Ready Set Learn!

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Italic title Template:Infobox programming block Ready Set Learn! is a defunct American television block broadcast from late 1992 until 2010 across the Discovery Communications-owned TLC and Discovery Kids networks. A cable competitor to PBS's children's offerings, it broadcast twice on weekday mornings and comprised three hours of original, imported, and rerun programming plus music videos geared towards preschoolers. In its early years, it was hosted by children's entertainer Rory Zuckerman, who was billed mononymously; an early 2003 relaunch replaced her with Paz, a penguin who was represented in animated and puppet form.

A 1990 Carnegie Foundation report inspired Discovery to develop the block; shows were selected based on their educational value and visual vibrancy. Amid a $10 million investment from TLC, a line of home video and software releases, and plans to spin it off into a standalone channel, the parent company used Ready as a loss leader to expand the network's carriage. A counterpart for older children debuted on the main Discovery Channel in early 1997. By mid-2002, the TLC block ended up under the management of Discovery Kids, whose schedule it also appeared on.

Ready Set Learn! ran on TLC from December 28, 1992 to September 26, 2008, with Discovery Kids following suit during the 2000s. Despite brief skepticism on its chances as an "educational television" outlet, it was positively reviewed during both its 1990s and 2000s incarnations. The block helped TLC receive a CableACE Creators Award in 1995, and was also honored by the National Education Association, the American Academy of Children's Entertainment, and the Parents' Choice Foundation.

HistoryEdit

Template:Quote box The TLC network's foray into preschool television,<ref name=usa-today-199212>Template:Cite news</ref> Ready Set Learn! was first mentioned as early as August 1992.<ref name=sentinel-92>Template:Cite news</ref> Of the first five shows announced for the block, three of them (Bookmice, Kitty Cats, and The Magic Box) would have their U.S. premieres there;<ref name=broadcasting-92>Template:Cite magazine</ref> the other two were rerun packages<ref name=broadcasting-92/> of Join In! (previously on the religious VISN network)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Zoobilee Zoo (a previously syndicated production of DIC Entertainment and Hallmark).<ref name=la-times-86>Template:Cite news</ref> Greg Moyer, Discovery Communications' senior vice-president of programming, expressed hope that a full-fledged channel would spin off from it<ref name=usa-today-199209/> within one or two years of launch.<ref name=broadcasting-92/>

According to TLC employee John Ford,<ref name=slpd>Template:Cite news</ref> the block was inspired by Ready to Learn: A Mandate for the Nation,<ref name=broadcasting-92/> a 1990 Carnegie Foundation report<ref name=broadcasting-92/> which stated that 35% of U.S. children began their education unprepared.<ref name=slpd/> Assisted by director of programming Mike Quattrone (who had previously undertaken similar endeavors at PBS),<ref name=slpd/> Ford selected the shows on the strengths of their educational value along with their visual vibrancy.<ref name=usa-today-199212/> Finding it "extremely well-produced", he also bet on Kitty Cats as the block's breakout series.<ref name=usa-today-199212/>

Ready Set Learn! debuted on December 28, 1992,<ref name=usa-today-199209>Template:Cite news</ref> with Iris, The Happy Professor rounding out the six-show lineup.<ref name=wpost-92>Template:Cite news</ref> A competitor to the PBS lineup,<ref name=sentinel-92/> its three-hour schedule aired twice on weekdays, first at 6:00 a.m. and again at 9:00 a.m. (in the Eastern Time Zone)—a slot that Ford viewed as "a safe haven".<ref name=usa-today-199212/> TLC chose to air it commercial-free because doing otherwise would detract from its purpose.<ref name=slpd/> As such, Discovery used the format as a loss leader for expansion of the network's carriage, which stood at 18 million homes at the time.<ref name=usa-today-199212/> According to the Associated Press, TLC invested $10 million in the block's initial development (excluding tentative fees from underwriting, a supplement that never came to fruition<ref name=broadcasting-93>Template:Cite magazine</ref>);<ref name=slpd/> original programming was also planned.<ref name=sentinel-92/>

In its early years, Ready Set Learn! was hosted by children's entertainer Rory Zuckerman (billed simply as "Rory").<ref name=sentinel-92/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A resident of Bethesda, Maryland (where TLC's parent company Discovery was based), Rory set out to teach children language skills through her music, as well as to "welcome the children into the world of The Learning Channel and also the parents, care-givers and other viewers" as hostess.<ref name=wpost-92/> The block would become the home of her own shows, Rory and Me and Rory's Place, which were seen by one million combined viewers per month in 1996.<ref name=ppg>Template:Cite news</ref>

