Editing Sesame Workshop (section)

=== Early years ===
During the second season of ''Sesame Street'', to capitalize on the momentum the Workshop was enjoying and the attention it received from the press, the Workshop created its second series, ''[[The Electric Company]]'', in 1971. Morrisett used the same fund-acquisition techniques as he had used for ''Sesame Street''.<ref>Davis, p. 216</ref> ''The Electric Company'' stopped production in 1977, but continued in reruns until 1985; it eventually became one of the most widely used TV shows in American classrooms<ref name="wershba-6" /><ref name="odell-75">O'Dell, p. 75</ref> and was [[The Electric Company (2009 TV series)|revived in 2009]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Michael |title=PBS Revives a Show That Shines a Light on Reading |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/arts/television/12elec.html?_r=2&sq=The%20Electric%20Company%20revival&st=cse&oref=slogin&scp=1&pagewanted=all |access-date=20 November 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=12 May 2008 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403010236/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/arts/television/12elec.html?_r=2&sq=The%20Electric%20Company%20revival&st=cse&oref=slogin&scp=1&pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref>  Starting in the early 1970s, the Workshop ventured into adult programming, but found that it was difficult to make their programs accessible to all socio-economic groups.<ref name="wershba-5"/>  In 1971, it produced a medical program for adults termed ''Feelin' Good'', hosted by [[Dick Cavett]], which was broadcast on public television until 1974. According to writer Cary O'Dell, the show "lacked a clear direction and never found a large audience".<ref>O'Dell, p. 74</ref> In 1977, the Workshop broadcast an adult drama called ''Best of Families'', which was set in New York City around the turn of the 20th century. However, it lasted for only six or seven episodes and helped the Workshop decide to emphasize children's programs only.<ref name="wershba-5">{{cite AV media | people =Shirley Wershba (host) | date =27 April 1998 | title ="Joan Ganz Cooney, Part 5" | medium = video clip | url = https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/joan-ganz-cooney#interview-clips | access-date = 20 November 2019 | publisher =Archive of American Television}}</ref>

[[File:CTW (1983).svg|thumb|The Children's Television Workshop logo from 1983 to 1997.]]
Throughout the 1970s, the CTW's main non-television efforts changed from promotion to the development of educational materials for preschool settings.<ref>Yotive and Fisch, pp. 181–182</ref> Early efforts included mobile viewing units that broadcast the show in the inner cities, in [[Appalachia]], in [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] communities, and in [[migrant worker]] camps.<ref>Gikow, pp. 282–283</ref> In the early 1980s, the CTW created the Preschool Education Program (PEP), whose goal was to assist preschools, by combining television viewing, books, hands-on activities, and other media, in using the series as an educational resource.<ref>Yotive and Fisch, pp. 182–183</ref> The Workshop also provided materials to non-English speaking children and adults. Starting in 2006, the Workshop expanded its programs by creating a series of PBS specials and DVDs largely concerning how military deployment affects the families of soldiers.<ref>Gikow, pp. 280–281</ref> Other efforts by the Workshop concerned families of prisoners, health and wellness, and safety.<ref>Gikow, pp. 286–293</ref>

According to Cooney and O'Dell, the 1980s were a problematic period for the Workshop.<ref name="odell-75" /><ref name="wershba-7">{{cite AV media | people =Shirley Wershba (host) | date =27 April 1998 | title ="Joan Ganz Cooney, Part 7" | medium = video clip | url = https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/joan-ganz-cooney#interview-clips | access-date = 20 November 2019 | publisher =Archive of American Television}}</ref> A series of poor investments in video games, motion picture production, theme parks, and other business ventures hurt the organization financially.<ref name="odell-75" /> Cooney brought in Bill Whaley during the late 1970s to work on their licensing agreements, but he was unable to compensate for the CTW's losses until 1986, when licensing revenues stabilized and its portfolio investments increased.<ref name="odell-75" /><ref name="wershba-7" /> Despite financial troubles, the Workshop continued to produce new shows throughout the decade. ''[[3-2-1 Contact]]'' premiered in 1980 and ran for seven seasons. The CTW found that finding funding for this series and other science-oriented series like ''[[Square One Television]]'', which was broadcast from 1987 to 1992, was easy because the [[National Science Foundation]] and other foundations were interested in funding science education.<ref name="wershba-5" /><ref name="wershba-9">{{cite AV media | people =Shirley Wershba (host) | date =27 April 1998 | title ="Joan Ganz Cooney, Part 9" | medium = video clip | url = https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/joan-ganz-cooney#interview-clips | access-date = 20 November 2019 | publisher =Archive of American Television}}</ref>