Sesame Street turns 40!

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    Forty years ago Sesame Street debuted, signally the arrival of a new role for television – developing the minds of its youngest viewers. Two million viewers tuned in to PBS that day. Today versions of the show air in 140 countries around the world. In this hour of Radio Times we look at Sesame Street – its impact and how it revolutionized children’s TV. We talk to Amy Jordan, Director of the Media and the Developing Child at Penn’s Annenberg School and Deborah Linebarger, who directs the Children’s Media Lab at Annenberg. We’ll also hear from Cheryl Benard, Director of the Rand Center for Middle East and Public Policy’s Initiative for Middle Eastern Youth, who oversaw the development and distribution of Sesame Street in Afghanistan.
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    [audio: 111009_100630.mp3]

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