Editing Reading Rainbow (section)

{{short description|American children's television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Reading Rainbow (logo).png
| image_size           = 200
| genre                = {{Plainlist|
*[[Children's television series]]
*[[Educational television]]
*[[Reading]]
}}
| presenter            = [[LeVar Burton]]
| runtime              = 30 minutes
| company              = {{Plainlist|
*Lancit Media Productions (1983-2001)
*RCN Entertainment (2002)
*On Screen Entertainment (2004-2006)
*[[WNED-TV]]
}}
| executive_producer   = {{Plainlist|
*[[David McCourt]]
*Twila Liggett
*LeVar Burton
*Tony Buttino (1983–1998)
}}
| theme_music_composer = {{Plainlist|
*Steve Horelick
*Dennis Neil Kleinman
*Janet Weir
}}
| composer             = Steve Horelick
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| network              = {{Plainlist|
*[[PBS]] (1983–1999)
*[[PBS Kids]] (1999–2006)
}}
| first_aired          = {{start date|1983|7|11}}<ref name="NYT1983">{{cite web |last=O'Connor |first=John J. |title=TV:'READING RAINBOW,' NEW SERIES |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/11/books/tv-reading-rainbow-new-series.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=11 January 2024 |date=11 July 1983}}</ref><ref name="wned">{{cite web |title=Celebrating 60 Years: WNED PBS Marks its 60th Anniversary |url=https://www.wned.org/celebrating-60-years/ |website=Buffalo Toronto Public Media |access-date=21 January 2024 |language=en |date=30 March 2019 |quote=July 11, 1983 was the birth of one of WNED PBS’s most decorated series, “Reading Rainbow”.}}</ref>
| last_aired           = {{End date|2006|11|10}}<ref name="FinalChapter">{{cite web|title='Reading Rainbow' Reaches Its Final Chapter|website=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2009/08/28/112312561/reading-rainbow-reaches-its-final-chapter|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=January 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=LeVar Burton Is Sued in Reading Rainbow Copyright Dispute — But You Don't Have to Take Our Word for It|url=http://people.com/tv/levar-burton-reading-rainbow-lawsuit/|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=January 18, 2018}}</ref>
| num_seasons          = 21
| num_episodes         = 155
| list_episodes        = List of Reading Rainbow episodes
| creator              = {{Plainlist|
* Cecily Truett Lancit
* Larry Lancit
* Twila Liggett
* Lynne Ganek
* Tony Buttino
}}
}}

'''''Reading Rainbow''''' is an American educational [[children's television series]] that originally aired on [[PBS]] and afterward [[PBS Kids]] from July 11, 1983<ref name="NYT1983" /><ref name="wned" /> to November 10, 2006, with reruns continuing to air until August 28, 2009. 155 30-minute episodes were produced over 23 seasons. Before its official premiere, the show aired for test audiences in the [[Nebraska]] and [[Buffalo, New York]] markets (their PBS member stations, the [[Nebraska Public Media|Nebraska ETV]] [now Nebraska Public Media] and [[WNED-TV]], respectively, were co-producers of the show).

The purpose of the show was to encourage a love of books and reading among children. In 2012, an iPad and Kindle Fire educational interactive book reading and video field trip application was launched bearing the name of the program.

The [[public television]] series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including a [[Peabody Award]] and 26 [[Emmy Award]]s, 10 of which were in the "Outstanding Children's Series" category.<ref>{{cite web|title=Reading Rainbow Awards|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085075/awards?ref_=tt_ql_4|publisher=IMDb.com|access-date=June 16, 2013}}</ref> The concept of a reading series for children originated with Twila Liggett, PhD who in partnership with Cecily Truett Lancit and Larry Lancit, at Lancit Media Productions in New York created the television series. The original team also included Lynne Brenner Ganek, Ellen Schecter, and host [[LeVar Burton]]. The show's title was conceived by an unknown intern at WNED.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/93884/take-look-oral-history-reading-rainbow |title=Take a Look: An Oral History of Reading Rainbow |last=Rossen |first=Jake |date=May 19, 2017 |website=mentalfoss.com |publisher=Mental Floss |access-date=December 29, 2021 |quote=[Tony] Buttino: An intern at WNED came up with the name Reading Rainbow.}}</ref>

Each episode centers on a topic from a featured children's book that is explored through a number of on-location segments or stories. The show also recommends books for children to look for when they go to the library.

After the show's cancellation on November 10, 2006, reruns aired until August 28, 2009, when it was removed from the schedule.<ref name="FinalChapter" /> At the time, it was the third-longest running children's series in PBS history, after ''[[Sesame Street]]'' and ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]''.{{refn|group=note|name=end|''Reading Rainbow'' has since been surpassed in longevity by ''[[Arthur (TV series)|Arthur]]'' as of 2020.}} It was the first PBS children's show to be broadcast in [[multichannel television sound|stereo sound]]. On June 20, 2012, the Reading Rainbow App was released for the iPad and, within 36 hours, became the #1 most-downloaded educational app in the iTunes App Store.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kozlowski|first=Michael|title=Interview with Levar Burton on the Reading Rainbow iPad App|date=June 27, 2012 |url=http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/interview-with-levar-burton-on-the-reading-rainbow-ipad-app/|publisher=Good E-Reader|access-date=June 16, 2013}}</ref> Developed by LeVar Burton and his company, RRKIDZ, the app allows children to read unlimited books, explore video field trips starring Burton, and earn rewards for reading. On the week of July 11, 2013, ''Reading Rainbow'' celebrated its 30th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web|title=Celebrations! |url=http://readingrainbowblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/celebrations/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615044501/http://readingrainbowblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/celebrations/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 15, 2013 |access-date=June 16, 2013}}</ref>

In May 2014, a [[Kickstarter]] campaign was launched to raise funds to make the app available online and for [[Android (operating system)|Android]], game consoles, smartphones, and other streaming devices along with creating a classroom version with the subscription fee waived for up to 13,000 disadvantaged classrooms. The effort met its initial fundraising goal of $1,000,000 in 11 hours,<ref>{{cite web|title=LeVar Burton on Reading Rainbow's Kickstarter and the Love of Reading |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2014/06/06/levar-burton-on-reading-rainbows-kickstarter-and-the-love-of-reading/ |website=Forbes |access-date=June 8, 2014}}</ref> and ended a few days later at $5,408,916 from 105,857 backers.<ref>[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/readingrainbow/bring-reading-rainbow-back-for-every-child-everywh/posts Project Updates]. Kickstarter. Retrieved July 2, 2014.</ref> This campaign led to the launch of ''Skybrary by Reading Rainbow'', a web-based expansion of the Reading Rainbow app experience.<ref name="usatoday-skybrary">{{cite web|title=Reading Rainbow soars online as Skybrary|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/gudmundsen/2015/05/24/reading-rainbow-skybrary/27708975/|website=USA Today|access-date=2021-01-08}}</ref>

Due to a legal dispute, licensing of the ''Reading Rainbow'' brand was revoked from RRKidz in October 2017, and all its platforms (including Skybrary){{citation needed|date=May 2021}} were rebranded to ''LeVar Burton Kids''.<ref name="vulture-settlement">{{cite web|title=Hooray, LeVar Burton Is Now Legally Allowed to Use His Reading Rainbow Catchphrase|url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/levar-burton-now-allowed-to-use-reading-rainbow-catchphrase.html|date=2017-10-19|website=Vulture|access-date=2021-01-08}}</ref>

An interactive revival titled ''Reading Rainbow Live'' debuted on Looped in March 2022.