CHILDREN’S TELEVISION GROUP PRESENTS AWARDS

Action for Children’s Tele vision, presenting its 13th annual achievement awards, said federal deregulation of the TV industry is removing pressure from stations to produce quality shows for children.

“Most commercial broadcasters have abandoned their public-service obligations where children are concerned,” said ACT President Peggy Charren, referring to relaxed government standards for programming.

“At a time when more than 30 syndicated programs have been developed by toy companies to promote their toy lines,” she said, “there is little incentive for commercial TV stations to provide locally produced shows for young people. In fact, only two such local programs are being honored here today.”

Those two programs were “The Story Lady” by WNEV-TV in Boston and “High School Yearbook Special” by WCCO-TV in Minneapolis.

Other awards for commercial television programs were to CBS Entertainment for “CBS Schoolbreak Specials” and “Pryor’s Place.”

Awards to public broadcasting stations went to the Bank Street College of Education for “The Voyage of the Mimi”; Children’s Television Workshop for “3-2-1 Contact”; KTCA-TV, Minneapolis, for “Newton’s Apple,” and WQED, Pittsburgh, for “Wonderworks.”

Cable shows cited were the Disney Channel’s “The Edison Twins”; Home Box Office’s “Braingames” and “Fraggle Rock”; Nickelodeon’s “Belle and Sebastian,” and Samaritan Health Services’ “Just for Kids.”