"Reading Rainbow" is back with new host, celeb guests
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Actor LeVar Burton at the Apple Store Soho in 2012 to present a "Reading Rainbow" app. Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images
One of the most popular PBS shows is back with fresh episodes, a new host and celebs spreading some literacy love.
Why it matters: "Reading Rainbow" emerged as one of public television's most viewed programs and it's returning some two months after Congress voted to cut nearly $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides critical support to PBS and NPR.
Driving the news: "Reading Rainbow" announced in social media posts Monday that it's returning with host Mychal Threets, aka Mychal the Librarian, and a cadre of celebrity guests including Chrissy Teigen, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Gabrielle Union.
How to watch: The new "Reading Rainbow" will debut at 7am PST/10am Saturday ET on KidZuko as a four-episode short-form run.
- New episodes will premiere each Saturday through Oct. 25, a spokesperson for the show tells Axios.
- The shows will also be on ReadingRainbow.org.
Fun fact: Mychal the Librarian rose to prominence on TikTok and Instagram with his love of libraries and upbeat attitude.
Flashback: Buffalo Toronto Public Media (BTPM) launched the show in 1983 as a fun way to motivate kids to read and encourage literacy at home. It was also launched to help mitigate summer learning loss.
- It was partially funded by a grant from the Education Department and was broadcast until 2009.
- Each episode was guided by the cool, calm stewardship of actor LeVar Burton, who had starred in "Roots" a few years before "Reading Rainbow."
Between the lines: PBS distributed the show, which was produced by Buffalo Toronto Public Media (BTPM) and Nebraska Public Media.
- The new iteration is a co-production between Embassy Row and Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
By the numbers: "Reading Rainbow" won a George Foster Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards.
- An average 670,000 people watched per week and approximately 10 million students viewed the show at school, according to The show's Website.
- Over half a million copies of "Reading Rainbow" episodes have been sold since 1995.
What we're watching: Whether the catchy theme with stellar synth will return.
