WASHINGTON - Citing evidence that television viewing before bed undermines healthy
sleep habits, advocates for children are urging PBS KIDS Sprout to stop packaging
its evening programming as The Good Night Show.  In a letter
to Sprout President Sandy Wax, the Campaign for a
Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness
wrote, "there is no justification for luring preschoolers to the Good Night Show by implying to their
parents that the show will help children get ready for bed."

The Good Night Show,
which airs every evening from six to nine on Sprout, consists of popular
cartoons like Thomas the Tank Engine
and The Berenstain Bears,
interspersed with original sleep-themed content.  The original segments feature
Nina, the host, and a puppet named Star, who take on the role of parent and
child respectively.  Sprout claims The
Good Night Show "helps preschoolers wind down
after a busy day."

"Parents trust that programming on PBS and its affiliated
networks will be beneficial to children," said CCFC's Director Dr. Susan Linn.  "Sprout is exploiting that
trust by implying that its programming will ease children into sleep when
research suggests that screen time before bed undermines healthy sleep
habits."

For children three years and younger, television viewing is associated
with irregular sleep patterns.   Studies have also found that older
children who watched TV at bedtime were more likely to have difficulty
sleeping.  The Good Night Show may
also have the unfortunate consequence of encouraging parents to put televisions
in children's bedrooms, a practice which has been linked childhood
obesity and poor academic performance.   The National Sleep
Foundation calls television a "sleep stealer" and urges parents to
avoid making television a part of their bedtime routine. 

"Putting a baby or young child to
sleep is a time when bonding takes place and we should not be lulled into
believing that television or computers make that process better," said Robert Kesten, Executive Director for the Center for
SCREEN-TIME Awareness.   "Screens cannot and should not replace
time that a parent or loved one spends with a child.   When
television programmers and marketers assume that they know more than doctors
and educators about what is best for our nation's children, we all lose."

Instead of helping with the transition to
bedtime, The Good Night Show
seems intent on keeping children glued to Sprout.  During the February 23^rd
show, for instance, thirty-five ads for Sprout programming and
its website, www.Sproutonline.com
ran during The Good Night Show. 
Twice during that show, Star
successfully lobbied Nina to stay up longer.  After Star finally went to
sleep at 8:40, Nina introduced
the next cartoon by telling viewers, "If it's not
your bedtime yet, let's see who's here to play with us." 
At the show's conclusion, an ad exhorted children to "Get on your
way.  Get your dad.  Get your mom.  Go to
Sproutonline.com.  For the perfect way to wind down your day, join Nina
and Star from The Good Night Show." 

"It is disturbing that that even as late as 9:00 p.m. - after three hours of
television viewing - Sprout would encourage its preschool audience to ask
parents for even more screen time." said Dr. Linn.  "At a time
when everyone from public health advocates to President Obama is encouraging parents
to turn off screens, a network that benefits from public financing shouldn't
be promoting its brand at the expense of children's sleep."

Added Kesten, "It is disappointing when well respected brands do
not provide the information parents and caregivers need to make
educated decisions about using that product or watching that program. 
This is the case with Sprout TV and The Good
Night Show."

The complete text of the letter can be found at http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/pdf/lettertosprout.pdf.