3-2-1 Contact is an American science educational television show
produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as
Sesame Workshop). It aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and later ran on
Noggin (a joint venture between the CTW and Nickelodeon) from 1999 to
2002. The show teaches scientific principles and their applications.
Dr. Edward G. Atkins, who was responsible for much of the scientific
content of the show, felt that the TV program would not replace a
classroom but would encourage viewers to ask questions about the
scientific purpose of things.A frequent segment of the show was The
Bloodhound Gang, a series about a group of young detectives who used
science to solve crimes. Episodes of the series needed to be run in
regular sequence for understandable viewing, as many Bloodhound Gang
mysteries were cut among two or three Contact episodes.3-2-1 Contact
was the brainchild of Samuel Y. Gibbon Jr., who had been the executive
producer of the original The Electric Company for the CTW from 1971 to
1977. (Gibbon had left the CTW before Contact's production officially
began, though he was still credited as "Senior Consultant".) The show
was based on the original concept of The Curiosity Show, an Australian
science-based children's educational TV show that had been running
since 1972. That program was hosted by Australian scientists Rob
Morrison and Deane Hutton, who were consultants to The Children's
Television Workshop in the early planning stages of what became 3-2-1
Contact. CTW wanted to make a version using American scientists as
presenters, but PBS did not think that middle-aged scientists would
engage a young audience (despite the popularity of the format in
Australia) and insisted that any science show be hosted/presented by
young people. CTW eventually reworked the concept into 3-2-1
Contact.The first season of 65 programs began airing January 14, 1980,
on select PBS member stations; it featured a cast of three college
students who socialized and discussed science in an on-campus room
known as "the workshop". This season came to an end on April 11, 1980,
and continued in reruns (or removed entirely from scheduling on some
stations) for the following three years, as funding for additional
episodes was not yet sufficient.
produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as
Sesame Workshop). It aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and later ran on
Noggin (a joint venture between the CTW and Nickelodeon) from 1999 to
2002. The show teaches scientific principles and their applications.
Dr. Edward G. Atkins, who was responsible for much of the scientific
content of the show, felt that the TV program would not replace a
classroom but would encourage viewers to ask questions about the
scientific purpose of things.A frequent segment of the show was The
Bloodhound Gang, a series about a group of young detectives who used
science to solve crimes. Episodes of the series needed to be run in
regular sequence for understandable viewing, as many Bloodhound Gang
mysteries were cut among two or three Contact episodes.3-2-1 Contact
was the brainchild of Samuel Y. Gibbon Jr., who had been the executive
producer of the original The Electric Company for the CTW from 1971 to
1977. (Gibbon had left the CTW before Contact's production officially
began, though he was still credited as "Senior Consultant".) The show
was based on the original concept of The Curiosity Show, an Australian
science-based children's educational TV show that had been running
since 1972. That program was hosted by Australian scientists Rob
Morrison and Deane Hutton, who were consultants to The Children's
Television Workshop in the early planning stages of what became 3-2-1
Contact. CTW wanted to make a version using American scientists as
presenters, but PBS did not think that middle-aged scientists would
engage a young audience (despite the popularity of the format in
Australia) and insisted that any science show be hosted/presented by
young people. CTW eventually reworked the concept into 3-2-1
Contact.The first season of 65 programs began airing January 14, 1980,
on select PBS member stations; it featured a cast of three college
students who socialized and discussed science in an on-campus room
known as "the workshop". This season came to an end on April 11, 1980,
and continued in reruns (or removed entirely from scheduling on some
stations) for the following three years, as funding for additional
episodes was not yet sufficient.
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