state when people consider their whole world changed because a tv station has reprogrammed. how much tv do you allow your children to watch? shame on you who use it in your daycare and who allow tv to teach your children. the channel is aimed at toddlers and their attention span. many of you complain about the hosts, but would you rather a more mature person entertain your child? the hosts are full of life and joy, just like your child should be!!! if you hate it so much, turn it off and read your children a book or 5 books. you will teach your child how to use an imagination that many of you have lost and maybe, just maybe, they wont spell as horribly as many of you.

87. Laura on 2005-11-11 12:13:11 wrote: Get over it. It is only a channel. Hey, life is full of changes so teach your kids to roll with the punches and that change can be good. There are so many channels out there to choose from and I just read one blog where people actually think 10 minute increment of shows will cause ADHD. Are you kidding me? My kid loves the channel and all the people, if he doesn’t I turn it off and put on something else.

88. Micheel on 2005-11-11 14:09:14 wrote: I think Sprount is just “filler” mind numbing tv for our kids. The very first show of Pengu had him eat his vegetables at the table only to go into the bathroom and vomit out his meal so his parents wouldn’t see. What do you think my 2 1/2 year old did the very next day? Yep, ate his vegetables then spit the regurgitated mess back onto his plate. And, Melanie’s character is not realistic and too fake.

89. keesie on 2005-11-11 16:31:36 wrote: are you kidding me? first…if you don’t like it, too bad. it ain’t for you, it’s for the kids. i have a 3 year old and a 2 year old. they love it. second…if your child is crying because of the program change, they watch too much. it’s entertainment, not a babysitter. only 1 smart comment on this board…turn the tv off and read your kids a book. third…am i the only one upset with the comment “i have a daycare with 20 kids they would which ch 225 all day”? uhhh, you charge money to let kids watch tv all day? you have the opportunity to shape these minds, and all you do is sit them in front of a tv? you need to be fired.

90. Melissa on 2005-11-11 18:36:01 wrote: My 3.5 year old and 2 year old love Sprout. Noddy has been on for years in England and I think it has very good lessons. I saw one episode about no name calling and today there was one about not trying too hard to make people like you. We have Comcast and it still has PBS Kids on it. We used to watch that channel but I find for my little ones Sprout holds their attention better and the shows are more age appropriate. Some of the shows on PBS Kids were a little too old. The hosts are annoying but so is Barney. However they aren’t supposed to be targeting a 38 year old mom they are targeting my 3 and 2 year olds and for them they seem to be just right.

91. Lori on 2005-11-11 19:27:22 wrote: My daughter and I love Sprout. I think the shorter increments are better because kids attention spans aren’t that long. If you don’t like it there are many other programs and channels out there for you to switch too. I agree with everything Doug said. Sprout ROCKS! (by the way, you can’t get ADHD by watching TV.)

92. Iluvmyfamily on 2005-11-12 01:06:36 wrote: I really wish PBS would consider the majority of comments! We want PBS kids.org back!! My daughter/son love Clifford and Emily-Elizabeth along with the others ..such as zoom etc. When I first saw the change in the program, I thought it was only on for a trial test, to see how the kids/parents responded..hopefully this is the case..and as you can see, the majority are PBS kids.org fans!! I really have nothing against Kevin or Melinda, they’re doing a great job!

93. Melissa on 2005-11-12 15:18:11 wrote: I think you need to talk to your cable provider. I have Comcast and we HAVE PBSKids on channel 217 STILL and then Sprout is on channel 218. If you don’t have PBSKids anymore I don’t think it is PBS’s fault. Also, I just checked and www.pbskids.org is still up and running. It hasn’t gone anywhere either. I think PBS created Sprout to target preschoolers who are really a different group entirely as far as programming. Nickelodeon did the same thing when they created Noggin.

