MisterRogersNeighborhood

WARNING: The following post contains images of a shocking nature and despite its source material, is not appropriate for anyone under the age of 18. And before you get all excited, no, it does not contain naked boobies.

We all remember lovable ol' Fred Rogers, aka TV's Mister Rogers, as a warm, cuddly and caring neighbor who never wore a frown and always had a smile for someone smaller than him.

But what if all those cheerful hellos, colorful sweater jackets and speeches about being special on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood were just a mask hiding something very dark and sinister? Specifically, a clown mask?

It says something about the quality of the economy when PBS can no longer afford the salary of a man who has been dead for six years. The repeats of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood on PBS currently runs daily but will be dropping to once a week in the fall due to monetary concerns.

I don't know the contract details of this show, but since when are re-runs more expensive than original content? That must be one terrific fee that the heirs of Fred Rogers get if it makes PBS balk at the idea of paying for it on a daily basis. Why can't the heirs just produce new content like Brian Henson is trying to do with the Muppets franchise?

To me, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is one of those shows that is synonymous with PBS, right up there with Sesame Street. Given the change in programming for the show, I suspect that the upcoming generation with think otherwise (if they don't think that way already). Sorry Fred.