PBS Kids teams up again with Arthur producer CINAR for the new live-action/animated series Postcards from Buster. © CINAR Corp.

PBS Kids definitely qualifies as a change of pace from a highly structured cable channel. It’s actually two separate but overlapping entities: a programming smorgasboard that local PBS affiliates can pick and choose from (Simensky notes that “the children’s schedule on WNET in New York is entirely different from WGBH in Boston”) and the PBS Kids digital cable channel that carries all of the service’s offerings. “That’s why I wanted the job. You’re supplying programming to a bunch of different channels. You have to figure out what their needs are, what their commonalities are and how to fulfill them.”

While kids’ broadcasters have to worry about scheduling those FCC-mandated three hours of educational programming, PBS Kids’ schedule has to be wall-to-wall educational, and at the same time entertaining enough to go head-on against its commercial competition - or perhaps surpass them, at least when it’s time to hand out the statues: PBS Kids’ 10 Daytime Emmys bested its competition in children’s programming for the sixth year in a row.

PBS Kids’ strength is in its appeal to the preschool, 2-5 year old audience, where they claim five of the top 10 shows. In 2003, it capitalized on Clifford the Big Red Dog, the number one show in that demographic, with Clifford’s Puppy Days, a spin-off series that claimed the number two spot. The channel also premiered the CGI-animated Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, an Irish farm-set show featuring a large voice cast that includes Mel Brooks as a visiting American sheep.

Jakers! proved that feature-like quality 3D animation could come to TV. © Mike Young Prods.

PBS is aiming a little higher in 2004, with two new shows targeted at 6-8 year olds set to premiere in the fall. Just as Clifford begat his Puppy Days, Postcards from Buster is a spin-off from the PBS Kids’ hit, Arthur. The amiable aardvark’s rabbit friend Buster will be traveling around the U.S. with his airline pilot dad, sending video postcards back home for Arthur to share with the viewers. Simensky describes the show as one-quarter animation and three-quarters live-action. “People talk to the camera – we call it the ‘Bustercam’ – and he talks back to them in the show. There’s actually a picture of Buster on the camera when they’re taping so people can feel like they really are talking to Buster.”

The second show is a cross-cultural animated comedy, The Misadventures of Maya and Miguel focusing on a pair of 10-year-old first generation Hispanic twins. The show’s goal is to encourage Spanish speakers to learn English. Simensky says the English-language show features “some Spanish – enough that someone who’s learning English will be able to follow the story. If you’re learning Spanish you’ll probably be able to pick up a few words too.” Just to play it safe, however, the show will be broadcast with a Spanish-language SAP track.

Charlie’s Angels and C.H.i.P.s fans will also be glad to hear that Lucy Liu and Erik Estrada are among the voice talent. Simensky notes that “one of the initiatives for the new year is to grow the 6-8 audience via an afternoon block which is basically these two shows plus Arthur, the animated math show Cyberchase and Zoom, which I’m sure you’ll remember.”