{{infobox broadcast | call letters

WNET| station_logo File:WNET 2009 Logo.png| station_slogan | station_branding Thirteen/WNET| digital 13 (VHF)Virtual: 13 (PSIP)| subchannels 13.1 WNET/PBS 13.2 Kids13.3 V-me| affiliations PBS| founded | airdate May 15, 1948| location Newark, New Jersey-New York, New York| callsign_meaning National Educational Television(forerunner of PBS)Western New York Educational Television| former_callsigns WATV (1948-1958)WNTA-TV (1958-1962)WNDT (1962-1970)| owner WNET.ORG| slogan A More Exiting Place to Live former_affiliations Independent (1948-1962)NET (1962-1970)| former_channel_numbers Analog:13 (VHF, 1948-2009)Digital:61 (UHF, 1998-2009)| effective_radiated_power 9.3 kW| HAAT 405 m| sister_stations WLIW, NJTV| facility_id 18795| coordinates | homepage www.thirteen.org/|}}

WNET, channel 13 (also referred to as Thirteen) is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming. WNET's main studios and offices are located in Midtown Manhattan with an auxiliary street-level studio in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side. The station's transmitter is on the Empire State Building.

The license-holder is WNET.ORG, formerly known as the Educational Broadcasting Corporation. WNET.ORG is also the parent of Long Island-based PBS station WLIW (channel 21). The current president and Chief Executive Officer of the two stations is Neal Shapiro, the former president of NBC News. WNET is the most watched PBS station in the country; its sister station WLIW is the third most watched.

History

Independent station

WNET commenced broadcasting on May 15, 1948 as WATV, a commercial television station owned by Atlantic Television, a subsidiary of Bremer Broadcasting Corporation. Bremer also owned two northern New Jersey radio stations, WAAT (970 AM, now WNYM) and WAAT-FM (94.7 MHz., now WFME). The three stations were based in the Mosque Theatre on Broad Street in Newark. WATV was the first of three new stations in the New York area market to start up during 1948, and was also the first independent station. One unusual daytime program, ''Daywatch,'' consisted of a camera focused on a teletypewriter printing wire service news stories, interspersed with cut-aways to mechanical toys against a light music soundtrack.

On October 6, 1957, Bremer Broadcasting announced it had sold its stations for $4.5 million to National Telefilm Associates, an early distributor of motion pictures for television. On May 7, 1958, channel 13's callsign was changed to WNTA-TV to reflect the new ownership; the radio stations adopted these call letters as well. NTA's cash resources enabled WNTA-TV to produce a schedule of programming with greater emphasis on the people and events of New Jersey, in comparison to the other commercial television stations. NTA also sought to make channel 13 a center of nationally syndicated programming and produced several such entries, notably the anthology drama series ''Play of the Week''; the talk show ''Open End'', hosted by David Susskind; children's show ''The Magic Clown''; and a popular dance program emceed by Clay Cole. But WNTA-TV continued to lag behind New York's other independent stations -- WNEW-TV (now WNYW), WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV), and WPIX -- in terms of audience size, and NTA incurred a large debtload. National Telefilm Associates put the WNTA stations up for sale in February 1961.

Transition

At least three prospective purchasers expressed interest in WNTA-TV. The most prominent was the New York City-based group Educational Television for the Metropolitan Area (ETMA). Composed of local businesspeople, cultural leaders, and educators, ETMA was focused on creating an educational television outlet for New York, and believed that the non-commercial frequency the Federal Communications Commission allocated to the city, UHF channel 25, would not be nearly adequate enough to cover a market that had grown to include large swaths of northern New Jersey and southwestern Connecticut, as well as southern New York state and Long Island. Prior to 1964, most viewers could not view UHF stations except with an expensive converter, and even with one the picture quality left much to be desired. Only a few manufacturers made sets with built-in UHF tuning. With assistance from the New York State Board of Regents and New Jersey officials, ETMA had attempted to purchase channel 13 and convert it to a non-commercial station in 1957, when Bremer Broadcasting first put the station on the block; this bid was later withdrawn. This time, ETMA was competing with Ely Landau, founding president of National Telefilm Associates, who had resigned from the company in order to head his own venture for this; and by David Susskind, who received financial backing from Paramount Pictures.

ETMA's initial bid of $4 million was rejected by NTA, but the citizens' group remained persistent. With the support and guidance of National Educational Television already in their pocket, ETMA later received an endorsement from newly appointed FCC Chairman Newton Minow, who established public hearings to discuss the fate of channel 13. The pendulum quickly shifted in favor of channel 13 going non-commercial, and the private firms withdrew their interest.