94. LyndseyHunter on 2005-11-12 16:17:53 wrote: Firstly, if a change in shows is the worst thing that can happen to your kid then they are lucky. Do you really think the children are that up in arms about a show. It sounds to me like you parents are more disappointed about it, namely for the reason that your tv is parenting your children. With quotes like “my childs nightly routine was an hour and a half of tv” or " now my children only get to watch 10-15 minutes of tv each episode instead of thirty". Your children should not be watching that much tv, educational or not. Ever heard of arts and crafts, coloring, bookes or old fashioned playing with toys. You also complain that the shows are annoying to you they are not made for you but for you kids. Get a life and take care of your children.

95. Demand it! on 2005-11-13 07:36:19 wrote: Argument: Inane � select on demand Hey, if you can, get away from the networks and use the �on demand� feature if have it. Upside: select the shows you when you want them. Downside: If you let your kids watch hour after hour of TV you will be looking for the clicker quite a bit. Makes many of these arguements irrelevant.

96. Debra on 2005-11-13 09:29:09 wrote: PBS Sprout is excellent. All the shows are wonderful. Teletubbies is one show that I thought children should not watch, because of the way they talk. I have several friends that put their children in front of Teletubbies from the time they were born and their children talk that way. Well I learned that if you watch with the children that you can explain how to properly pronounce the words. My two year old grandson will repeat after the Teletubbies with the proper pronouncation. As far the attention span, that’s why PBS Spout is great, because small children’s attention span is short. (gerald Says: October 5th, 2005 at 7:10 pm) gerald the show are very educational. have you tried sitting and actually watching? Almost every one of the shows even have a lesson to be learned. (robin Says: October 6th, 2005 at 6:41 am ) (MK Says: October 20th, 2005 at 11:22 am ) Your children will be ADHD? Please it’s variety. It gives them more to think about. (Mitch45 Says: October 6th, 2005 at 7:26 am) (JW Says: October 10th, 2005 at 4:19 pm ) Most parents think that people like Melanie are lame but that’s what the children love. The preschool and younger like colors, Repetition - it’s how they learn at a young age, music and dancing. Adults might not like or understand but it is what they like. (KIM Says: October 8th, 2005 at 11:16 am ) Children of all ages need to learn that things change. we can change the channel, but videos or sit down with your child and watch and learn from PBS Sprout. (Shirley &Matt Says: November 7th, 2005 at 4:28 pm) OH Mercy! did you really watch “Big Sister - Little Brother” and “Pingu”? I remember on BSLB lessons like we don’t color on the walls, We don’t bother other people stuff, That when we listen to our parents we stay out of trouble, etc. On Pingu - Sharing, eating to much of anything will make you sick. It’s not nice to scare your sibling, It’s not nice to color and cut up Mom’s sheets, etc I recorded a 6 hour tape of PBS Sprout for all my friends, staff and parents to watch. It got rave reviews. I am director of a Parents Morning Out Program. We have children from 6 months old to 5 years old. We are open only 4 hours. During snack time is the only time we have the TV on, when the children finished their snacks they would run around instead of sitting at the table to finish watching the 30 minute show or sitting in the reading corner with a book. Now because the shows are shorter, snack time is quieter. My 2 year old grandson can sing some of the songs on the program. Oh he can also count to ten and sings a lot of songs he has learned at PMO. Since going to the 2 year old class 2 weeks ago can sign the ABC song. I am a 50 year old kid at heart and I watch carefully for what our children like and I can tell you that they love PBS Spout. Their parents have begin contacting their cable providers, so they too can watch the WONDERFUL shows that PBS Spout offers. THANK YOU, PBS SPOUT. Thank you all for the support of PBS Sprout. We might be a little out numbered here, but the points that we make are stronger than the negativity. 1. Roy 13. Churlish Fellow 25. Sabrina 2. Angie 14. Josh 26. Nancita 3. Doug 15. total Mom 27. JESSE 4. Gekko 16. SB: 28. Anonymous 5. anniebananie 17. Prilly Shaw 29. Supercat1 6. CindyRen 18. Phli: 30. mary ellen 7. Annie 19. Beth 31. Laura 8. Coleen 20. Linda 32. keesie 9. nita 21. Solomon 33. Melissa 10. AliCrane 22. Mamavich 34. Lori 11. Mike C 23. Chrissy 35. Melissa 12. Teresa 24. Jesica 36. LyndseyHunter

