Mayor Bloomberg Gives Go-Ahead for Spanish TV Programming for Kids

With well over a million people speaking Spanish in New York, the recent initiative to offer the first Spanish-language educational TV programming for kids 2-7 years old comes at an appropriate time. NYC TV Kids Presents V-me Niños was recently launched by Mayor Mike Bloomberg; Carmen DiRienzo, the President and CEO of V-me, a national Spanish-language network; and Katherine Oliver, the acting president of the NYC Media group. The programming block, which includes both animated and live-action shows, can be viewed on NYC TV Channel 25, from 7:30 am to 10:00 am, Monday-Friday. Some of the programs include ”Plaza Sesamo” (Yes, it is indeed “Sesame Street,” the classic and much-loved show for preschoolers, and yes, parents have been known to wander in and conveniently “find something that has to be done” while the show is airing as well); “Lazy Town,” a show dedicated to healthy kids that encourages them to eat healthily and to get up and move; “Five Minutes More”/”Cinco Minutas Mas” which features short segments that promote literacy with characters from Jim Henson; and “Bruno & the Banana Bunch,” which highlights a mischievous monkey who helps teach kids numbers, colors and shapes. Three other programs complete the three-and-a-half-hour programming block, a welcome-—and much needed--addition to New York City’s TV options for kids.