Sesame Workshop: Difference between revisions

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| caption = Logo used since 2018

| leader_name2 = SteveSherrie YoungwoodWestin

| subsidiaries = Sesame Street Inc,<br /> Sesame Workshop Communications Inc,<br /> Sesame Workshop Initiatives India PLC,<br /> SS Brand Management Shanghai

'''Sesame Workshop, Inc.''' ('''SW'''), originally known as the '''Children's Television Workshop, Inc.''' ('''CTW'''), is an American [[nonprofit organization]] that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-known, ''[[Sesame Street]]''—that have been televised internationally. Television producer [[Joan Ganz Cooney]] and foundation executive [[Lloyd Morrisett]] developed the idea to form an organization to produce ''Sesame Street'', a television series which would help children, especially those from low-income families, prepare for school. They spent two years, from 1966 to 1968, researching, developing, and raising money for the new series. Cooney was named as the Workshop's first executive director, which was termed "one of the most important television developments of the decade."<ref name="davis125126" />

''Sesame Street'' premiered on [[National Educational Television]] (NET) as a series run in the United States on November 10, 1969, and moved to NET's successor, the Public Broadcasting Service ([[PBS]]), in late 1970. The Workshop was formally incorporated in 1970. [[Gerald S. Lesser]] and [[Edward L. Palmer]] were hired to perform research for the series; they were responsible for developing a system of planning, production, and evaluation, and the interaction between television producers and educators, later termed the "CTW model". TheyThe alsoCTW hiredapplied athis staffsystem ofto producersits andother writers.television Afterseries, the initial success ofincluding ''Sesame[[The StreetElectric Company]]'', they began to plan for its continued survival, which included procuring additional sources of funding and creating''[[3-2-1 other television seriesContact]]''. The early 1980s were a challenging period for the Workshop; difficulty finding audiences for their other productions and a series of bad investments harmed the organization until licensing agreements stabilized its revenues by 1985.

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 Workshop invested $25 million in the cable channel [[Noggin (TV channel)|Noggin]], initiated in 1999 by the Workshop and [[Nickelodeon]].<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> In 2000, the profit the CTW earned from the deal, along with its 1998 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>

The 2008–2009 recession, which resulted in budget reductions for many nonprofit arts organizations, severely affected the organization; in 2009, it had to dismiss 20% of its staff.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Guernsey |first1=Lisa |title=How Sesame Street Changed the World |url=https://www.newsweek.com/how-sesame-street-changed-world-80067 |access-date=22 November 2019 |work=Newsweek |date=22 May 2009 |archive-date=10 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210010326/https://www.newsweek.com/how-sesame-street-changed-world-80067 |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite earning about $100 million from licensing revenue, royalties, and foundation and government funding in 2012, the Workshop's total revenue was down 15% and its operating loss doubled to $24.3 million. In 2013, it responded by dismissing 10% of its staff, saying that it was necessary to "strategically focus" their resources because of "today's rapidly changing digital environment".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Isidore |first1=Chris |title=Layoffs hit Sesame Street |url=https://money.cnn.com/2013/06/26/news/companies/sesame-street-layoff/ |access-date=22 November 2019 |work=CNN Money. |date=26 June 2013 |archive-date=23 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123005027/https://money.cnn.com/2013/06/26/news/companies/sesame-street-layoff/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2011, Knell left Sesame Workshop to become the chief executive of [[NPR|National Public Radio]] (NPR).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kahana |first1=Menahem |title=Gary Knell named chief of NPR |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/media/story/2011-10-02/npr-new-ceo/50637472/1 |access-date=22 November 2019 |work=USA Today |date=2 October 2011 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305064833/http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/story/2011-10-02/npr-new-ceo/50637472/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[H. Melvin Ming]], who had been the organization's chief financial officer since 1999 and chief operating officer since 2002, was named as his replacement.<ref>{{cite press release |last=Westin |first= Sherrie |date= 3 October 2011 |title= Sesame Workshop Appoints H. Melvin Ming as President and CEO |url=http://www.sesameworkshop.org/newsandevents/pressreleaes/mel_ming_ceo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226173204/http://www.sesameworkshop.org/newsandevents/pressreleaes/mel_ming_ceo |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 December 2011 |location= New York |publisher= Sesame Workshop |access-date= 22 November 2019}}</ref> In 2014, H. Melvin Ming retired and was succeeded by former HIT Entertainment and Nickelodeon executive [[Jeffrey D. Dunn|Jeffery D. Dunn]]. Dunn's appointment was the first time someone not affiliated with CTW or Sesame Workshop became its manager, although he had associations with the organization previously.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jensen|first1=Elizabeth|title=Jeffrey D. Dunn Named Chief of Sesame Workshop|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/09/business/media/jeffrey-d-dunn-named-chief-of-sesame-workshop.html?_r=1|access-date=22 November 2019|work=The New York Times|date=8 September 2014|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308233517/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/09/business/media/jeffrey-d-dunn-named-chief-of-sesame-workshop.html?_r=1|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, Dunn retired and was replaced by [[Sherrie Rollins Westin]], who had served as president of SW's Social Impact and Philanthropy Division for six years.<ref>{{cite press release |last1=Fishman |first1= Lizzie |last2=Greenberg| first2= Courtney |date= 27 October 2020 |title= Sesame Workshop Announces Leadership Transition, Effective January 1, 2021 |url= https://www.sesameworkshop.org/press-room/press-releases/sesame-workshop-announces-leadership-transition-effective-january-1-2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417015333/https://www.sesameworkshop.org/press-room/press-releases/sesame-workshop-announces-leadership-transition-effective-january-1-2021 |archive-date=17 April 2021 |location= New York |publisher= Sesame Workshop |access-date= 1 January 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Jim Henson (1989) headshot.jpg|left|thumb|upright|alt=A tall, thin man in his early fifties, with salty-gray hair and a full beard, and wearing a tuxedo.|[[Jim Henson]], creator of [[the Muppets]], in 1989]]