For Immediate Release
September 1, 2009
WordWorld Wins Two Emmy® Awards as Outstanding Children's Animated Program and for Outstanding Writing in Animation at 36th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards
WordWorld from WTTWNational Productions, is seen locally in Chicago on WTTW11 at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Monday - Friday
Chicago, IL and New York, NY - (September 1, 2009) – WordWorld, the innovative animated television series which empowers preschoolers to read, was honored Saturday evening by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) with two Emmy® Awards at its 36th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Award event in Los Angeles.
The national public television series, which airs Monday through Friday on PBS Kids®, was named Outstanding Children's Animated Program as well as being honored for Outstanding Writing in Animation.
This is the second consecutive year that NATAS members have honored WordWorld. In the 2007-08 season, the show was awarded its first Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Design.
"We are bursting with pride for executive producer and co-creator Don Moody and head writer and co-creator Jacqueline Moody as well as all our WordWorld colleagues," said Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO, 4Kids Entertainment, which serves as global licensing agent for the property.
"For decades parents and caregivers have trusted public television for quality children's programming. We build on that tradition with WordWorld, and we are so pleased that the program was recognized in these two prestigious categories. In today's crowded media environment, it is even more challenging to communicate with children – in innovative ways that not only entertain, but also educate," said Dan Schmidt, President & CEO of WTTW Chicago.
New episodes of the national PBS Kids® series begin airing on September 7th. Please check local public television listings.
Honorees of the two 2008-09 Emmy Awards for WordWorld:
Outstanding Children's Animated Program
DON MOODY, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
SUE HOLLENBERG, SUPERVISING PRODUCER
TYLER BUNCH, PRODUCER
JACQUELINE MOODY, PRODUCER
OLEXA HEWRYK, PRODUCER
ALEX KAY, PRODUCER
Outstanding Writing in Animation
JACQUELINE MOODY, HEAD WRITER
JILL COZZA-TURNER, WRITER
ROBERT VARGAS, WRITER
MARTHA ATWATER, WRITER
KEN OLSHANSKY, WRITER
ERIC WEIL, WRITER
DAN DANKO, WRITER
TOM K. MASON, WRITER
Praised by critics, educators and parents alike, the multimedia preschool property playfully brings words to life through an innovative methodology that embeds words into the objects they represent, resulting in easier word recognition for children. The groundbreaking series incorporates television, learning products and interactive resources to encourage literacy in children.
Since its launch on PBS KIDS® in July 2007, WordWorld has earned accolades from both critics and viewers. The series has earned three Emmy Awards, a Parent's Choice Gold Award, and has received glowing reviews by critics including an "A-" by Entertainment Weekly, which credited the series with demonstrating that "television can still be a valuable learning tool." Airing in over 97% of the U.S. via public television, WordWorld introduces viewers to a word-rich world populated by hundreds of lively, fun-loving WordFriends, characters and things that are created by the letters that represent them. WordWorld is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Education as part of the "Ready to Learn" literacy initiative and has been proven by third party testing to improve early literacy skills.
More information about WordWorld, complete episode descriptions, resources, graphic tools and much more can be accessed at the PBS Pressroom or at WordWorld.com/presskit.
About WordWorld, LLC
WordWorld's parent company Word World, LLC is part of the Ready To Learn Partnership (RTLP), a public-private consortium awarded a five-year, multi-million dollar grant by the U.S. Department of Education. Additional members of the consortium include Chicago PBS member station WTTW (WTTW National Productions) and the Michael Cohen Group, an international research firm responsible for formative and summative testing of the show.
About PBS KIDS and PBS Kids GO!
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, are committed to providing the highest quality non-commercial content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age-appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online, PBS KIDS GO! Online, PBS Parents, PBS Teachers, PBS Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 355 public television stations, serving nearly 73 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.
About WTTWNational Productions
WTTW National Productions is a premier producer and presenter of original, high-quality television programs for both public and commercial television broadcast. WTTW National Productions is a division of Window to the World Communications, Inc., the parent company of WTTW11 Chicago, the nation's most-watched public television station. For more than 50 years, WTTW11 and WTTW National Productions have introduced a wide array of ground-breaking television programming – reflecting the world's rich and diverse arts and entertainment scene as well as education, politics, public affairs, business, and religion – to a national audience. Its landmark innovative series and original productions include the critically-acclaimed performance showcases Soundstage and Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis; Grannies on Safari; CEO Exchange; MEXICO–One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless and David Broza at Masada:The Sunrise Concert. WordWorld is the first of four children's properties to come from the Ready to Learn Partnership, a creative consortium that includes WTTW National Productions and Word World, LLC.
About 4Kids Entertainment, Inc.
With U.S. headquarters in New York City, regional offices for its trading card business in San Diego, California and international offices in London, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE) is a global organization devoted to the creation, development, production, broadcasting, distribution, licensing and manufacturing of children's entertainment products.
Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, 4Kids produces animated television series and films, distributes 4Kids' produced or licensed animated television series for the domestic and international television and home video markets, licenses merchandising rights worldwide to 4Kids' owned or represented properties, and operates Web sites to support 4Kids' owned or represented properties. Through its majority-owned trading card company and Web site company, 4Kids produces and markets collectible trading card games. Additionally, 4Kids programs and sells the national advertising time in "TheCW4Kids" five-hour Saturday children's television morning block on The CW television network. Additional information is available on the 4kidsentertainment.com corporate Web site and at the 4kids.tv game station site. |
