LeVar Burton Joins JuniorNet Online Service for Kids.Business/Technology Editors BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2000 Child Advocate other uses of Child advocacy The Child Advocate is a child advocacy network and resource group in the United States. Their mission is to serve the needs of children, families and professionals while addressing mental health, medical, educational, legal, and legislative and Host of Public Television's Reading Rainbow to Promote Online Safety and Technology Literacy for Children JuniorNet Corporation, a leading children's new media company, today announced that LeVar Burton Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957, in Landstuhl, West Germany), professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an actor, director and author who first came to prominence playing Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award winning television miniseries Roots , host and co-executive producer of the Emmy-award-winning PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, children's television series Children's television series are television programs designed for and marketed to children, normally aired during the morning and afternoon hours, mainly before and after school. Reading Rainbow(R), has been named company spokesperson. In promoting the JuniorNet Online Service, Burton will work in conjunction with public television stations nationwide to advance public awareness of children's online safety and technology literacy. This news follows JuniorNet's announcement last month of a breakthrough partnership with public television networks nationwide. Already, Maryland Public Broadcasting public broadcasting: see broadcasting. Foundation, Inc. (MPBFI), Nebraskans for Public Television, Inc. (NPTV) and South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. Educational Communications, Inc. (SCEC SCEC Southern California Earthquake Center SCEC Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children (now Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) SCEC Sunrise County Economic Council SCEC Small Computer Engineering Center ) have agreed to take advantage of the unique opportunity to provide promotion, distribution and outreach services for the JuniorNet Online Service to schools and homes. The JuniorNet Online Service offers award-winning content from such trusted children's media as Highlights for Children(R), Weekly Reader(TM), Ranger Rick Ranger Rick is a children's nature magazine published in the United States by the Education Department of the National Wildlife Federation[1] Its first issue was published in January, 1967. (R), Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated is the largest weekly American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the country. for Kids(R), Zillions(R) (produced by Consumer Reports(R)) and Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House Bear in the Big Blue House is a television program for young children produced for the Disney Channel by The Jim Henson Company. The program taught simple life lessons by following the title character and his puppet friends as they went through their day. (R). As spokesperson, Burton will play an integral role in JuniorNet's strategy to leverage the power of public television to deliver the subscription-based service to schools and homes nationwide. "Over the course of my career, I have never endorsed a single product," said Burton. "With JuniorNet, I have found something that I truly believe in. The JuniorNet Online Service offers the highest-quality content for children, as well as the interactivity and excitement of the Internet in the safest online environment." In addition to Burton's award-winning work as an actor, director, producer and author, Burton is a devoted father and children's advocate. For the past 17 years, Burton has been host and co-executive producer of the Emmy-award-winning PBS children's television series Reading Rainbow, which encourages literacy and a love of reading in children. Burton has often been honored for his role in promoting children's literacy. "JuniorNet searched for a spokesperson closely affiliated with children's education and entertainment, and with LeVar we have found a perfect fit," said Gerard Yetming, executive vice president of JuniorNet Corporation. "Our relationship with LeVar is an essential step in the company's strategy to deliver quality children's content to homes and schools, particularly through our unprecedented partnerships with public television stations nationwide. LeVar stands for family, education, strong values and quality children's entertainment. It is a pleasure to welcome him to the JuniorNet family." Burton will host a conference call today, July 12, 2000, from 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. EST to discuss this announcement and answer questions. Reporters and editors are invited to participate. To access the call, dial 1-877-471-4108. The code is 1996# and the moderator is Kevin Kuryla. About JuniorNet JuniorNet Corporation, a leading children's new media company, is dedicated to nurturing young minds with the highest-quality children's content in the safest possible advertising-free environment. JuniorNet's flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. , the JuniorNet Online Service, offers games, stories, activities and creativity tools from such trusted children's media as Highlights for Children, Ranger Rick, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Zillions (produced by Consumer Reports) and Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House. JuniorNet's technology combines the safety and rich multimedia images and sound of a CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). with the excitement and interactivity of the Internet. Through an online connection, JuniorNet regularly updates its content, eliminating the need for parents to constantly purchase new CD-ROMs. Parents pay a low monthly membership fee of $9.95 for the Online Service. As a complement to the Online Service, the JuniorNet Web site (www.juniornet.com) offers parents and other adults a trusted resource for advice and information concerning kids and the Internet. The Web site also includes the JuniorNet Online Store, which offers educational and age-appropriate children's products that encourage interactive learning and fun beyond the computer. JuniorNet also produces television programming related to its online content through its subsidiary, Emmy-award-winning Lancit Media Entertainment Ltd. JuniorNet is one of the first new media companies to create television programming based on its broadband-style online content. Founded in 1996, JuniorNet has 130 employees in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , San Francisco and its Boston headquarters. For more information or to order a JuniorNet CD, visit the company Web site at www.juniornet.com. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion