Creating Reading Rainbow

It was a simple question “Reading Rainbow” creator Tony Buttino posed over 45 years ago at WNED-TV in Buffalo. Yet not even he could imagine the ripple effects it would have.

In their new book, “Creating Reading Rainbow: The Untold Story of a Beloved Children's Series,” authors Barbara Irwin, Tony Buttino and Pam Johnson share the extraordinary journey of the small local team that worked to bring a historic series to life.

Johnson, executive director of the Ready To Learn Initiative at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, began her career with WNED-TV in Buffalo as a station intern, charged with overseeing the production of the “Reading Rainbow” kid book reviews.

Writer note: She’s been overseeing me for many years too, love you, Mom.

Irwin, a recently retired Canisius University professor, worked as a “Reading Rainbow” project assistant during its infancy. She’s been spearheading the development of their book alongside Buttino since 2004.

“In terms of media history, it’s a story that hasn't been told,” says Irwin. “It’s the story of the grassroots work that was being done in Buffalo, at WNED, by Tony and his team, to create something that would be meaningful and important in the lives of children.”

Where it all began

“It was a parent’s instinct,” says Buttino, who, back in the ’70s, was ideating ways to address the summer loss phenomenon, the significant decline in children’s academic skills that can occur during the summer vacation period. “The kids weren't reading enough, and I really said, ‘I know television can do something about this.’”

Buttino began his career in 1959 as a volunteer cameraman for the area’s new education station, WNED-TV Channel 17. In 1965, he was asked to take an interim position as the station's instructional television (ITV) coordinator, tasked with the challenge of using television in the classroom.

“I remember calling my first ITV steering committee meeting. I’m pretty sure everyone only came for the free coffee and doughnuts,” laughs Buttino. “But one of the first things I did was I surveyed this group of about 15 administrators, supporters of WNED-TV, and I remember Seymour Ables of Buffalo Public Schools said, ‘You know, nobody ever asked us these questions before.’”

Buttino would go on to spend over a decade continuing to learn about teachers’ needs and exploring ways television could benefit the classroom with ITV.

TV-to-reading pipeline

By the 1970s, the educational television movement was growing. Shows like “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood” and “Sesame Street” were created, as was the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Buttino’s instincts to combine television and reading were growing too.

In 1978, he created a “TV for Learning Reading Week” for WNED-TV, testing his theory by distributing more than 1,500 pieces of associated literature to participating teachers and families planning to watch the programs. With an overwhelmingly positive response, more meetings were held, inspiring what would drive Buttino’s focus to bridge the summer reading gap: using TV to motivate young people to read, therefore creating better readers.

While producing a show themselves wasn’t within their budget then, Buttino began researching existing programs they could use for further case-making.

Meanwhile, he began to write down elements for the kind of show he thought could encourage children to read: a Mister Rogers-like host (no silly costumes), field trips, children’s stories and book reviews.

Buttino gave his then-intern, Debi Dennis, an assignment to think more about what this show could look like, and she created an idea for its title: “Reading Rainbow,” inspired by the idiom of a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. It stuck.

Rainbow unveiled

Over the next five years, in collaboration with educators, librarians and his network of TV colleagues, Buttino would go on to test three more summer reading programs: “Studio See,” “Ride The Reading Rocket,” and “Television Library Club.” All led to the idea and proposal to produce “Reading Rainbow.”

Finally, the team received $60,000 in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to create the pilot, with a full match from Kellogg Company.

They partnered with Cecily Truett as producer and her husband Larry Lancit as director to bring the show and vision to life. The pair would cast its iconic host LeVar Burton and select Steve Horelick as the composer for the memorable theme song, sung by Tina Fabrique.

“We didn't set out to say we're going to build this phenomenal show,” says co-author Johnson. “We just knew we were on an important path. We knew there was more we needed to do. So, we just kind of naturally kept going.”

After many years of dedication, the first episode of “Reading Rainbow” premiered on July 11, 1983. It went on to become one of PBS’s most successful and beloved shows—winning 26 Emmys, a Peabody Award and capturing 6.5 million viewers—thanks in part to the Buffalo team that paved the way.

“Creating Reading Rainbow: The Untold Story of a Beloved Children’s Series” publishes on June 18 and is available for preorder now wherever books are sold.