The Electric Company

Remember The Electric Company? It was one of my favorites when I was stationed in front of the TV in the seventies.

Well, it's back! According to the press release, "Delivering a jolt of literacy, TV's iconic series The Electric Company has been recharged for today's child."

Targeting kids ages six to nine, and with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Department of Education, today's The Electric Company carries the same goal of the original series, combating the literacy crisis facing America's second graders, but is re-energized to recognize the media-driven generation of today.

It will air Fridays at 4:00 p.m. beginning January 23 on WKNO. It will launch with a two-hour premiere stunt on Monday, January 19, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. as well.

The show will be supplemented with a richly interactive online environment at pbskidsgo.org and community-based outreach activities taking place in 20 cities across the country.

The cast of characters of The Electric Company is a group of do-gooders who keep the neighborhood safe with their literacy super-powers, and who solve problems often created by a group called "The Pranksters."

Teaching letter sounds and words through a series of short films that occur within the episodes is Vocal Percussionist, Chris Sullivan, who plays "Norbert de Shock," more commonly known as "Shock," an Electric Company member who works in the diner and provides the beat as the Company carries out its missions.

The Electric Company platforms will focus initially on TV, outreach, and broadband, but will extend over time to include books and other print materials, portable media, hand-held and console games.

The Electric Company is part of PBS KIDS Raising Readers, a national literacy initiative focused on using public media to improve the reading skills for children ages two to eight. PBS KIDS Raising Readers is funded by a Ready To Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.