Television is a cheap, accessible form of entertainment for youth. On average, children at the age of six watch four to six hours of television. However, the television they watch would be completely different without one individual’s morals and diligence. Fred Rogers was a television show host who permanently changed the approach to creating children’s programs, helping countless youth thrive as they mature.
Fred Rogers hosted the television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. This show was produced for small children, teaching them about navigating life and easing the many fears and questions of childhood. (Fred McFeely Rogers, 2003) Mr. Rogers also participated in several programs before Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, such as Children’s Corner
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Mister Rogers chose to work in television for a bizarre reason. When Mr. Rogers watched a telecast for the first time at eighteen, specifically programs targeted towards youth, he recognized that children could be influenced negatively by the harmful things displayed on cable. (Fred Rogers, 2000) He decided he wanted to change this by creating a design of television that would suppport children as they aged. He aimed to teach children to deal with their fears by proving that their worries are misaimed. He used tactics such as inviting a doctor onto the set to prove visiting the pediatrician is not painful and proving you cannot be sucked down the bathtub drain. (Fred McFeely Rogers, 2003) Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood attracted young viewers, even through the sappiness and violence that attracted viewers to other programs, because of its dealing with children’s dramas. (Fred Rogers, 2000) Mr. Rogers, in an interview with Robert Berkvist and the New York Times, stated that “A lot of people think a children’s program is just a bunch of clowns and balloons and that sort of thing, but I think of it as a direct offering of care.” (Fred Rogers,