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It's a sad day in the neighborhood
Feb. 27th, 2003 02:47 pm'Mister Rogers' Dies of Cancer at 74
Fred Rogers, who gently invited millions of children to be his neighbor as host of the public television show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for more than 30 years, died of cancer early Thursday. He was 74.
[...] From 1968 to 2000, Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister, produced the show at Pittsburgh public television station WQED.
[...] Rogers' show won four Emmy Awards, plus one for lifetime achievement. He was given a George Foster Peabody Award in 1993, "in recognition of 25 years of beautiful days in the neighborhood."
At a ceremony marking the show's 25th anniversary that year, Rogers said, "It's not the honors and not the titles and not the power that is of ultimate importance. It's what resides inside."
The show's ratings peaked in 1985-86 when about 8 percent of all U.S. households with televisions tuned in. By the 1999-2000 season, viewership had dropped to about 2.7 percent, or 3.6 million people.
As other children's programming opted for slick action cartoons, Rogers stayed the same and stuck to his soothing message.
Off the set, Rogers was much like his television persona. He swam daily, read voraciously and listened to Beethoven. He once volunteered at a state prison in Pittsburgh and helped set up a playroom there for children visiting their parents.
One of Rogers' red sweaters hangs in the Smithsonian Institution.
[...] He was ordained in 1963 with a charge to continue his work with children and families through television. That same year, Rogers accepted an offer to develop "Misterogers," his own 15-minute show, for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
He brought the show back to Pittsburgh in 1966, incorporating segments of the CBC show into a new series distributed by the Eastern Educational Network to cities including Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.
In 1968, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" began distribution across the country through National Educational Television, which later became the Public Broadcasting Service.
Rogers' gentle manner was the butt of some comedians. Eddie Murphy parodied him on "Saturday Night Live" in the 1980s with his "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood," a routine Rogers found funny and affectionate.
Rogers is survived by his wife, Joanne, a concert pianist; two sons; and two grandsons.
Fred Rogers, who gently invited millions of children to be his neighbor as host of the public television show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for more than 30 years, died of cancer early Thursday. He was 74.
[...] From 1968 to 2000, Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister, produced the show at Pittsburgh public television station WQED.
[...] Rogers' show won four Emmy Awards, plus one for lifetime achievement. He was given a George Foster Peabody Award in 1993, "in recognition of 25 years of beautiful days in the neighborhood."
At a ceremony marking the show's 25th anniversary that year, Rogers said, "It's not the honors and not the titles and not the power that is of ultimate importance. It's what resides inside."
The show's ratings peaked in 1985-86 when about 8 percent of all U.S. households with televisions tuned in. By the 1999-2000 season, viewership had dropped to about 2.7 percent, or 3.6 million people.
As other children's programming opted for slick action cartoons, Rogers stayed the same and stuck to his soothing message.
Off the set, Rogers was much like his television persona. He swam daily, read voraciously and listened to Beethoven. He once volunteered at a state prison in Pittsburgh and helped set up a playroom there for children visiting their parents.
One of Rogers' red sweaters hangs in the Smithsonian Institution.
[...] He was ordained in 1963 with a charge to continue his work with children and families through television. That same year, Rogers accepted an offer to develop "Misterogers," his own 15-minute show, for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
He brought the show back to Pittsburgh in 1966, incorporating segments of the CBC show into a new series distributed by the Eastern Educational Network to cities including Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.
In 1968, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" began distribution across the country through National Educational Television, which later became the Public Broadcasting Service.
Rogers' gentle manner was the butt of some comedians. Eddie Murphy parodied him on "Saturday Night Live" in the 1980s with his "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood," a routine Rogers found funny and affectionate.
Rogers is survived by his wife, Joanne, a concert pianist; two sons; and two grandsons.