On June 29, 1961, ETMA agreed to purchase WNTA-TV for $6.2 million, and the FCC converted channel 13's commercial license to non-commercial. About $2 million of that amount came from the five of the six remaining commercial VHF stations (WPIX was the lone holdout), all of whom were pleased to see a commercial competitor eliminated by the conversion of channel 13 to public broadcasting. In addition, CBS donated a facility in Manhattan to ETMA and NET for production uses.

[[Image:WNET Edward R. Murrow 1962.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Tonight, you join me in being present at the birth of a great adventure." - Edward R. Murrow, on the first broadcast of WNDT on September 16, 1962.]]

Outgoing New Jersey governor Robert B. Meyner, addressing state lawmakers' concerns over continued programming specific to New Jersey, and fearing the FCC would move the channel 13 allocation to New York City, petitioned the United States Court of Appeals on September 6, 1961, to block the sale of WNTA-TV. The court ruled in the state's favor two months later.

The unsettled deal almost caused National Telefilm Associates to reconsider its decision to sell the station altogether, and NTA made plans to go forward: WNTA-TV made a play to acquire broadcast rights for the New York Mets baseball team for its inaugural 1962 season. But faced with either consummating the transaction or seeing it cancelled, ETMA settled their differences with New Jersey officials on December 4, 1961. Almost simultaneously, the state withdrew its block petition, and the FCC gave final approval of the transfer of channel 13. After a few last-minute issues arose to cause further delays, the transfer became final on December 22. Later that evening, WNTA-TV signed off for the final time. ETMA and NET then went to work converting the station, which they said would return with its new format within three months.

Ten months later, channel 13 was ready to be reborn. With legendary reporter Edward R. Murrow at the helm on the maiden broadcast, ETMA -- now the non-profit Educational Broadcasting Corporation -- flipped the switch to WNDT (for "New Dimensions in Television") on September 16, 1962. () (The rebirth of channel 13 was not without difficulty, however - after the inaugural broadcast, WNDT would go dark for two weeks, due to a dispute with union technicians.) The rebirth of channel 13 as WNDT gave the New York City market its first educational station, and with a dial position on the coveted VHF band. (In many other cities, including large ones, educational stations had to make do with UHF frequencies.) New York's non-commercial UHF channel, on the other hand, wouldn't make it to the air for another five years, when WNYE-TV signed on in 1967.

Educational station

During the transition, and after the inaugural broadcast, WNDT faced an immediate crisis. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists was concerned about the use of teachers—some of whom were AFTRA-certified performers—on non-commercial television, and how they would be compensated should their work be distributed nationally.

AFTRA called a strike the morning of WNDT's debut. Engineers and technicians who were members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers refused to cross the AFTRA picket line, leaving the station's management and other non-union employees to produce the three-hour inaugural broadcast. Immediately afterwards, channel 13 went off the air again, as the strike continued for nearly two weeks. The striking workers returned WNDT to the air after ten days, and on September 28 the labor dispute was settled. But the station's financial resources were drained, requiring an infusion of cash from NET to help keep the station running.

NET originally wanted to merge its operations with WNDT, which would have given WNDT a direct line of funding as well as make channel 13 NET's flagship station. However, the Ford Foundation, which supported both groups, stopped the proposed mergers on at least two different occasions (in 1962, and again in 1965).

Events that began in 1967 led the Ford Foundation to change its stance and push for a WNDT-NET merger. The newly formed Corporation for Public Broadcasting (created by an act of the United States Congress) initially supported NET's network role, while providing government funding for programming. But that move was followed two years later with the establishment of the Public Broadcasting Service as the CPB's own distribution system—a direct threat to NET's turf. It has been intimated that CPB's creation was an attempt to curb NET's production of controversial documentaries and replace it with a less controversial, government-friendly broadcaster, less hostile in particular to the Johnson, and later the Nixon administrations. (NET, ignoring the demand, refused point-blank to stop the production of the critically acclaimed documentaries.) At one point, President Nixon, frustrated with NET's documentaries criticizing his administration, especially its handling of the Vietnam War, almost managed to cut NET's $20 million funding grant in half. This led to both Ford and the CPB to threaten NET with funding withdrawal, unless it merged with the station. Not long after, Ford brokered the merger of WNDT and NET, which took effect on June 29, 1970. Channel 13's callsign was changed to the present WNET on October 5, 1970. NET ceased network operations, though WNET continued to produce some shows for the national PBS schedule with the NET branding until about 1972.

