Content deleted Content added
Hammill Ten (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
Hammill Ten (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
Line 77:
Cooney stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer of the CTW in 1990, when she was replaced by David Britt, who was her "chief lieutenant in the executive ranks through the mid-1990s"<ref>Davis, p. 260</ref> and whom Cooney termed her "right-hand for many years".<ref name="wershba-9" /> Britt had worked for her at the CTW since 1975 and had served as its president and chief operating officer since 1988. At that time, Cooney became chairman of the Workshop's executive board, which managed its businesses and licensing, and became more involved with the organization's creative efforts.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carter |first1=Bill |title=Children's TV Workshop Head to Step Down |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/31/arts/children-s-tv-workshop-head-to-step-down.html |access-date=21 November 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=31 July 1990 |archive-date=27 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127191408/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/31/arts/children-s-tv-workshop-head-to-step-down.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Workshop had a reorganization in 1995, and dismissed about 12 percent of its staff.<ref>O'Dell, p. 76</ref> In 1998, for the first time in the series' history, they accepted funds from corporations for ''Sesame Street'' and its other programs,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brooke |first1=Jill |title='Sesame Street' takes a bow to 30 animated years |url=http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/TV/9811/13/sesame.street/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990128192944/http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/TV/9811/13/sesame.street/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 January 1999 |access-date=21 November 2019 |work=CNN.com |date=13 November 1998}}</ref> a policy criticized by consumer advocate [[Ralph Nader]]. The Workshop defended the acceptance of corporate sponsorship, stating that it compensated for a decrease of government subsidies.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Frankel |first1=Daniel |title=Nader Says "Sesame Street" Sells Out |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/37115/nader-says-sesame-street-sells-out |access-date=21 November 2019 |work=E! News |date=7 October 1998 |archive-date=7 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407063512/https://www.eonline.com/news/37115/nader-says-sesame-street-sells-out |url-status=live }}</ref>
Also in 1998, the CTW invested $25 million in an educational cable channel called [[Noggin (TV channel)|Noggin]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kirchdoerffer |first1=Ed |title=CTW and Nick put heads together to create Noggin |url=http://kidscreen.com/1998/06/01/22207-19980601/ |access-date=21 November 2019 |work=Kidscreen.com |date=1 June 1998 |archive-date=21 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121213359/http://kidscreen.com/1998/06/01/22207-19980601/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Noggin was a joint venture between the CTW and [[Viacom (1952–2006)|Viacom]]'s [[MTV Networks]],<ref>{{cite web|title=The-N.com Terms & Conditions|url=http://www.the-n.com/footerPage.php?ipv_sectionID=46&ipv_articleID=52|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020609152931/http://www.the-n.com/footerPage.php?ipv_sectionID=46&ipv_articleID=52|archive-date=June 9, 2002|work=Noggin LLC|quote=This Site at THE-N.COM is fully controlled and operated by Noggin LLC, a joint venture of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International, Inc., and Sesame Workshop.}}</ref> and it launched on February 2, 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/lucky-children-start-noggin-article-1.825516 |title=A Lucky Few Children Get to Start Using Their Noggin|last=Bianculli|first=David |publisher=[[NY Daily News]] |date=February 2, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102175438/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/lucky-children-start-noggin-article-1.825516|archive-date=November 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Gary Knell]] explained that creating a new channel allowed the CTW to more easily "ensure that our programming gets out there."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1998/11/20/can-elmo-get-along-rugrats/|title=Can Elmo get along with the Rugrats?|first=Joe|last=Flint|date=November 20, 1998|
In 2000, profits earned from the Noggin deal, along with the revenue caused partly by the "Tickle Me Elmo" craze, enabled the CTW to purchase [[The Jim Henson Company]]'s rights to the ''Sesame Street'' Muppets from the German media company [[EM.TV]], which had acquired Henson earlier that year. The transaction, valued at $180 million, also included a small interest Henson had in the Noggin cable channel.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sesame Workshop gains character control from EM.TV |url=https://muppetcentral.com/news/2000/120400.shtml |access-date=21 November 2019 |work=Muppet Central News |date=4 December 2000 |archive-date=17 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817180444/https://muppetcentral.com/news/2000/120400.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Gary Knell stated, "Everyone, most especially the puppeteers, were thrilled that we were able to bring them home. It protected ''Sesame Street'' and allowed our international expansion to continue. Owning these characters has allowed us to maximize their potential. We are now in control of our own destiny".<ref>Davis, p. 348</ref>
| |||