Remembering a Television Pioneer

Long before "Sesame Street" there was "Aunt Fran and Her Playmates," a children's program created by Ohio housewife Fran Norris. "She was among the first to create a children's television show to develop both the cognitive and social skills of preschool children," says UAB communications expert June Mack, M.F.A., co-producer of "Making Television History," a documentary about Norris, which recently finished second at the Broadcast Educators Association International Film Festival. "Aunt Fran," aired 1950-1957 on WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, and featured story time and crafts. "Because the show wasn't syndicated, its contributions to the early history of children's television were overlooked until now."