Channel 13's studios and offices were originally located in the Mosque Theater at 1020 Broad Street in Newark, with transmitter on First Mountain in West Orange, New Jersey. For a short time studios were located at the Gateway Center office building in Newark. The station eventually moved its operations to Manhattan in 1982 and was based on West 58th Street in the Hudson Hotel, while retaining the Gateway Center studios for a few more years. In 1998 it moved to 450 West 33rd Street straddling the railroad tracks going into Pennsylvania Station. The ''Associated Press'' and numerous other media groups have headquarters in the same building.

Channel 13's transmitter facilities, including a newly installed digital transmission system, were destroyed on September 11, 2001, when airplanes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center towers. Gerald (Rod) Coppola, channel 13's head transmitter engineer, was among those who perished when the north tower collapsed. For the next ten months WNYE-TV, headquartered in Brooklyn, became WNET's surrogate transmitter and airwave: for those without cable, repeats of WNET prime-time schedules were screened on WNYE. Some time earlier, in February 2003, WNET completed its merger with Long Island PBS broadcaster WLIW (licensed to Garden City and based in Plainview), combining the two stations into one operation. While most of the two stations' operations have been merged, they still have separate studio facilities, separate governing boards, and conduct separate fundraising efforts.

During 2009, WNET's parent company, now known as WNET.org, had sustained financial difficulties -- in January, the company pared its workforce from 500 employees to 415, due to severe problems with its budget and fundraising. In October, WNET announced that its studios at 450 West 33rd Street would soon be up for sale, as it no longer needed the extra space. In November, WNET announced that all WNET.org employees would take an unpaid furlough for three to five days between Christmas and New Year's Day, with a skeleton crew of engineers remaining during that time to keep the stations on the air; however, they, too, would have to go on furloughs at the start of 2010.

On July 1, 2011, WNET will be taking over the programming of the New Jersey Network, which will be renamed "NJTV". The network will feature increased coverage of news and issues pertinent to New Jersey, as well as programming from the WNET and PBS libraries. The transfer of programming to WNET is part of Governor Chris Christie's plan for New Jersey's exit from public broadcasting. As part of the deal, WNET airs NJTV's nightly statewide newscast, ''NJToday'', to meet its local programming obligations since it still operates on a frequency allocated to Newark. Previously, it had aired NJN's newscast, ''NJN News'', which it co-produced with NJN.

Digital television

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

1080i KIDS V-ME

Digital channels
Channel	! Name	Video resolution>Video	Aspect ratio>Aspect	! Programming
13.1	WNET-DT	|	16:9	Main WNET Programming / PBS HD
13.2	|	480i	4:3	PBS Kids>Kids Thirteen
13.3	|	480i	4:3	V-me

Analog-to-Digital Conversion

WNET discontinued regular analog programming at 12:30 PM on June 12, 2009. The station then returned to channel 13.

Original productions

WNET has produced, created and/or presented a number of PBS shows. This includes, but is not limited to:

''AFRICA'' (2001) PBS

''The Africa American Journey'' (2002-2005) PBS NPR

''Aging Out'' (2005) Public Policy Productions PBS

''Amato: A Love Affair with Opera'' (2001) PBS

''[[American Masters'' (1983-present) PBS Eagle Rock Entertainment

''The American President'' (2000) PBS

''Angelina Ballerina'' (originally presented by Connecticut Public Television, with HIT Entertainment)

''Australia: Beyond the Fatal Shore'' (2000) PBS

''Bill Moyers Reports: Earth On Edge'' (2001) PBS

''Center of the Storm'' (2002) David Grubin PBS

''Changing Stages'' (2001) PBS

''Colonial House'' (2004) PBS

''Cucina Amore'' (1999-2002) West 175 Productions PBS

''Cyberchase'' (2002-2010) Nelvana PBS

''Dickens'' (2003) PBS

''DNA'' (2003) PBS

''Echoes From the White House'' (2001) PBS

''EGG, the Arts Show'' (2000-2003) PBS

''Extreme Oil'' (2004) PBS

''Freedom: A History of US'' (2003) Kunhardt Productions PBS

''Frontier House'' (2002) PBS

''Great Food'' (2001) West 175 Productions PBS

''Great Performances'' (1972-present) PBS

''Heroes of Ground Zero'' (2002) PBS

''Innovation: Life, Inspired'' (2004) PBS

''In Search of Ancient Ireland'' (2002) PBS

''Justice and the Generals'' (2002) Gail Pellett Productions Inc. First Run/Icarus Films PBS

''Live from Lincoln Center'' (1976-present PBS) Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

''Lord of the Universe''

''Local News'' (2001) Lumiere Productions Inc. PBS

''MASTERCHEF'' (1999-2001) West 175 Productions PBS

''The Mind''

''Monarchy''

''Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home'' (1998) Public Affairs Television PBS

''Nature'' (1982-present PBS)

