The proposal came in response to a query from the Federal Communications Commission seeking ways to strengthen the marketplace for children's programming and to encourage greater compliance with the Children's Television Act of 1990. We would like to do even more. Creating sponsorship proposals can expand the amount of high-quality educational children's programming on the air as the Children's Television Act intended. Public broadcasters agreed with the Commission, which said, in its call for comments, that encouraging institutions with more expertise in and commitment to children's educational programming to take responsibility for the production and distribution of more such programming is the most effective way for government regulation to strengthen the functioning of the children's television marketplace.
Public television is the leader in high-quality, educational children's programs.
Play-Along and Shining Time Station. These programs are presented in a noncommercial, educational environment that is conducive to learning. The public broadcasters' recommendation underlines the high cost of producing effective children's educational programming, and stresses that funding on a purely local level would not increase the quantity or quality of children's programming. For one local commercial station to pay another local commercial station a few thousand dollars to satisfy its obligations under the act, for example, would not provide the station with enough money to create substantial new children's programming. Aggregating the money, on the other hand, would provide sufficient funds for this purpose.