“Mister Rogers” goes to weekly schedule

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood will only be available one episode per week beginning this fall, PBS has informed member stations. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Kevin Morrison, CEO of Fred Rogers’ Family Communications Inc., cited ongoing economic woes. “PBS is operating under very tight budget constraints and it already has a full program lineup to support Monday through Friday,” Morrison said. “If it was offering Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on a daily basis it would only be as an option to the existing full lineup of programs, and that option is an expensive option for them and the financial situation prevents them from making that an option.” Last season stations had the option for the daily shows.