''New York: A Documentary Film'' (1999-2003) by Ric Burns (a co-production of ''American Experience'' with WGBH-TV) PBS

''NOW'

''On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying'' (2000) PBS

''Our Genes Our Choices'' (2003) PBS

''Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood'' (2002) PBS

''Religion and Ethics Newsweekly'' (1997-present PBS)

''Reel New York''

''The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow'' (2002) Quest Productions Videoline Inc. PBS

''Savage Earth'' (1998) PBS

''Savage Seas'' (1999) Granada Television PBS

''The Secret Life of the Brain'' (2002) David Grubin PBS

''Secrets of the Dead'' (2000-present PBS)

''Shining Time Station'' (1989-1993) PBS

''Simon Schama's Power of Art''

''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (2003) PBS

''Slavery and the Making of America'' (2004) PBS

''Sound and Fury'' (2000) PBS

''Srebrenica: A Cry from the Grave'' (1999) Antelope Productions Ryninks Films PBS

''Stage on Screen'' (2001) PBS

''The Story of English''

''Tavis Smiley'' (2004-present PBS)

''Taxi Dreams'' (2001) PBS

''That Money Show'' (2000-2001) PBS

''Thomas and Friends'' (Originally produced by Connecticut Public Television, with HIT Entertainment)

''Thomas Hampson: I Hear America Singing'' (1997) PBS

The ''A Walk Through...'' series of historical walking tours of New York City: ''A Walk Through Central Park'', ''A Walk Through Greenwich Village'', ''A Walk Through the Bronx'', ''A Walk Through Brooklyn'', ''A Walk Through Queens'', and ''A Walk Through Staten Island''

''Warrior Challenge'' (2003) PBS

''WARSHIP (TV series)|WARSHIP'' (2001) PBS

''Who Cares: Chronic Illness in America'' (2001) PBS Fred Friendly Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

''Who's Dancin' Now?'' (2001) PBS

''Worldfocus'' A program that Looks At International News Hosted By Martin Savidge and Daljit Dhaliwal

''Wide Angle'' (2002-Present PBS)

''Wild TV'' (2002) PBS

''Verna: U.S.O. Girl''

WNET has also produced programming for public televisions stations distributed outside of the PBS system, including:

''Planet H2O''

''In the Mix: The New Normal'', a co-production with ''In the Mix''

''What's Up in Factories''

''What's Up in Technology''

''What's Up in Finance''

WNET is also the co-producing entity of ''PBS NewsHour'', along with Washington, D.C. PBS station WETA-TV and MacNeil-Lehrer Productions. The show started in 1975 as a local news-analysis program, ''The Robert MacNeil Report''. Jim Lehrer, a frequent guest on MacNeil's show, became co-host the following year, when the show was picked up by the other PBS outlets.

See also

Media of New York City

Notes

External links

WNET Website

Public Broadcasting Service

WNET logos and screenshots from 1950s to the present day

Category:Newark, New Jersey Category:Television stations in New York City Category:Television stations in New Jersey Category:Television stations in New York Category:PBS member stations Category:Channel 13 digital TV stations in the United States Category:Channel 13 virtual TV stations in the United States Category:Television channels and stations established in 1948 Category:DuPont-Columbia Award recipients Category:ATSC-M/H stations

fr:WNET pl:WNET pt:WNET

name	Fred Rogers
birth name	Fred McFeely Rogers
birth date	March 20, 1928
birth place	Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S.
death date	February 27, 2003
death place	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
death cause	Stomach cancer
religion	Presbyterian Church(ordained in 1963)
other names	Mister RogersMr. Rogers
spouse	Sara Joanne Byrd (1952–2003)
occupation	Educator, minister, songwriter, television host
years active	1951–2002 }}

Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, and television host. Rogers was most famous for creating and hosting ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (1968–2001), that featured his gentle, soft-spoken personality and directness to his audiences.

Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children and made an effort to change this when he began to write for and perform on local Pittsburgh area shows dedicated to youth. The Public Broadcasting System developed his own nationally aired show in 1968 and over the course of three decades on television, he became an indelible American icon of children's entertainment and education, as well as a symbol of compassion, patience, and morality. He was also known for his advocacy of various public causes. He testified to the U.S. Supreme Court on time shifting; and he gave a now-famous speech before the U.S. Senate, advocating government funding for children's television.

Rogers was honored extensively for his life work in children's education. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, a Peabody Award for his career, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Two resolutions recognizing his work were unanimously passed by U.S. Congress, one of his trademark sweaters was acquired and is on display at the Smithsonian Institution, and several buildings and works of art in Pennsylvania are dedicated to his memory.

