DescriptionThis project explores children's television programming in Philadelphia from the 1940s through the 1960s. Though Philadelphia was the third-largest television market during this period, very little scholarship on its shows exists. The city's broadcasting infrastructure allowed stations to provide programming to air nationally, and many children's shows that began as local Philadelphia fare became national hits. Personalities such as Dick Clark and Ed McMahon went on to national fame after appearing on Philadelphia television. Philadelphia stations created television series for children that were both entertaining and educational. The city was important to the history of the medium, and it was also at the forefront of the attempts to teach through television. The first efforts at in-school television were pioneered in Philadelphia, but the commercial stations had a commitment to education as well. Many shows had explicit educational goals, while others taught by example and encouraged social education. Though critics lamented the state of children's shows as frivolous entertainment as early as the 1950s, Philadelphia stations rose above the criticism and met the criteria that child experts put forth for programming. By examining in detail the children's shows that Philadelphia produced during this time period, it becomes evident that Philadelphia programming elevated what local television was expected to achieve. Shows were just as wholesome and enlightening, if not more so, than their nationally-known counterparts. Philadelphia programming deserves to be recognized as important in the history of children's television and should be remembered as imaginative, creative, and full of passionate people willing to try new approaches to children's entertainment.