In this report, Playback looks at the people and forces involved in the development of three new Canadian kids’ programs and the marketing and merchandising thrusts behind those and some other kids’ properties.

Inside:

Development diaries:

The Charlie Horse Music Pizza p. 24

Zoboomafoo p. 27

Mr. Men p. 29

Treehouse TV p. 26

Wimzie update p. 30

ACT awards approach p. 30

* * *

Given that program hosts are key to gathering young eyeballs, the Alliance for Children and Television is trotting out some of Canada’s kidvid best to lead the 1997 Awards of Excellence ceremony being held Nov. 8.

ytv’s Shaun Majumder (Brainwash) and Scott Yaphe (YTV Achievement Awards), Baton Broadcasting’s Melyssa Ade (Master Control), and tfo’s Alain Boisvert and Stephanie Broschart (Mega tfo) will take the stage as the judges’ selection are announced at the cbc’s Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.

Tracking the regional representation of submissions for an Award of Excellence merit, in 1997 act is recording 33 entries from Ontario, five from the West, one from Atlantic Canada and five English-language programs from Quebec.

A sharp drop in submissions from the West is of note, post its high of 35% (23 of 64) of entries in 1995, as is the meager offering from the Atlantic region, which submitted a seven-program high in 1994.

act national director Kealy Wilkinson says the drop in entries from outside Ontario and Quebec is further evidence that children’s production in the regions is waning and brings to the fore concerns from regional producers. Quebec, she notes, is not seeing any growth in production levels and the Atlantic provinces remain low.

The day-long conference will microscope the concerns of children’s program producers, including the regional allocations, via panels and workshops.

Specific to funding, ‘What’s Not Working’ will feature Global Television Network’s Kevin Shea, Annabel Slaight of Owl Television, the crtc’s Peter Fleming, producers Deb Day and Gerri Cook, and a Telefilm Canada representative.

On the agenda will be funding issues for Western Canada-based kids’ producers, whither Telefilm financing, and solutions to regulatory challenges for broadcasters telecasting family and children’s programs.

‘Getting the Best from the Business’ will blue-sky success in the kids’ market in a forum including Nelvana’s Michael Hirsh, KidScreen editor Mark Smyka, Productions sda’s Andre Picard, Groundling Marsh producer Lisa Olfman, and moderated by ytv’s vp, business development Sheldon Teicher. On the table are comparative challenges of pubco and private production companies, the mechanics of moving productions from the French-language market into the English-language market, and the business tricks of the trade.

The conference will wrap with a workshop on scriptwriting for children, helmed by ytv coproduction manager Suzanne French, Sur la piste writer Pierre-Yves Bernard, Sesame Park writer/story editor Jill Golick, and Ian Ritchie, writer/editor of Groundling Marsh, Mrs. Cherrywinkle and Max the Cat.

The Alliance’s Outstanding Contribution Award this year goes to the Shaw Children’s Programming Initiative, launched in 1994 by Shaw Communications, and Quebec tv writer Michele Poirier, whose script credits include La Maison de Ouimzie, Passe-partout and Pin-Pon.

In fiscal ’95/96, the $10-million top-up Shaw Fund committed $2,190,728 to kids’ programming and the second component, the $17.5 million Dr. Geoffrey R. Conway Fund (aimed at preschool and early elementary school programming), committed $1,414,661 for a total investment of $3,607,139 in 30 tv projects and $68,000 in 11 special project grants. The Shaw Fund supported 10 series and the Conway Fund 14. Between 1994 and 1996, scpi has funded 58 kids’ shows for a total of $7,117,704.

Also among the feted this year is Nelvana, which will receive the English Lifetime Achievement Award.

The French Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Quebec costume designer Christiane Chartier, the creative force behind the costumes in the hit series Bobino, La Boite a surprise and Betes pas betes.

The 2nd annual Children’s Choice Award is being selected via a national poll on the Media Awareness Network’s Internet site.