Personal life

Fred McFeely Rogers was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Pittsburgh, to James and Nancy Rogers; he had one sister, Elaine Rogers Crozier. Early in his life, he spent much of his free time with his maternal grandfather, Fred McFeely, who would later move to Florida, and had an interest in music. He would often sing along as his mother would play the piano and, at age five, began to play the piano as well.

Rogers graduated from Latrobe High School (1946). He studied at Dartmouth College (1946–48) in Hanover, New Hampshire, and transferred to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition (1951).

At Rollins, Rogers met Sara Joanne Byrd, an Oakland, Florida, native; and they married on June 9, 1952. They had two sons, James (b. 1959) and John (b. 1961), and three grandsons, the third (Ian McFeely Rogers) born twelve days after Rogers' death. In 1963, Rogers graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and was ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church. During the course of his career, he garnered forty honorary degrees. Rogers was red-green color blind, swam every morning, was a vegetarian, and neither smoked nor drank.

Rogers had an apartment in New York City and a summer home on Nantucket island in Massachusetts.

Television career

Early work

Fred Rogers had a life-changing moment when he first saw television in his parents' home. He entered seminary after college; but, after his first experience as a viewer, he wanted to explore the potential of the medium. In an interview with CNN in his later years, Rogers stated, "I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen."

He thus applied for a job at NBC in New York City in 1951 and was hired because of his Music degree. Rogers spent three years working on the production staffs for such music-centered programming as ''NBC Opera Theater''. He also worked on Gabby Hayes' show for children. Ultimately, Rogers decided that commercial television's reliance on advertisement and merchandising undermined its ability to educate or enrich young audiences, so he quit NBC.

In 1954, he began working at WQED, a Pittsburgh public television station, as a puppeteer on a local children's show ''The Children's Corner''. For the next seven years, he worked with host Josie Carey in unscripted live TV, developing many of the puppets, characters, and music used in his later work, such as King Friday XIII, and Curious X the Owl.

Rogers began wearing his famous sneakers when he found them to be quieter than his work shoes as he moved about behind the set. He was also the voices of King Friday XIII and Queen Sara Saturday (named after his wife), rulers of the neighborhood, as well as X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, Daniel Striped Tiger, Lady Elaine Fairchild, and Larry Horse. The show won a Sylvania Award for best children's show, and was briefly broadcast nationally on NBC.

During these eight years, he would leave the WQED studios during his lunch breaks to study theology at the nearby Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Rogers, however, was not interested in preaching; and, after his ordination, he was specifically charged to continue his work with Children's Television. He had also done work at the University of Pittsburgh's program in Child Development and Child Care.

In 1963, Rogers moved to Toronto, where he was contracted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to develop a 15-minute children's television program: ''Misterogers'', which would be his debut in front of the camera. The show was a hit with children but lasted for only three seasons. Many of his famous set pieces—Trolley, Eiffel Tower, the 'tree', and 'castle'—were created by CBC designers. While in Canada, Rogers brought his friend and understudy Ernie Coombs, who would go on to create ''Mr. Dressup'', a very successful and long-running children's show in Canada, and similar in many ways to ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. ''Mr. Dressup'' also used some of the songs that would be featured on Rogers' later program.

In 1966, Rogers acquired the rights to his program from the CBC and moved the show to WQED in Pittsburgh, where he had worked on ''The Children's Corner''. He developed the new show for the Eastern Educational Network. Stations that carried the program were limited but did include educational stations in Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

After returning to Pittsburgh, Rogers attended and participated in activities at the Sixth Presbyterian church in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, a More Light congregation which he attended until his death.

Distribution of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' began on February 19, 1968. The following year, the show moved to PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). In 1971, Rogers formed Family Communications, Inc. (FCI), and the company established offices in the WQED building in Pittsburgh. Initially, the company served solely as the production arm of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', but now develops and produces an array of children's programming and educational materials.

''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''

''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' began airing in 1968 and ran for 895 episodes; the last set of new episodes was taped in December 2000 and began airing in August 2001. At its peak, in 1985, 8% of U.S households tuned in to the show.

Each episode began the same way: Mister Rogers is seen coming home, singing his theme song "Won't You Be My Neighbor?", and changing into sneakers and a zippered cardigan sweater.

In a typical episode, Rogers might have an earnest conversation with his television audience, interact with live guests, take a field trip to such places as a bakery or a music store, or watch a short film.

Typical video subjects included demonstrations of how such inanimate objects as bulldozers and crayons work or are manufactured.

Each episode included a trip to Rogers' "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" featuring a trolley with its own chiming theme song, a castle, and the kingdom's citizens, including King Friday XIII. The subjects discussed in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe often allowed further development of themes discussed in Mister Rogers' "real" neighborhood.

