Early Sesame Street – Adults Only; The Repurposing of Content

Implications: In a word, WOW. Until I read the article and actually thought about those days (years past), I realize I had not given it any thought as to how much Sesame Street has changed over the years. I was way too old for the program when it fist aired and frankly only appreciated the show after I had kids.  But when you consider the age of the old Sesame Street shows, it does make sense that things that were considered acceptable in 1969 may not be acceptable today. This raises the whole issue of whether or not most of the content from 40 years ao ro even 20 years ago can ever be repurposed for the online IPTV market or wireless TV (mobile media) market. “I Love Lucy”, “The Adventures of Superman”, “Bat Masterson”, “The Rifleman”, and “The Mod Squad” – Ahh !!! my kind of shows – laughter, a hero for all, a good guy, a father who would protect you, and three young people I wanted to hang with. However, would these programs play well on the emerging online and mobile space?

Analysis:

I congratulate the producers of Sesame Street, for having the integrity to admit that many of their older programs are no longer suitable for viewing by children.  The big question the Sesame Street producers have surfaced is: Can old content be repurposed and relaunched in today's media environment?

We tell our kids smoking cigarettes, pipes, cigars, etc. are bad for our health. Back in the 1970s Alistair Cookie, played by that thespian Cookie Monster, used to appear with a pipe only to gobble it up later. As Carol-Lynn Parente noted, the whole scene with the pipe is now considered inappropriate. Then there is Oscar, a mean, hypersensitive grouch, may not even be a character they could have created today but was appropriate decades ago. Cookie Monster now eats a diverse and better diet.

Okay, so this may sound way over the top. But frankly, if you had kids today you would not think so. Between political correctness, living better, being kinder, being a descent human being, being more sensitive to other people’s feelings, and being worried about pedophiles, the world today is different than the one in 1969.

Remember the old Sesame Street programs would show urban youth working on the farm? That scene never sat well with me and it still does not. What did I look like back then? A slave? A member of a chain gang? Truth be told, 38 years ago I found some of those types of sequences offensive and I still do. However, the basic premise of the show was always a good one; life in the city was not horrific, being nice was cool, you could have fun anywhere, I belonged anywhere I wanted to be, and learning could be fun.  The program in general may have an appeal to today's young audiences who carry mobile video capable cell phones, surf the web for content, or watch YouTube

For those who own large film libraries that are ready to be shown online or over the mobile TV: Is all old content suitable for viewing today? The content from 40 years ago may be considered politically offensive, racially offensive, or simply so out of date that none of the jokes make sense.  Then again maybe the DVD player may be the only place Sesame Street will end up.  No, I think it has legs in the online and mobile world.

“All in the Family” was funny to watch in the 1970s and I pitied Archie Bunker for what he was; an out-of-touch bigot, but I understood the point Norman Lear was making and appreciated the stories. However, “All in the Family” means nothing to teenagers today. I am not saying the problems of yesteryear are all gone because they are not but there are shows today that demonstrate a new reality and promote a different message.

When online TV and mobile media became hot, many studios, content owners, and filmmakers began to look at their libraries to determine what would play and what would not. This process is still going on. Shows like “Tool Time” and “Get Smart” are a riot and probably would play well online. Then again my sense of humor is a bit square. Maybe the content owners will want to sell content that appeals to me? Who exactly is the audience for the online and mobile experience a teenager, a 20-something, or a much older something?

Filmmakers and studios have tons of capital invested in programming. It would be tragic if many of these films or television programs did not make it to this new viewing medium. However, then again, you cannot make a viewer want to watch the program. The content must be compelling and relevant to the viewer. Repurposing content has the potential for content owners to further (and greatly) monetize their creative work and yet care must be given in deciding what is going to be shown.