From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.
Educational Television is a term used to describe television programs that try to teach you stuff you probably would have learned in school, had you been paying attention to the teacher and not the student across the aisle from you. Educational programming was first developed by PBS in an attempt to keep government money flowing to that network (and stave off yet another pledge week for a few miserable days). Most educational programs are aimed at children and are aired during the day. However, some educational programs are designed to teach adults and help them improve their lives; these are mainly aired from 3 to 6 AM on PBS.
The Metric Marvels, a team of
Latverian super-villains who tried to brainwash
America during the 1970s
Educational television became popular for a time during the
1970s due to a
U. S. Government initiative (developed by the
Super Friends) which forced
television networks to show
3 hours of educational programs every week. Programming such as
Schoolhouse Rock and
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids attempted to educate people while still being entertaining. Problems arose when a team of super-villians called
The Metric Marvels used the programs to brainwash America's youth into using the
Metric System, a confusing system of weights and measures first developed in
France and later perfected in
Latveria. In an epic battle in 1981, the Metric Marvels were decisively beaten by
President Ronald Reagan and forever banished to the
Phantom Zone. The few remaining educational programs still on the air were replaced by
infomercials, making everyone a bit happier.
Today, educational television is mainly restricted to PBS, Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and other cable television networks where it can do little harm.