97. Sheldon on 2005-11-13 16:00:26 wrote: Debra is obviously a PBS Sprout Plant. The channel is lame, its horrible for children. Its bad enought that children today have problems with paying attention, and for PBS to take off shows that actually had them concentrating for more than 15mins is insulting. My Kids miss Arthur, The Adventures from the book of virtues, and clifford. I grew up watching the quality educational programing that PBS offered. It is really sad to see them surrender to the MTV collective, rather than standing strong on their reputation of quality broadcasting. I’ve contacted both Directv and PBS, if there is any other movement out there to change this please let me know

98. Beth on 2005-11-13 19:04:30 wrote: I’m back again. I’ve read more of your entries and some of them are actually bugging me. First things first, though. If you’re going to complain, on a public message board, about the quality of TV shows that you think aren’t teaching your children anything, perhaps you should take a look at what you know first. There are so many entries here from parents who can’t spell, use punctuation, or proper grammar, that you have no right to complain about your children’s level of education from TV shows. As far as PBSkids Sprout goes, I have seen very few toy commercials on it as compared to other channels. Most of the intermissions show upcoming programs or Melanie and Kevin doing their little parts. The shows on Sprout are supposed to get your kids up and bouncing “like a coke” because they teach kids not to be couch potatoes. They teach exercise, dancing, singing, etc. That’s what teaches children to use their minds and not be lazy. My two boys, four and two, love to show me what they’ve learned. They love to have me watch them dance with Noddy and sing with Barney; and they ask me to join them, which I do, with great enthusiasm. If a change in TV programming upset my kids, I’d be upset that I’d done something wrong. They understand that things change in life and that there are other things for them to do besides watch TV. They bring me books to read with them, we color together, we do Play-doh together, and we sing and dance to CDs. They turn the TV off themselves, I don’t have to tell them and you shouldn’t have to tell your children either. PBSkids Sprout is one of the best channels for children that I’ve seen in a long time. Kudos to the executives who came up with this idea; and to the parents and children who see the best in it.

99. Debra on 2005-11-13 19:13:04 wrote: No I am not a PBS Sprout Plant. I am a very loving, caring Christian Grandmother, who have raised 2 well adjusted responsible boys. I have always had a love for children and their well being. That’s why our PMO program is well loved because the parents know that their children will have a good foundation when they begin kindergarten. I don’t take lightly the role of raising children in our sociality. My children, my nieces, nephews, grandchildren, friend’s children and my “United Methodist Church Parents Morning Out” children have ever been left in front of TV program of any kind without me watching with them. We mold our children by our action, our attitudes, places we expose them to and television. I hope you noticed that television is last. Nothing takes the place of interacting with your children. We all have our opinions. Our main focus should be what’s best for our children, not what the children WANT. It’s what they need and that’s up to us as parents.

100. Debra on 2005-11-13 19:16:21 wrote: I’m sorry, In the ninth line, it should read “…..children have NEVER been left in front of TV……..”

101. Brenda on 2005-11-13 20:09:42 wrote: My 5 year old loved Jakers… Clifford… Arthur and Dragon Tales. We sure miss those shows. I didn’t let my child watch other channels, because of the inappropriate content from most of the other channels. My child and I are very dissapointed about the changes. She shares with me every day, when she wants to watch the programs she used to watch. All we are going to do, it’s to turn off the TV. Hoping you will change to your original programs.

102. Linda Match on 2005-11-14 05:32:00 wrote: I love sprout so much - but I was wondering why so may Barney and JJ episodes? Thomas the tank is only on for a few minutes, as are other shows. I have many mom’s with me on this one. We do love sprout, but can you spread out the barney and JJ? Thanks for the awesome channel.

