White House solicits Sesame Street characters for Easter Egg Roll 4 days after bid to end PBS funds

[Miles Archer]

White House solicits Sesame Street characters for Easter Egg Roll four days after bid to end PBS funding



http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/white-house-solicits-sesame-street-characters-for-easter-egg-roll-four-days-after-bid-to-end-pbs-funding/

PBS confirmed to The New York Times that the White House made a last-minute request for Sesame Street characters like Big Bird or Elmo to appear at this year’s event.

“We just got word about this year’s Egg Roll and are working on planning,” PBS spokesperson Jennifer Rankin Byrne explained to the paper on March 20.

Sesame Workshop spokesperson Elizabeth Weinreb Fishman revealed that one costumed character would be appearing at the event, a departure from the multitude of Muppets that have showed up for the roll in recent years.

Just four days before PBS confirmed its participation, the Trump administration had released its budget plan to eliminate all federal funding for PBS.

[KittyWampus]

1. Could be a great attack ad. It wasn't popular last time they tried to kill of Big Bird.

[Vinca]

2. Elmo should tell Dear Leader to go fuck himself.

[shenmue]

3. Amen

[frazzled]

4. But then, Sesame Street moved to HBO a year ago

This Saturday, the 46th season of Sesame Street will premiere on HBO. Last August, the series signed a five-year deal with the network not exactly known for kid-friendly programming — though HBO did air Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock back in the early 1980s, fair to say the modern viewer is more likely to associate the premium cable giant with NSFW content than with the ABCs of PBS.

For the first time in its nearly 50 years on the air, Sesame Street will air new episodes exclusively on HBO only to air on PBS and its member stations nine months later. Reruns will air on PBS in the interim. The new season brings with it a new set, designed to give core characters central locations. The partnership gives PBS Sesame Street for free and permits Sesame to produce double the number of episodes per season and a Sesame spin-off, even a new Sesame Workshop educational kids’ series. HBO will be streaming 150 archived episodes of Sesame Street plus 52 episodes each of Sesame Workshop’s Pinky Dinky Doo and The Electric Company.

https://thinkprogress.org/there-goes-the-neighborhood-the-story-behind-the-new-sesame-street-and-its-journey-to-hbo-e9634b34011d

[ProudLib72]

5. Send them Oscar the Grouch

Oh wait, Li'l Donnie IS Oscar the Grouch!

[gratuitous]

6. Statler and Waldorf

They can spend the whole time ripping on Trump and his properties.

Really, though; the White House doesn't have its act together to plan these things out except at the last minute? How fucking disorganized are they? Keep in mind that whenever you get an early story like this about the Trump White House, it always turns out worse. Always.

[alarimer]

7. Isn't Sesame Street an HBO property now?

If so, I think HBO can fully fund it without government funds.

But of course, PBS still needs support.

[FreepFryer]

8. Public education's happy to oblige White House PR needs, for about $250 million. THX! :* (n/t)

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. Sesame Street's response was brought to us by the letters F and U. nt

[FSogol]

10. LOL, Please send Donald Grump!

&list=RDyQyTpPu0gvc#t=9

[C_U_L8R]

11. WTF PBS

Have some self-respect.
Why dignify the shitheel Trump who yanked your funding?