Learn to Read

Format

On Friday, there is a review of each week. The final program reviews the entire series. In every episode (except programs 1, 5, 10, 15 and 30) there is a "Getting Along" segment, either with Sylvia Glover or Jim Johnson (both formerly of WXYZ's Good Afternoon Detroit) as instructors. Also, there's Les the Letter Man and Nancy the Word Woman. Finally, there is Billy Green, referred to as the "Book Guy", telling viewers to get their workbook.

Episode status

While episodes originally consist of a 6-week daily course, some stations air episodes on a less-frequent basis, as little as once a week. New York City PBS station WNET was the final PBS member station to air the show and aired it daily (occasionally twice daily) before pulling it from its lineup in 2009.

The first episode is available on YouTube.

Broadcasts

Initially, Learn To Read was produced solely at WXYZ-TV in Detroit. It was originally offered free to all ABC affiliated television stations in the United States by VP/General Manager Jeanne Findlater, who created the idea and wrote the format. She sold the whole underwriting costs to Chrysler, K-Mart, Kroger, and McDonald's after convincing them that they had to use their commercial time to promote literacy but not their products. On behalf of the station, she got the national Charles W. Scripps Literacy Award which Barbara Bush presented.

Learn To Read was later syndicated to PBS state network Kentucky Educational Television. KET marketed it throughout the United States. In the first broadcast, Findlater scheduled the program at 5:30 am, and at 10:00 am. The idea for the early morning time slot was conceived by Doug Frazier years before. Frazier, then president of the UAW-CIO, urged Findlater to create a literacy series and run it after or before a work-shift. Findlater said ratings for the early morning slot were not available, but many letters sent to her indicated that those viewers did not want their kids to understand they could not read. The series was widely used in prisons. Estimates of total viewership (from 2002) were more than 18 million people.

Cast

• Wally Amos as the host
• Doris Biscoe as a co-instructor
• Charlotte Scot as a co-instructor
• Sylvia Glover as herself, in some Getting Along segments
• Jim Johnson as himself, in some Getting Along segments
• Billy Green as himself
• Les Raebel as Les the Letter Man

Spinoff

In late 1987, KET produced a follow-up series, Another Page, a similar literacy program for intermediate-level readers. That program premiered in February 1988.

Notes

References

References

1. Southard, Jennie. (June 29, 1991). "Enrollment underway for GED; reading programs offered on TV". Williamson Daily News.
2. Risen, Clay. (August 14, 2024). "Wally Amos, Enterprising Creator of Famous Amos Cookies, dies at 88". [[The New York Times]].
3. Buzz Bissinger. (June 1, 2015). "Introducing Caitlyn Jenner".
4. (February 27, 1987). "Newspapers, TV to cooperate in adult literacy campaign". [[Lewiston Daily Sun]].
5. (March 6, 1987). "Kmart store supports 'Year of the Reader'". [[Middlesboro Daily News]].
6. "Radio-Info: "Retro: Montréal/Southern Québec Tues., July 4, 1989", 7/2/2009. (includes listings for WMTW, which carried the program)".
7. ''[[TV Guide]]'', Flint-Lansing Edition, July 28-August 3, 1990.
8. (1987). "Program 16".
9. "PBS Learn to Read Program 01 (FULL)".
10. Embry, Mike. (August 28, 1987). "KET program helps dropouts earn GED". Middlesboro Daily News.