103. Craig C. on 2005-11-14 16:50:41 wrote: Man. Why are you guys complaining??? Your kids actually have something to watch on TV. I’m not going to go into the whole there are kids suffering in the world stuff cause I know nobody will listen to me. But our kids have some cool stuff to watch with PBS kids. I know my daughter loves sprout. She gets really mad at me when I turn off her TV. So quit acting worse than your own spoiled kids and if you don’t like whatever is on your TV then don’t watch it. Pingu is awesome! For someone who is only 1, this show kicks booty. I even get into them. As far as Meline and Kevin go, they are pretty cool. Melenie I’m sure has to do scripted routines which I’m sure 98 percent of you complainers couldn’t even do. And some of you even sound jealous of her, I was laughing when I was reading some of these comments. To PBS: You guys are doing good in my eyes. Keep it up and I support you all who work hard helping to entertain our beloved children. Sorry that others aren’t more “appreciative” of what they have in life.

104. Brandi on 2005-11-14 21:06:53 wrote: I have to say that I dislike many of the changes made as well. But I think shows like Angelina Ballerina, Kipper, and Noddy are a great addition to the programming. I do not think any parents are “bad” for letting their kids watch television. My daughter starting watching television whenever she was about 3 months old. She could say her abc’s, recognize all of her letters (randomly and in order),knew all of her colors, and could count to 10 at 17 months. She is 2 now and has advanced even more. I have to say that I let her watch alot of television. Not because I do not spend time with her because we have computer time, book time, craft time and toy time. Children can learn alot from PBS programming, Noggin, and Disney. As for it causing problems at bedtime, I can completely understand how a big change could interrupt a schedule at home. My daughter happens to love the new programs, but comments on missing shows like Piggly Winks (which I LOVED), Arthur, and especially Clifford and Clifford Puppy Days. If they would bring back some of these shows without cutting the time in half, I think many people could deal with Melanie. I have to admit that I am glad I have TIVO because the first time I saw the “Craft Dance” I almost busted a gut laughing. I had to rewind it several times. I couldn’t wait to show my husband and he laughed his head off too. My daughter loves Melanie! I think the addition of the Birthday segment is great! All in all I guess I have mixed feelings but wish they would bring back some old favorites.

105. Steve on 2005-11-15 10:30:10 wrote: My 1 year old daughter loves Sprout, Melanie etc. To each his/her own

106. Shane on 2005-11-15 15:39:16 wrote: My kids were apprehensive about Sprout when it started, but they LOVE it now. They’ve really taken to Pengu, Kipper and James the Cat and they actually get to see their favorites, Thomas and Angelina, more now than they did in the past. And my local PBS station still carries Clifford, Jakers, etc, so they’re not missing out. I was pretty cynical about it at first as well, but when I saw how much they’ve taken to it, I let it go. Like Steve said “To each his/her own”

107. sam on 2005-11-15 17:52:46 wrote: I’m with Roy Oct 9th, you all need to worry about other things like learning how to spell, proof reading or perhaps the use of a computer, ever heard of a thing called spell check? I have 4 year old twins who love Sprout and would watch it all day , everyday if allowed. Not to mention what adult wouldn’t want to do 15 mintue intervals to 30 ???

108. JW on 2005-11-17 16:21:43 wrote: My God - that Melanie is about as natural as a Twinkie - about as natural as Anna-Nicole Smith’s breasts.

