Reno’s KNPB to drop 2.5 hours of children’s shows, forgo after-school programs

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KNPB, PBS in Reno, Nev., will end children’s programming at 12:30 p.m. starting next week, cutting 2.5 hours from its nine-hour daily schedule of kids’ shows, reports Technorati, noting that the change “will put KNPB tied in third place for the fewest hours of daily children’s programs among 30 PBS affiliated stations surveyed in the western United States,” after California stations KRCB in Rohnert Park and KCSM in San Mateo, which is currently for sale. The new schedule goes into effect Jan. 2, 2012.

In an email to Technorati, Kurt Mische, KNPB president, said that the changes “will allow us to serve a larger audience of viewers . . . and donors . . . who not only watch but help to financially support our important service.”

KNPB is ending broadcast of The Electric Company, Cyberchase, Super Why! WordWorld and a second daily airing of Arthur. Earlier this year it cut Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman. In its place, the station said in a press release, will be “an expanded schedule of how-to, hobby and special interest programs” including Antiques Roadshow, Nova, Nature and This Old House.

“KNPB is seen by nearly 160,000 people in 71,000 households in central and northern Nevada and northeast California,” Mische said in the press release. “While that is an atypically large audience for a PBS station, we had some days and times where our ratings were not as high as we like, meaning we had the opportunity to better serve our viewers.”

One thought on “Reno’s KNPB to drop 2.5 hours of children’s shows, forgo after-school programs

  1. “[T]he changes ‘will allow us to serve a larger audience of viewers . . . and donors . . . who not only watch but help to financially support our important service.'”

    I believe this tells you all you need to know about the current state of public broadcasting.

    Please give.

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