Mister Rogers often fed his fish during episodes. They were originally named Fennel and Frieda.

Typically, each week's episode explored a major theme, such as going to school for the first time.

Originally, most episodes ended with a song entitled "Tomorrow", and Friday episodes looked forward to the week ahead with an adapted version of "It's Such a Good Feeling." In later seasons, all episodes ended with "Feeling."

Visually, the presentation of the show was very simple, and it did not feature the animation or fast pace of other children's shows, which Rogers thought of as "bombardment". Rogers also believed in not acting out a different persona on camera compared to how he acted off camera, stating that "One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self. I also believe that kids can spot a phony a mile away." Rogers composed almost all of the music on the program. He wanted to teach children to love themselves and others, and he addressed common childhood fears with comforting songs and skits. For example, one of his famous songs explains how a child cannot be pulled down the bathtub drain because he or she will not fit. He even once took a trip to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to show children that a hospital is not a place to fear. During the Gulf War (1990–91), he assured his audience that all children in the neighborhood would be well cared for and asked parents to promise to take care of their own children. The message was aired again by PBS during the media storm that preceded the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Other television work

In 1994, Rogers created another one-time special for PBS called ''Fred Rogers' Heroes'' which consisted of documentary portraits of four real-life people whose work helped make their communities better. Rogers, uncharacteristically dressed in a suit and tie, hosted in wraparound segments which did not use the "Neighborhood" set.

For a time Rogers produced specials for parents as a precursor to the subject of the week on the Neighborhood called "Mister Rogers Talks To Parents About ''[topic]''". Rogers didn't host those specials though as other people like Joan Lunden, who hosted the Conflict special, and other news announcers played MC duties in front of a gallery of parents while Rogers answered questions from them. These specials were made to prep the parents for any questions the children might ask after watching the episodes on that topic of the week.

The only time Rogers appeared on television as someone other than himself was in 1996, when he played a preacher on one episode of ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.''

In the mid-1980s, the Burger King fast-food chain lampooned Rogers' image with an actor called "Mr. Rodney", imitating Rogers' television character. Rogers found the character's pitching fast food as confusing to children, and called a press conference in which he stated that he did not endorse the company's use of his character or likeness (Rogers did no commercial endorsements of any kind throughout his career, though he acted as a pitchman for several non-profit organizations dedicated to learning over the years). The chain publicly apologized for the ''faux pas'', and pulled the ads. By contrast, Fred Rogers found Eddie Murphy's parody of his show on ''Saturday Night Live'', "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," amusing and affectionate, which was also initially broadcast at a time of night when his own child audience was not likely to see it.

Emmys for programming

''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' won four Emmy awards, and Rogers received one for lifetime achievement.

During the 1997 Daytime Emmys, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Rogers. The following is an excerpt from ''Esquire's'' coverage of the gala, written by Tom Junod:

Advocacy

PBS funding

In 1969, Rogers appeared before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications. His goal was to support funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in response to significant proposed cuts. In about six minutes of testimony, Rogers spoke of the need for social and emotional education that public television provided. He passionately argued that alternative television programming like his ''Neighborhood'' helped encourage children to become happy and productive citizens, sometimes opposing less positive messages in media and in popular culture. He even recited the lyrics to one of his songs.

The chairman of the subcommittee, John O. Pastore, was not previously familiar with Rogers' work, and was sometimes described as impatient. However, he reported that the testimony had given him goosebumps, and declared, "I think it's wonderful. Looks like you just earned the $20 million." The subsequent congressional appropriation, for 1971, increased PBS funding from $9 million to $22 million.

VCR

During the controversy surrounding the introduction of the household VCR, Rogers was involved in supporting the manufacturers of VCRs in court. His 1979 testimony in the case ''Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.'' noted that he did not object to home recording of his television programs, for instance, by families in order to watch together at a later time. This testimony contrasted with the views of others in the television industry who objected to home recording or believed that devices to facilitate it should be taxed or regulated.

The Supreme Court considered the testimony of Rogers in its decision that held that the Betamax video recorder did not infringe copyright. The Court stated that his views were a notable piece of evidence "that many [television] producers are willing to allow private time-shifting to continue" and even quoted his testimony in a footnote:

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Death, awards, and memorials

Rogers was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2002, not long after his retirement. He underwent surgery on January 6, 2003, which was unsuccessful. A week earlier, he served as grand marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade, with Art Linkletter and Bill Cosby.