109. Bigdaddy on 2005-11-17 18:52:17 wrote: I can’t believe some of the rants I have read on this blog. I wish PBS still had their original shows too. But look at the Disney channel, they offer the little filler shows also and that is why Sprout started this to compete with the audience. As for the person saying it was the Bush Administration’s fault for quitting funding, read up on your facts. The Bush admin has nothing to do with this. PBS is funded by viewers, not the government, so if you don’t like it, why don’t you donate a buck or two, apparently you can afford the internet, so you can maybe afford a dollar, try giving up a candy bar or a coke that your kids want and give them something educational. I know all the programs on Sprout are not great, but with limited funding, they have to pick and choose. I’m also glad they aren’t playing all the ridiculous shows out there that are all violent. My son does not sit and watch tv all day, so he doesn’t get some of the ridiculous programs. For the daycare provider, if I was a parent and my kid was in your daycare, I would pull him out so fast your head would spin. I put my kid in a daycare so he can learn something, not learn how to watch tv, heck, my wife and I could quit work and go on welfare and give him that sort of daycare. As for the actors, I’m not impressed with them either, but they are doing the best they can in the situation they are put in. At least they sincerely act like they enjoy children. And heaven forbid, if you don’t like the programs, you have other choices, PBS still offers the original shows, I have seen them on the regular PBS channel, at least here it is UNCTV. You can change it to disney if need be, or maybe put it on Boomerang and watch a show that you might have grown up watching with your kid. And I know this might come as a shock, take your kid to the park and play with them or read a book if you hate the show so bad.

110. Maggie on 2005-11-19 08:52:02 wrote: I have two kids, age 1 and 4, and they LOVE SPROUT!!! They enjoy the short episodes, because there’s more of them during the day - we no longer have to sit through hours of pbs programming to get to the ones they enjoy - and, at the end of the day “just one more show” is only a few minutes long, instead of 30 or 60 minutes - and, if that wasn’t enough - now that my oldest has the stomach flu, she has something to relax and watch, even at 2am, that is age appropriate and that makes her happy. I too, must admit, that I LOVE SPROUT!

111. BT on 2005-11-20 09:21:31 wrote: Alright, I have been reading these from the beginning. I have 2 kids, with one on the way, that like to watch Sprout and Noggin and Disney and Tickle U AND Discovery Kids (Paz, Peep) There sure are a lot of choices out there. I have not only worked with “Melanie” for many years, but am also a friend of her beautiful family. She is one of the best mothers I know, with a great son as proof. My wife and I look to her for advice and we have been parents longer than she and her husband have! She is a natural with children, has the same positive dispostion in REAL life, and will always make the best out of any situation. Her upbeat attitude is never imitation. I guess this is mostly for JW and a few others who seem to berate her whenever they are around the computer. Go ahead, get your lala’s out, but I can assure you, the fan letters she is getting far outway your pointless comments. She does get them, parents. We have seen them. She laughs the negative off, but I cringe-maybe that’s why I am in production instead of in FRONT of the camera. No, I am not a plant or work for Sprout- for that guy who accused the Christian Grandmother. Geez, that was low. “Melanie”, like some of you have pointed out, works very hard on this show. After 13 hours a day working, I am sure she would love to change her clothes for every episode. Steve did, too! I remember the backlash HE got when his show was on. Some of you parents just need to “take a breath” FYI: JW, thanks for your nicknames-we are all calling “Melanie”, Luxurious Twinkie, and it makes her guffaw everytime!!

112. Dek on 2005-11-20 20:44:17 wrote: I guess we are lucky in California. We have both PBS kids and Sprout. I like the shorter format for my kids and the few huggies adds they have on does not bother me but the hosts Kevin or Melanie do freak me out a bit. Where is a host like Steve Burns that can talk to kids without talking down to everyone in the process.

113. JW on 2005-11-21 11:39:21 wrote: All right. So I’ve been pretty harsh with regards to ‘Melanie’ and other Sprout personalities, and I apologize for that. ‘Melanie’ definitely seems to give maximum effort, and she has a very pleasant appearance, and my daughter has actually taken a shine to her. I should have reminded myself that people like ‘Melanie’ are real people, just trying to make it in television. I’m glad to hear that she is a genuinely nice person and actual mother in real life. In any case, the network DOES need some work. There’s way to much repetition and lack of fluidity, compared with Noggin and the old PBS Kids. If I hear that Thomas is “chugga chugga perfect” one more time, I might have a stroke. And that Kevin guy is still annoying. -JW

