Learn to Read

For other uses, see Learning to read.
Learn To Read
Genre Educational
Starring Wally Amos
Doris Biscoe
Charlotte Scot
Sylvia Glover
Jim Johnson
Theme music composer Dennis Carnevale
Composer(s) Dennis Carnevale
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 30
Production
Location(s) Detroit, Michigan;
Kentucky
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) KET / WXYZ-TV
Distributor PBS
Release
Original network PBS / syndicated
Picture format NTSC (480i)
Audio format Monaural
Original release August 31, 1987 (1987-08-31)

Learn To Read is an adult educational TV series that consists of 30 programs, hosted by entrepreneur and literacy advocate Wally Amos. Co-instructors include Doris Biscoe (who was an anchorwoman for WXYZ-TV in Detroit, Michigan) and Charlotte Scot. Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce)[lower-alpha 1] guest-starred on the first episode. This was based on 27 million Americans having almost no reading skills. On Friday, there is a review of the week. The final program reviews the entire series.

In every episode (excluding programs 1, 5, 10, 15 and 30) a "Getting Along" segment is used, with either Sylvia Glover or Jim Johnson as instructors.

Aside, there was Les the Letter Man and Nancy the Word Woman. Finally, there was Billy Green, referred as the "Book Guy", telling viewers to get their workbook.

Learn to Read was produced by Kentucky Educational Television in association with WXYZ-TV (the copyright is owned by both KET and E.W. Scripps, then Scripps Howard Broadcasting), funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and donors to PBS. The program was produced at WXYZ's studios in Southfield, Michigan, with additional production done by KET in Kentucky.

The program was televised on many PBS member stations, as well as syndicated to commercial stations.[2] The program was also seen locally on WXYZ-TV, generally weekday mornings at 5AM.[3]

Episode status

While episodes originally consist of a 6-week daily course, some stations air episodes on a less-frequent basis, as little as once a week. New York's WNET (operator of THIRTEEN, and its Sister Station and Network, WLIW 21 & NJTV, respectively) was the last PBS affiliate to air the show and aired it daily (sometimes twice daily) before pulling it from its lineup in 2009.

Learn To Read was produced solely by WXYZ-TV in Detroit. It was originally offered free to every ABC affiliated television station in the United States by VP/General Manager Jeanne Findlater, who created the idea and wrote the format. She sold the entire underwriting costs to Chrysler, K-Mart, Kroger, and McDonald's after convincing them that they had to use their commercial time to promote literacy, not their products. On behalf of the station, she received the national Charles W. Scripps Literacy Award presented by Barbara Bush.

Learn To Read was later syndicated to PBS affiliate Kentucky Educational Television who marketed it throughout the United States. In the first broadcast, Findlater scheduled the program at 5:30 am and at 10:00 am. The idea for the early morning time slot came from Doug Frazier years before. Frazier, then president of the UAW-CIO, urged Findlater to create a literacy series and run it at the end or start of a work-shift. Findlater said ratings for the early morning slot weren't available but many letters sent to her indicated that those viewers did not want their kids to know they couldn't read. The series has been widely used in prisons. Estimates of total viewership (from 2002) were over 18 million people.

Cast

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Jenner changed her name due to gender transition in 2015.[1]

References

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