Interstitial material on the block was branded under the "Short Stuff" banner, and rounded out each half-hour. Around 1994, music videos began appearing during this feature, starting with clips from Joanie Bartels (an artist signed to Discovery's former in-house record label). By 1996, TLC played 10–12 videos per day on Ready—showcasing children's artists as varied as Fred Penner, Parachute Express, Joe Scruggs, and Sharon, Lois & Bram—to the point where they would all but replace the older "Short Stuff" segments from 1992.<ref name=billboard>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The latter group would later headline the mainline Ready program Skinnamarink TV.<ref name=bjt>Template:Cite news</ref> Around 1992, the Discovery Channel began plans for a counterpart weekend block to Ready.<ref name="broadcasting-93" /> After a four-year delay,<ref name="broadcasting-93" /><ref name="b&c-96-09">Template:Cite magazine</ref> it was launched on Sundays in early 1997 alongside the companion U.S. and Latin American Discovery Kids formats.<ref name="b&c-96-09" />

By mid-2002, the TLC block had come under the purview of the Discovery Kids team; a revamped lineup that tentatively included Animal Jam, The Save-Ums!, and Ni Ni's Treehouse was slated to take effect early the following year.<ref name=htt>Template:Cite journal</ref> The resulting relaunch on February 24, 2003 introduced Paz the Penguin as the new host of the interstitial segments; the 9:00 a.m. repeat moved to Discovery Kids.<ref name=la-times-2003>Template:Cite news</ref> Paz, created by Irish author Mary Murphy, was seen in both puppet and animated forms;<ref name=la-times-2003/> Discovery's Marjorie Kaplan saw him as "the avatar for his audience, the optimistic, persistent learner we want each of our viewers to be", and with his introduction, "hop[ed] for a 'less hyper, more unified programming environment.'"<ref name=nyt>Template:Cite news</ref> The Magic School Bus, a 1990s PBS staple,<ref name=sentinel-94>Template:Cite news</ref> bookended the revised three-hour stretch.<ref name=nyt/> During ReadyTemplate:'s last few years, new programs on the block premiered on Discovery Kids a week ahead of TLC.<ref name=wpost-2005>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=wpost-2006>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=animation-2007>Template:Cite news</ref>

The final TLC airing of Ready Set Learn! occurred on September 26, 2008, with Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks and The Magic School Bus in its closing hour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> From that point on, reruns of TLC's remaining programs for older audiences occupied its timeslot.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By then, the Discovery Kids version was airing from 9:00 a.m. till 2:00 p.m.;<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> it evolved into HubBub after the network's October 10, 2010 rebranding as The Hub.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> As part of a cross-channel preview campaign leading up to The Hub's debut, TLC briefly returned to family-oriented entertainment with an airing of the Hasbro game show Family Game Night.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

ReceptionEdit

Almost three weeks before its launch, the Hartford Courant was skeptical on whether the original Ready Set Learn! could succeed as "educational television", writing, "What children will learn first and foremost from this 'unprecedented' offering is how to watch TV, something they will master all too soon without TLC."<ref name=courant/> The block managed to premiere to positive press; Peggy Charren of Action for Children's Television approved of its commercial-free nature,<ref name=slpd/> while a reporter for the Northwest Florida Daily News said, "From what I've seen, they're doing a pretty good job [at making television a teacher]."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lynne Heffley of The Los Angeles Times favorably reviewed the 2003 relaunch, citing Hi-5 (a U.S. remake of an Australian format) and The Save-Ums! as the standouts. "All the new shows are colorful, watchable and scrupulously created with the principles of child development firmly in mind," she said. "Several feature characters who talk directly to viewers, in the tradition of the best children's programming."<ref name=la-times-2003/>

In October 1993, Ready Set Learn! helped TLC secure one of that season's five Golden CableACE nomination slots;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> upon its return in 1994–95, the block received a CableACE Creators Award.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> During its original run, it was also honored by the National Education Association and the American Academy of Children's Entertainment.<ref name=htt/> In 2005, the relaunch era's Paz segments won a Silver Parents' Choice Award.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

MerchandiseEdit

A merchandising line for Ready Set Learn!, featuring coloring books and videotapes, was actively considered from the time of its planning stages.<ref name=usa-today-199212/><ref name=broadcasting-92/> Discovery chose Professor Iris to represent the first products under the brand—first through three VHS collections in August 1993,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and then through two CD-ROM titles, Fun Field Trip: Animal Safari in November 1994<ref name=usa-today-1994>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and Seaside Adventure in May 1995.<ref name=usa-today-1994/> By the twilight of the block's tenure (during 2006–2008), DVD releases of select shows went through Genius Products.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