114. teacher mommy on 2005-11-21 12:12:03 wrote: I hope none of the parents posting here are planning on home-schooling their children. First of all, some of you need to learn how to spell. Second of all, children’s programming on television is NOT EDUCATIONAL! If it was, then no one would need to go to school ever and we could all sit how and watch the “boob tube”. Television is for entertainment purposes only. I just found Sprout last night for my 3 year old son who was up all night with the stomach flu and I think it is fantastic. Last night, the girl (several posters called her Melanie) showed how to make bubble blowers out of pipe cleaners and dish soap. This morning my little guy wanted to make them. I now have a nice collection of different shapes and he wants to make more for christmas presents. I hope they keep Sprout on Direct TV, if you don’t like it watch something else. For the record, my son hasn’t had the tv on all day, he has been to busy making his pipe cleaner bubble blowers. Why don’t some of you go do something with your kids instead of letting them veg out all day.

115. Mommy of 2 on 2005-11-21 15:07:59 wrote: My 2 year old loves PBS Sprouts. I personally don’t care for James the Cat or the Pengu Penguin shows, but they weren’t created for 33 year old women. I wish the programmers would consider bringing back Clifford. This is a quality show and it is greatly missed. My daughter is now forced to watch the one Clifford show I was able to TiVo before the switch over and over again whenever she wants to see Clifford.

116. Kate on 2005-11-21 21:23:33 wrote: Wow! I too have read all these entries from the beginning, and I am just amazed at how nasty so many parents out there are! (comparing her with Anna Nicole Smith’s breast!??…honestly!) What must your children be like, the playground bullies? My twin daughters love Sprout. I think Melanie seems so sweet, we love to watch her. I actually got online to find out more about Melanie and came across all these aggressive entries about her. Yipes! It’s supposed to be ENTERTAINMENT geared towards toddlers and small children! Seriously though, if you don’t like Sprout, turn it off and go read your children a book, or better yet, maybe you can try singing and acting silly with your children instead if you don’t like Melanie!

117. Chris on 2005-11-22 06:22:36 wrote: I’m amazed there is this much energy over the issue. It’s a TV channel people. Get over it. If you child hasn’t learned to deal with a little change in their life - the it’s high time they get used to it. I have to laugh at those of you who are so heartbroken because little ‘Conner or Katelyn’ had their precious bedtime ritual broken. Did any of us grow up counting on a 2 hour block of children’s programming to give us structure? Anybody with a child over 3 knows the PBS structure changed regularly anyway. Barney and Noddy changed to Dragon Tales and Jay Jay and kids around the country adjusted. Like any other change, there is some good and some bad parts. Some of the added shows are better. Some of the ones that left will be missed. But at the end of the day, it’s just a TV channel. Get over it. In many ways children are a LOT more resiliant than adults. Give them a few weeks and they’ll either accept it or move on and forget about it.

118. Mark B on 2005-11-22 14:02:43 wrote: Did you see all the typos from these people? I don’t think sprout is the problem. If these people are raising the next generation of scholars, then we are in for some big trouble. I say Melanie is good and pure and gives kind smiles to our kids. Somebody ought to ground Caillou before he throws another tantrum and teaches our kids that crying is ok when you don’t get your way. His parents are very sweet but they need to “have a talk with that boy”…. We are for Sprout … Love Mel … Don’t love Caillou and unhappy with type a’s making typo’s…

119. irma on 2005-11-24 15:53:33 wrote: I agree with you all. Some of the cartoons scare my 18 month old. Melanie needs to tone it down as a credentialed teacher the shows are nothing but trash.

120. irma on 2005-11-24 15:54:40 wrote: Barney and Thomas

121. CindyRen on 2005-11-25 14:09:21 wrote: As a credentialed teacher to the other credentialed teacher, you are not making much sense.

122. gary on 2005-11-25 17:55:36 wrote: you liberals are so damn predictable.a private company tries to make money and you complain that the bush admin. is cutting funding.a company doing something new, what a concept. public schools are next.don"comit suicide yet you can do thatin the next election when you lose again

123. G on 2005-11-26 10:37:58 wrote: If you don’t like Sprout, don’t watch it. It’s a free country, you can turn off the TV if you like. Try doing something more engaging with your children, like reading a book to them.