Rogers died on February 27, 2003 at his home with his wife by his side, less than a month before he would have turned 75. His death was such a significant event in Pittsburgh that the front page of the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' published the next day devoted its coverage to him. The Reverend William P. Barker presided over a public memorial in Pittsburgh. More than 2,700 people attended the memorial at Heinz Hall, including former ''Good Morning America'' host David Hartman, Teresa Heinz Kerry, philanthropist Elsie Hillman, PBS President Pat Mitchell, ''Arthur'' creator Marc Brown, and ''The Very Hungry Caterpillar'' author-illustrator Eric Carle. Speakers remembered Rogers' love of children, devotion to his religion, enthusiasm for music, and quirks. Teresa Heinz Kerry said of Rogers, "He never condescended, just invited us into his conversation. He spoke to us as the people we were, not as the people others wished we were." Rogers is interred at Unity Cemetery in Latrobe.

On New Years Day of 2004, Michael Keaton hosted the PBS TV special "Mr. Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor". It was released on DVD September 28 that year. Keaton was a former stagehand on the show before he quit to become an actor. To mark what would have been his 80th birthday, Rogers' production company sponsored several events to memorialize him, including "Won't You Wear a Sweater Day", during which fans and neighbors were asked to wear their favorite sweaters in celebration.

The television industry honored Rogers with a George Foster Peabody Award "in recognition of 25 years of beautiful days in the neighborhood" in 1987, the same year he was initiated as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, the national fraternity for men of music. Rogers was a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999. One of Rogers' iconic sweaters was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, which displays it as a "Treasure of American History". In 2002 Rogers received the PNC Commonwealth Award in Mass Communications.

He was furthermore awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002, for his contributions to children's education, justified by President George W. Bush, who said, "Fred Rogers has proven that television can soothe the soul and nurture the spirit and teach the very young". A year later, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Resolution 16 to commemorate the life of Fred Rogers. It read, in part, "Through his spirituality and placid nature, Mr. Rogers was able to reach out to our nation's children and encourage each of them to understand the important role they play in their communities and as part of their families. More importantly, he did not shy away from dealing with difficult issues of death and divorce but rather encouraged children to express their emotions in a healthy, constructive manner, often providing a simple answer to life's hardships."

Following Rogers' death, the U.S. House of Representatives in 2003 unanimously passed Resolution 111 honoring Rogers for "his legendary service to the improvement of the lives of children, his steadfast commitment to demonstrating the power of compassion, and his dedication to spreading kindness through example."

The same year the U.S. Presbyterian Church approved an overture "to observe a memorial time for the Reverend Fred M. Rogers" at its General Assembly. The rationale for the recognition of Rogers reads, "The Reverend Fred Rogers, a member of the Presbytery of Pittsburgh, as host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood since 1968, had a profound effect on the lives of millions of people across the country through his ministry to children and families. Mister Rogers promoted and supported Christian values in the public media with his demonstration of unconditional love. His ability to communicate with children and to help them understand and deal with difficult questions in their lives will be greatly missed."

Several buildings, monuments, and works of art are dedicated to Rogers' memory, including a mural sponsored by the Pittsburgh-based Sprout Fund in 2006, "Interpretations of Oakland," by John Laidacker that featured Mr. Rogers. Saint Vincent College in (Latrobe, Pennsylvania) completed construction of The Fred M. Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media in 2008. The Fred Rogers Memorial Statue on the North Shore near Heinz Field in Pittsburgh was created by Robert Berks and dedicated in 2009.

The asteroid 26858 Misterrogers is named after Rogers. This naming, by the International Astronomical Union, was announced on May 2, 2003 by the director of the Henry Buhl Jr. Planetarium & Observatory at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. The science center worked with Rogers' Family Communications, Inc. to produce a planetarium show for preschoolers called "The Sky Above Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", which plays at planetariums across the United States.

False rumors

A false rumor claims that Fred Rogers was once a U.S. Marine sniper in the Vietnam War. The rumor appeared on the Internet in 1994 and re-emerged several times over the next ten years, most notably after his death in 2003. However, Rogers never served in any branch of the military. Beginning in 1963, Rogers developed the ''Misterogers'' program for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1966, he moved back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the U.S. where he produced ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' through the height of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. Related claims that Rogers had a number of military tattoos are also entirely false.