ProgrammingEdit

Title	Premiere date	Country of origin	Notes	Source(s)
Bookmice	Template:Dts	Canada	Produced by TVOntario<ref name=g&m>Template:Cite news</ref>	<ref name=usa-today-199212/>
Join In!	Template:Dts	Canada	Produced by TVOntario<ref name=g&m/>	<ref name=usa-today-199212/>
Zoobilee Zoo	Template:Dts	United States	Rerun of DIC Entertainment/Hallmark series<ref name=la-times-86/>	<ref name=usa-today-199212/>
Professor Iris	Template:Dts	Canada	Produced by Desclez Productions<ref name=b&c-96-08>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	<ref name=usa-today-199212/>
Template:Sort	Template:Dts	New Zealand	Created by educator Wendy Pye<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	<ref name=usa-today-199212/><ref name=sentinel-92/>
Kitty Cats	Template:Dts	Canada	Originally produced in Quebec French as Pacha et les chats<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	<ref name=usa-today-199212/>
Rory and Me	Template:Dts	United States	Template:Ubl	<ref name=wpost-95/>
Chicken Minute	Template:Dts	Canada	Created by Ronnie Burkett; tapings began in Montreal in 1991<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	<ref name=la-times-95>Template:Cite news</ref>
Little Star	Template:Dts	Canada	Produced by Desclez, Société Radio-Canada, and Ravensburger	<ref name=b&c-96-08/>
Pappyland	Template:Dts	United States	Originally shown on Syracuse PBS affiliate WCNY<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:Dts	Spain	Template:Ubl	<ref name=b&c-96-08/>
Wisdom of the Gnomes	Template:Dts	Spain	Produced by BRB International<ref name=embf/>	<ref name=b&c-96-08/>
Madison's Adventures: Growing Up Wild	Template:Dts	Template:Ubl	Template:Ubl	Template:Sfn
Template:Sort	Template:Dts	United States	Created by Bobby Goldsboro for WEDU Tampa	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:Dts	Template:Ubl	Template:Ubl	<ref name=miami>Template:Cite news</ref>
Bingo & Molly	Template:Dts	Template:Ubl	Produced at New Zealand's Avalon Studios for Broadside Entertainment in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	<ref name=miami/>
Skinnamarink TV	Template:Dts	Template:Ubl	Template:Ubl	<ref name=bjt/><ref name=toronto-97/>
Salty's Lighthouse	Template:Dts	Template:Ubl	Template:Ubl	<ref name=collider/>Template:Sfn
Template:Sort	Template:Dts	Template:Ubl	Rerun of 1985 Hanna-Barbera/Southern Star series<ref name=animation-2012>Template:Cite news</ref>	<ref name=animation-2012/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Jay Jay the Jet Plane	Template:Dts	United States	Template:Ubl	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ni Ni's Treehouse	Template:Dts	Template:Ubl	Developed by Kenn Viselman	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:Dts	Template:Ubl	Rerun of Scholastic/Nelvana/PBS series<ref name=sentinel-94/>	<ref name=la-times-2003/>
Brum	Template:Dts	United Kingdom	Produced by Ragdoll	<ref name=la-times-2003/>
Template:Sort	Template:Dts	United States	Created by Dan Clark<ref name=nyt/>	<ref name=la-times-2003/>
Hi-5	Template:Dts	United States	U.S. remake of original Australian series	<ref name=la-times-2003/>
Animal Jam	Template:Dts	United States	Produced by Jim Henson Productions<ref name=htt/>	<ref name=la-times-2003/>
Peep and the Big Wide World	Template:Dts	United States	Template:Ubl	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Timothy Goes to School	Template:Dts	Canada	Template:Ubl	Template:Sfn
ToddWorld	Template:Dts	United States	Template:Ubl	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Balamory	Template:Ubl	United Kingdom	Produced by the BBC	<ref name=wpost-2005/>
Hip Hop Harry	Template:Ubl	United States	Developed by Claude Brooks<ref name=tv-week>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	<ref name=wpost-2006/><ref name=tv-week/>
Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks	Template:Ubl	Canada	Produced by CCI Entertainment<ref name=playback>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	<ref name=wpost-2006/><ref name=playback/>
Wilbur	Template:Ubl	Canada	Produced by Mercury Filmworks	<ref name=animation-2007/>