124. Karen on 2005-11-26 19:54:58 wrote: If you don’t like the show or the programming, pick up the remote and shut it off. While you are at it, pick a book up and READ it to your child. Here’s a clue that you don’t read enough: you can’t spell in your blogs. So pick up the dictionary too. Let’s remember folks that the channel is geared towards children, not adults, and as far as the15 minute show format: use a stopwatch and see how short a childs attention span really is. With all the problems that our children are facing and will be facing as they grow up, parents are actually upset about Pingu and JayJay. Be outraged about something more important in your life and your child’s life than a TV station. And we wring our hands and wonder what is wrong with this world. Look no further than your own mirror.

125. C on 2005-11-26 20:57:53 wrote: I love Sprout. My 18 month old digs enough of it, his attention span is about that long, and it’s easy to shut off after being on for a short time as opposed to having to sit through a whole 1/2 hour or 1 hour show. I personally don’t like Calliou or James the Cat, but IT’S A CHANNEL FOR PRE K AGED KIDS. duh Melanie is no Steve, but who will ever be? Steve is a LEGEND of kids TV. :) Melanie is getting paid to do a job. shrug No skin off my back.

126. C on 2005-11-26 21:00:46 wrote: p.s. People, lets get some perspective. It’s a PBS channel with no pledge drives, no commercials, and no questionable programming. It’s pretty much the ONLY channel on TV I can let mykids watch any time of day. That alone is a gift.

127. 39 Year Old Dad on 2005-11-27 22:57:29 wrote: My 18 month-old son loves Melanie. One question: Doesn’t she ever change clothes?

128. Toni on 2005-11-28 02:23:48 wrote: # Doug Says: “You folks are unbelievable. First of all, most of you need to get some remedial grammer and spelling lessons. Secondly, I would not leave my kids (who love the new Sprout) with �Jamie�, the daycare worker who evidently parks her 20 kids in front of the television instead of doing projects or preparing them for school. To the geniuses that include �Holy Crap� and �POS� in their blogging vocabulary, Sprout programming is probably dwarfing the bad �programming� you do to your kids on a daily basis�I hope you speak to them with a little more forethought. Lastly, you�re all whining about the shows going from 30 minutes each to 15-10-5 minutes�.think about it�.how long were the shows when you were kids? If memory serves me correct, almost all cartoons were 8 minutes long�yes�. 8 minutes. If you guys think it�s that bad (or scary), drop the channel, watch something else, or turn your television off and read your kids a book. I think the variety of Sprout is good�. it gives kids a wider variety of shows in the same amount of time. Some of the projects they do are kind of cool too and teach some good motor skills. I guess different kids like different things and there�s no way to please everyone� particularly their parents. Signed, a PBS Kids and Sprout fan.” I totally agree. I couldn’t have said It better myself. Besides, I think kevin is hot!! I wish I knew him. I love the shows that are shown or sprout and even though a few shows may be missing It’s fun to just lounge around the house and be able to find some clean tv shows on. I am a cartoon fanatic, most of the time It doesn’t matter to me what kind. Tom and jerry, flintstones I watch them all so this network is like a slice of peace.

129. JW on 2005-11-28 11:10:58 wrote: My statements have nothing to do with politics, and I do reserve the right to turn my TV off at any time. However, when something that was basically fine gets replaced by something somewhat more annoying, I reserve the right to say so. > Besides, I think kevin is hot!! Kevin is definitely NOT hot. He’s a tool… > One question: Doesn�t she ever change clothes? Good question! I actually think that Anna Nicole Smith’s breasts are a pretty good example of something not very natural - a paradigm case, in fact. I defy you all to find a better example. But, like I said, I apologize for my earlier harshness regarding Melanie - I overstated her resemblance to Anna Nicole Smith’s breasts. She is actually quite endearing. My kids have taken quite a shine to her…

130. Toni on 2005-11-28 13:56:57 wrote: Opinions are to each his own, right? I wish there was some way that everyone could be happy but there is no such thing as an easy way out.

