By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 2-13-18
The FCC will review its long-standing rules on children’s television that requires that TV stations air at least three hours per week of core educational/informational children’s TV programming in at least 30-minute blocks.
That is according to Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, whom FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has put in charge of the review.
O’Reilly recently blogged on his view that mandates were never the intention of Congress and are not needed in a video landscape filled with kids programming on multiple platforms.
“Chairman Pai has asked me to lead the agency’s review of the stringent requirements the FCC imposes on our nation’s broadcasters to air a certain amount of educational and informational children’s programming on a weekly basis, otherwise known as Kid Vid,” said O’Rielly in a statement. “I am pleased to accept his request. The Commission is currently undergoing a comprehensive proceeding to modernize our media regulations, and Kid Vid is due for such an examination within the bounds of the law.”
O’Rielly said his goal is to determine whether the rules, now over two decades ago, still made sense today and whether the rules “enhance the family broadcast experience.” » Read More