See also

Colcom Foundation

Notes

References

External links

PBS Kids: Official Site

The Fred M. Rogers Center

Fred Rogers' Company

Category:1928 births Category:2003 deaths Category:People from Latrobe, Pennsylvania Category:American Presbyterian clergy Category:Actors from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:American puppeteers Category:American television actors Category:American television personalities Category:American vegetarians Category:Christian vegetarians Category:Cancer deaths in Pennsylvania Category:Christianity in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:Dartmouth College alumni Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Deaths from stomach cancer Category:PBS people Category:Peabody Award winners Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:Rollins College alumni

eo:Fred Rogers fa:فرد راجرز fr:Fred Rogers id:Fred Rogers pt:Fred Rogers simple:Fred Rogers sh:Mister Rogers

Americans United for Life (AUL) is an American pro-life advocacy group which is based in Washington, DC. Founded in 1971, the group advocates fetal rights, and is also involved in other issues related to health and biotechnology. Their motto is, "Changing Law to Protect Human Life, State by State".

In 1995, a spokesperson for Americans United for Life, stated at a Washington press conference that it had filed a citizens petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanding that it apply the strictest possible standards when reviewing the drug, RU-486. The group argued that the agency should not use data from foreign studies, including those involving tens of thousands of women who used the drug in France and Britain. In 2007, the organization was victorious in a Supreme Court case helping to uphold a Nebraska law banning partial birth abortions.

Their new President and CEO hired in 2008 is Charmaine Yoest. Before joining the Chicago-based pro-life organization, she worked as vice president of communications at the Family Research Council and as an adviser to Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign.

Currently, the group is supporting legislation in several states which intend to "humaniz[e] the unborn," and that require abortion doctors to inform their patients that the fetus might feel pain during the procedure. Leaders of the group feel that the "fetal pain" bills are a fresh approach to the abortion issue.

Issues of focus and activism

According to their website, the group is interested in topics that include

Abortion clinic regulation

Rights of conscience of health care workers

Parental notification regarding a child's medical decisions

Protecting fetuses from feticide

Informing women of the proposed health risks of abortion

Human cloning and embryonic stem cell research

Assisted suicide and euthanasia

Genetic engineering

Reproductive technologies

Baby Gender Mentor

The group has also taken a stand against an early-pregnancy gender detection kit called the Baby Gender Mentor. The concern is that learning the gender at such an early point may lead some parents to terminate the pregnancy if they were hoping for a baby of the opposite sex to that indicated by the test. Americans United for Life claims that some women disappointed by the result of their test would find it easier to have an abortion if they get the results early. Their spokesman Daniel McConchie said, "Women who are interested in only having one gender will be finding out in a time when it's certainly safer for them to have an abortion without the complications normally associated with those that would come later in pregnancy."

The organization supports the Pregnant Women Support Act, which is a bill by United States Representative Lincoln Davis (D-TN) designed to reduce the prevalence of abortion in the United States.

Pregnant Woman's Protection Act

Americans United for Life writes model legislation every year and makes it available on the web for state legislators and others involved in the policy process. One of these bills is the Pregnant Woman's Protection Act.

In 2011, ''Mother Jones'' reported on Nebraska's Legislative Bill 232. The ''Mother Jones'' article claims that the bill's wording strongly advocates 'justifiable force' against anyone that would be performing or seeking to perform legal abortion services. Huffington Post, which excerpted and linked to the original Mother Jones article claimed (via a headline) that AUL was "behind bills seeking to legalize killing abortion providers."

Americans United for Life responded to Mother Jones and Huffington Post with a blog post that included the following information: :AUL’s “Pregnant Woman’s Protection Act” expressly provides that a pregnant woman may use force to protect her unborn child when she reasonably believes that unlawful force is threatening her unborn child and that her use of force is immediately necessary to protect her unborn child. The language explicitly limits the permitted use of force to a pregnant woman and does not expand it to third parties. Thus, under the express terms of AUL’s carefully crafted and narrow language, the “Pregnant Woman’s Protection Act” could not be used to justify criminal violence against abortion providers or anyone else.

AUL also responded with a document called, "A Primer on the “Pregnant Woman’s Protection Act."

Robin Marty, a pro-choice activist and writer, points out that the Mother Jones story reports "that the original legislation was written to apply only to the pregnant women, and that it was amended to include potential third parties."

Marty further states that the introduction to the model legislation "makes it clear that it is referring specifically to the situation involving a pregnant woman."

Robin Marty also points out that who is actually covered under justifiable homicide provisions "reiterates AUL's argument that they are not the ones pushing for a legal redefinition that could potentially endanger abortion providers."

Similar bills have been introduced in South Dakota And Iowa All three bills have been linked to similar bills passed in Missouri and Oklahoma and are based on the Americans United for Life legislation "Pregnant Woman's Protection Act for the 2011 Legislative Year"

Notable Staff Members

President: Charmaine Yoest

Senior Counsel: Clarke Forsythe

Senior VP for Legal Affairs & Senior Counsel: William L. Saunders

VP for Legal Affairs: Denise Burke

References

Category:American pro-life organizations Category:Organizations established in 1971