131. Toni on 2005-11-28 13:59:39 wrote: I’m not a parent though, I just thought I would stress that so no one would feel that way. I am just a teenager and I enjoy the channel myself. I admit some of the cartoons are lame yes and melanie is a bit annoying but I know kids love that kind of thing so more poer to them. At least she knows what she is doing.

132. Andrea on 2005-11-29 13:43:40 wrote: I too think Melanie is far more annoying than one very obnoxious purple dinasour we all know and love. First of all, she can lose the awful plastic smile that is constantly glued to her face. When my six year old told me she didn’t have to change her clothes because Melanie doesn’t I knew there was an issue. I was perfectly happy and so was my daughter with PBS kids before…..who was the idiot that asked for this change?? I have written to Directv and Comcast about Sprout. I know I am only one voice but I do hope they will lose the sprout and go back to the good stuff!!!

133. teacher mommy on 2005-11-30 14:20:17 wrote: I came back on this web blog looking for information about Noddy. My son wants to know why the clown only has one leg. I am assuming that Noddy lives with broken toys? If someone of at least average intelligence can answer my question, I would greatly appreciate it. The trashing of Melanie is proving how imbecile some parents truly are. Didn’t any of you ever make your own kids smile and laugh by wearing a big fake smile and wide eyes and act like a dork? That is all she is doing. As far as her clothing “problems”…. she taped all the fillers in one day. I’m sure this isn’t her full-time job. Do some of you really think she is in a studio every night waiting for the program breaks? Some of you really need to turn off the t.v. and get out a little more.

134. Scott on 2005-11-30 15:03:13 wrote: Sprout’s been on for several months now and my 2 1/2 year old Daughter is still having trouble adjusting. For one thing, I think she knows good quality from bad. For instance, Big Sister, Little Brother, James the Cat, Angelina, Kipper, etc…, and others are very old shows. And they are not old classics like Tomas or Peanuts. They have inferior story lines and terrible sound and graphics. Is PBS out of money? But that is not my biggest complaint. What really gets me upset is that, for the most part, these regurgitated shows are sometimes inappropriate. Angelina is all about spiteful mice that compete and undercut each other�s achievements, and the hero of the show spends all of her time doubting herself and worrying. Then there is James the Cat. A short annoying show that is full of terrible social and cultural stereotypes. You’ve got the fat rich aristocrat James, his dumb bruising American bunny friend with a thick NY accident, a bizarre indo-Chinese dragon, an always merry Australian accented kangaroo, an actual French frog, and some dirt poor cockney mouse neighbors. I could go on about other shows but these two make my point (my wife even told be that she saw Kipper smoking a pipe on one episode, but I haven’t confirmed that). These do not incorporate the important gains that have been made in early child development over the past 20 years and quite frankly I do not want my 2 yr old watching anything that is not optimistic and uplifting. She’ll have the rest of her life to learn negative stereotypes and self-doubt. We made the decision last week to take Sprout off of our profile on the television and I encourage everyone else to as well. P.S. don�t get me started on Melanie. Really makes me want to watch �Death to Smootchie� again.

135. JW on 2005-11-30 15:21:40 wrote: Sounds like YOU’RE the one who needs to get out a little more, there, teacher mommy… On occasion, I may have made my own kids smile and laugh by wearing a big fake smile and wide eyes and act like a dork, but it gets old if that’s all you do. It also makes people suspect that you’re on amphetamine…

136. Liz on 2005-12-01 06:57:34 wrote: MY kids love it! I think its fabulus!

137. parentoftheyear on 2005-12-04 11:43:57 wrote: I’m actually starting to get a bit turned on by Melanie. She’s probably a dirty dirty girl after having to be so bubbly and phony for the show

138. Cindy4good on 2005-12-07 18:58:35 wrote: How did the hire the guy? Wanted: Asian male. Blandly ethnic a must. Ambiguous sexual orientation preferred.