Bring Back Mel
PBS Kids Sprout (info@sproutletsgrow.com)network recently fired Melanie Martinez, host of "The Good Night Show", for appearing in two 30-second comedy sketches 7 years ago. Sure, the language was a bit salty, but definitely not worth losing her job over.
While to most adults, Mel's show may seem silly, she is adored by our children, and her show is deeply ingrained in their bedtime routines.
Here's the link to Sprouts lame "explanation":
http://www.sproutletsgrow.com/good_night/index.html
Sure, the videos are aimed at adults, but should Mel be fired over something she did 7 years ago (before any of her audience was even born!)? Sprout claims that this pieces make her an inappropriate choice for host of the show. I think this is a lie. Sprout overreacted in fear of a negative backlash.
Sprout - if you think this is bad, just look at the list of guests for Sesame Street. There are countless actors/actresses that have been in films that feature violence, sex, and drugs. Does this mean that Sesame Street should be pulled from the air? No! George Carlin narrates Thomas the Tank Engine. Should this show be pulled from the lineup? No!
The people at Sprout that made this decision should grow a spine and show some integrity by publicly apologizing to Mel, and resuming production of "The Good Night Show". This action was cowardly, shameful, and disloyal -- Mel's show helped build the Sprout network, and was the reason why we ever tuned in.
Sprout - Restore Mel and her show, then we can all get back to our routines, and countless children will be overjoyed.
In the meantime, we are no longer watching Sprout in our household, and are seriously considering withholding support for PBS.
Here's the Yahoo story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060725/ap_en_ce/tv_good_night
To tell Sprout how you feel, send an email here:
info@sproutletsgrow.com
Tell the PBS Ombudsman your feelings:
http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/feedback.html
Tell your local PBS affliate that you can't support this decision:
http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/aboutpbs_support.html
*Update* - The Philadelphia Daily News has coverage of this, along with some thoguhtful commentary:
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/15115320.htm
Here's the Wikipedia entry on Mel, which features links to articles about Mel and her firing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanie_Martinez
While to most adults, Mel's show may seem silly, she is adored by our children, and her show is deeply ingrained in their bedtime routines.
Here's the link to Sprouts lame "explanation":
http://www.sproutletsgrow.com/good_night/index.html
Sure, the videos are aimed at adults, but should Mel be fired over something she did 7 years ago (before any of her audience was even born!)? Sprout claims that this pieces make her an inappropriate choice for host of the show. I think this is a lie. Sprout overreacted in fear of a negative backlash.
Sprout - if you think this is bad, just look at the list of guests for Sesame Street. There are countless actors/actresses that have been in films that feature violence, sex, and drugs. Does this mean that Sesame Street should be pulled from the air? No! George Carlin narrates Thomas the Tank Engine. Should this show be pulled from the lineup? No!
The people at Sprout that made this decision should grow a spine and show some integrity by publicly apologizing to Mel, and resuming production of "The Good Night Show". This action was cowardly, shameful, and disloyal -- Mel's show helped build the Sprout network, and was the reason why we ever tuned in.
Sprout - Restore Mel and her show, then we can all get back to our routines, and countless children will be overjoyed.
In the meantime, we are no longer watching Sprout in our household, and are seriously considering withholding support for PBS.
Here's the Yahoo story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060725/ap_en_ce/tv_good_night
To tell Sprout how you feel, send an email here:
info@sproutletsgrow.com
Tell the PBS Ombudsman your feelings:
http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/feedback.html
Tell your local PBS affliate that you can't support this decision:
http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/aboutpbs_support.html
*Update* - The Philadelphia Daily News has coverage of this, along with some thoguhtful commentary:
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/15115320.htm
Here's the Wikipedia entry on Mel, which features links to articles about Mel and her firing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanie_Martinez
posted by Bring Back Mel | 9:48 AM
7 Comments:
Kudos to you and your web site. Melanie's firing is ridiculous -- PBS has wildly overreacted and they ought to be ashamed of themselves. I'm following your links and will bring this up with all the people you've mentioned.
Please also include links to PBS Sprout's advertisers -- Huggies is a big one, I believe.
Chuck E. Cheese, another
I think sending emails to the primary sponsors is an excellent idea! Huggies, that institute for learning? I forget the name.
IF I were still watching that channel, I'd know which products not to buy. Good idea.
Why hasn't Melanie given an interview yet? I'm wondering if her previous video work was the only reason she was fired. In my opinion, she had been looking a little plumper around the face, and she had a noticeable tummy bump. I could be completely wrong here, but could she have been pregnant? The introduction of the Star puppet seemed a way to conceal her tummy bump, too.
This is the note I've sent to the links:
To the Decision Makers at PBS Sprout:
You have just given this story more press time than it ever would have received on it's own.
How stupid can you people be?
My 14 month old would never have had access to the "inappropriate video" that this woman appeared in SIX YEARS BEFORE YOU HIRED HER.
For the small amount of complaints you would have received from the "Moral Minority" of this country that actually tune in to your station, you have disappointed all your young fans (and their parents).
All you have done is now expose the old video to thousands more people that never would have heard of or cared about it at all.
Shame on you for being such lap dogs to the fringe religious right. I expected more from a PBS brand. I will no longer tune in to any PBS station nor will I continue to monetarily support PBS.
I don't think it's related to her being pregnant, I mean, if she were, then they would still show the reruns or the new season they had just finished taping, right? According to one article, they just finished taping the new season, featuring Star (!), in Paulsboro NJ. So why not show the ones they already invested all that money in?
No, I think the reason is painfully clear to all of us. They're just plain jerks.
Having used that salty language, I assume I've just disqualified MYSELF from ever hosting a children's show too. Oh well. Such is life.
More sponsors:
Kumon Learning Center
Kidsbop
Huggies parent company, KC, who also sells various household products.
While I recognize that PBS had only a small part of the decision to fire Ms. Martinez from The Goodnight Show, the organization cannot be absolved simply because it was a part of a group. Individual responsibility remains.
As noted in multiple articles, personnel decisions are (and should be) confidential. However, Sprout and PBS have taken the stance that this personnel decision was based on public issues. By providing ANY form of justification, they opened the subject to public discussion.
But... for me, the larger question is one that clearly defines the double standard in play. Sprout (and PBS) says that this is an issue of someone being a role model. So what kind of role model is the firm providing?
When it fires someone for a seven year old mistake, the message being delivered is, clearly, that mistakes will never be forgiven, no matter how old or how youthful the individual was at the time the mistake was made. (That is, if a mistake was actually made. In this case, that is also open to debate.)
Clearly, the behavior PBS and Sprout feel IS appropriate is one of zero tolerance. Perfection is all. And perfection has no room for diversity. Frankly, I found the two videos in question rather amusing. But, being an engaged and active parent… they weren’t something I’d show to my child. So I didn’t. Lasting impact of the videos on said three-year-old? Zero.
The situation is sad - but frankly it does help to resolve my own household’s discussion on Sprout vs. Noggin. Noggin, at least, hasn't demonstrated such crass hypocrisy. And is, therefore, the more appropriate channel to view.
Of course, an ever better lesson for the toddlers out here in the real world would be for Sprout and PBS to say ‘everyone makes mistakes – even us – so we’re reinstating Ms. Martinez.’
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