Pushed by FCC, Kids’ Shows Get a New Look : Television: Makers shape new, nonfiction programs in response to the federal TV act.

What happens when a Twinkie gets overdosed in a microwave?

As viewers of a new “educational” TV show for kids will soon find out, the confection quickly turns into a smoldering blob of charcoal.

The creators of “Not Just News” and several similar series premiering this fall are gambling that children’s curiosity about such bizarre stunts will draw them to programming calculated to enlighten as well as entertain.

“We think the best way to get kids interested in news is to first draw them in with fun stuff, then teach them something,” explains Tom Herwitz, acting executive producer of Fox’s “Not Just News” and general manager of Fox-owned WTTG-TV in Washington. He maintains that a visual gimmick like zapping a Twinkie can be used to illustrate important scientific principles, such as how agitated molecules create heat.

“Not Just News,” which debuts Saturday at 11:30 a.m. over KTTV Channel 11, might be described as a kind of “Mr. Wizard” meets “Nightline,” by way of MTV. In one segment, host Steve Doocy estimates how many McDonald’s hamburgers it would take to equal the weight of a brontosaurus.

Herwitz came up with the idea for “Not Just News” several years ago, but the concept gathered dust until the Federal Communications Commission last April ordered TV stations to either improve their service to children or face revocation of their licenses. Under terms of the Children’s Television Act, which goes into effect Oct. 1, all commercial TV outlets must air an unspecified amount of “educational and informational” programming for viewers under 16 and observe strict advertising guidelines aimed at reducing the influence of toy manufacturers in shows aimed at children under 12.

“I and my colleagues at Twentieth Television (Fox’s syndication arm) feel this is exactly the kind of series the FCC had in mind when it increased broadcaster obligations to kids,” declares Herwitz. “You can either do a show that is totally pro-social and that nobody watches,” Herwitz believes, “or you can make it colorful and exaggerated, while at the same time sneaking in some educational elements. This is exactly what we’re trying to do.”

A similar rationale is invoked by the producers of “Way Cool,” a sort of “Saturday Night Live” for the elementary school set that premieres Sept. 29 on KCOP Channel 13. The series uses sketch comedy--along with weekly appearances by a live gerbil named Jerome and a resident rap duo called Partners in Kryme--to explore such common childhood traumas as “bad hair on picture day,” sibling rivalry and extemporaneous public speaking.

“We’re trying to help kids deal with the everyday trials and tribulations of growing up,” says Todd Kessler, co-executive producer of “Way Cool” for Scholastic Inc., one of the largest providers of educational materials to schools. Kessler sees the show as an antidote to the kind of derisive put-down humor he feels now pervades sitcoms, cartoons and other programs favored by children.

“I’m convinced that you can still make kids laugh without making somebody the butt of a joke,” Kessler insists, adding that “Way Cool’s” emphasis is on a light-hearted approach to universal themes rather than current events. “We want to promote the kinds of values we all grew up with--involving friendship, family relationships, responsibility and respect for one’s community and country.”

The series is distributed by Group W Productions, the Westinghouse subsidiary that also syndicates “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” one of Saturday morning’s biggest hits. Group W Productions President Derk Zimmerman ordered “Way Cool” into development last year when it became clear that members of Congress were upset about a perceived decline in the quality of children’s TV. (The FCC’s April 9 order basically rubber-stamped legislation that was approved by Congress last November and allowed to become law by President Bush.)

“Our program conforms to the most conservative interpretation of the new rules,” believes Richard Sheingold, Group W’s senior vice president for marketing and sales. “There’s no question that (‘Way Cool’) is educational.”

The same contention is made by the producers of several other new weekly live-action series that have cropped up as a direct response to the Children’s TV Act.

“Wide World of Kids” is a syndicated magazine from Goodman Entertainment that profiles interesting kids from all walks of life, co-hosted by Jason Hervey of ABC’s “Wonder Years.” Goodman’s companion series is “K-TV,” built around issue-oriented discussions hosted by Molly Barber, formerly of “Romper Room and Friends.” The shows debut Saturday at 6:30 and 6 a.m., respectively, on KNBC Channel 4. Also in syndication and not yet scheduled for airing in Los Angeles are “The Spacewatch Club,” made in association with NASA, which doles out astrophysical facts as it follows four youngsters through space fantasy adventures, and “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” described by producer Dan Merchant “as a king of sitcom with science demonstrations.”

Also subject to the FCC’s regulations are cable operators, who can choose from several “educational” kids shows now on the market. Nickelodeon is already airing news shorts presented by Linda Ellerbee, and the former NBC and ABC anchor will appear in and produce three “Nickelodeon Special Edition” reports beginning this fall.

Judging from the high level of interest in such shows, stations are indeed taking their obligations seriously, although there is some confusion because neither Congress nor the FCC provided a precise definition of what constitutes “educational and informational” programming.

There is also some anger about the whole idea.

“There’s a paternalistic flavor to this ruling that suggests we need the government and not parents deciding what and how much TV our kids should watch,” says Rick Kaplar, vice president of the Media Institute, a Washington think tank that has called for judicial review of the legislation. “I think (the Children’s TV Act) goes beyond the First Amendment and don’t believe it would stand up to a challenge on that basis.”

Although briefs of protest have been filed with the FCC by several journalists’ groups worried about the law’s free-speech implications, no one has taken the act to court, and even the National Assn. of Broadcasters now endorses it.

But Fox’s Herwitz believes advocates of the Children’s TV Act had a valid criticism. “There have always been shows for preschoolers on the air like ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘Captain Kangaroo,’ ” he says. “What’s been needed are nonfiction, reality-based programs for 6- to 11-year-olds, which is what we’re providing.”

Of course, the producers of such programming are not completely altruistic. Scholastic, for example, is orchestrating a major cross-promotion campaign that links “Way Cool” with its curriculum materials and many of its 36 magazines.

FCC officials warn that they will zealously enforce the new rules, and a Washington-based watchdog group has been formed to oversee compliance on behalf of consumers. The Center for Media Education, headed by media consultant and former UCLA communications professor Kathryn Montgomery, launched the Campaign for Kids TV to generate “a more diverse range of programs for children.”

According to Montgomery, her group will take “direct action” this fall in a bid to get parents, educators and civic leaders more involved in children’s television, through face-to-face negotiations with broadcasters, program producers and advertisers. Groups committed to the campaign include the American Academy of Pediatrics, National PTA, Action for Children’s Television and the Children’s Defense Fund.