Joan Ganz Cooney
Encyclopedia
Joan Ganz Cooney is an American
television producer. She is one of the founders of the Children's Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop
), the organization famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street
. Cooney received her B.A. degree in education from the University of Arizona
in 1951.
Cooney was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
in 1998, and the Television Hall of Fame
.
She has been married to Peter G. Peterson
, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, since April 1980. Unable to have children of her own, she became a stepmother to Peterson's five children. She lives in New York City
.
, and adopted the name Joan Redden Ganz, using her mother's maiden name. Cooney's mother was Irish-Catholic, and born in Jackson, Michigan
. After her maternal grandfather died, her mother's family came west when she was 18 or 19. Her father was Jewish and was born in Phoenix, but his mother went to California to get better medical care when giving birth to him. Her Jewish German
paternal grandfather was Emil Ganz
, who fought in Georgia
during the American Civil War
, on the Confederate side. Ganz was elected mayor of Phoenix three times.
Cooney's mother and father dated for five years. She describes her father as "the perennial bachelor," being thirteen years older than her mother.
Her father, Sylvan, always had a job in the Depression era, and the family had a summer cabin "up near Prescott, Arizona
, because the weather was terrible in the summer." Growing up near the Phoenix Country Club, she grew up more affluent than her family had money, although she considers them to have been middle class. Her father's occupation was executive vice-president of the First National Bank in Phoenix.
Cooney went to public school in first grade, switching to a Phoenix Catholic school, St. Francis Xavier, for grades 2-8. Never able to keep up with her siblings, she always read, much to the chagrin of her mother, who always wanted her to get outside. As World War II
and gas rationing came, Cooney's family sold the cottage. Cooney describes the weather at the time as "bearable", thanks to early, self-made air conditioning
systems. For high school, Cooney went to North Phoenix
, while her siblings went to St. Mary's. She feels this separation, that she was no longer "their little sister", let her come into her own. In school plays and even state-wide drama contests, Cooney was sure she wanted to become an actress. She describes herself as the "world's happiest adolescent", especially after not being a happy child. She says that a psychologist
once told her, "You're the only patient I've ever had that's ever had a happy adolescence."
One of Cooney's teachers in 1943, Bud Brown, taught a course on the history of culture, as well as operating Bud Brown Barn, a dancing establishment. Brown was Cooney's first teacher to talk about the injustice of segregation, and it "absolutely inflamed" her. Brown talked about Hitler's treatment of the Jews, a topic Cooney says "nobody talked about": "I was 13-years-old, and it totally changed my life." Later, both Brown and Ms. Natscowski were investigated as potential Communists.
Cooney stopped acting in college, when her father expressed that he would never support such a career; she says she's very content with this life path, instead of trying to find jobs on Broadway
. Cooney attended the Catholic girls' institution Dominican College
, before transferring to the University of Arizona
, where she was initiated into Kappa Alpha Theta
and obtained her BA in Education. Along with not wanting to stay in an all-girl institution, she switched because it was "more fun" at Arizona. She feels she learned more at Dominican, simply because she didn't find Education challenging. Her mother advised her to take Education, with the justification that women teachers could find work if their husbands were to die, and could still be at home at the same time as their children.
After graduation, Cooney went with a friend to Washington, D.C.
to work for the United States government in 1951, organizing Foreign Student Exchange for the State Department. She started as a clerk typist, and was on the point of being given the position of Program Officer when she left. During that period, Cooney visited New York City a couple of times, and became intent on moving there. She returned to Phoenix and began working at the Arizona Republic newspaper, getting a job on the women's page, to write wedding stories and the like. As time went on, she got many general assignments.
. There, she wrote regular releases, on prediction of what television would be like in the future, from shopping for groceries, and color transmissions. She was offered a job on the women's page of Lester Markel's the New York Times
, which she found easy to turn down. She met up with the Arizona-born head of a firm that ran publicity at Pat Weaver
's NBC
, moving there after eight or nine months at RCA. At NBC, Cooney promoted the Day Drama lineup, consisting of soap operas. As Cooney had started at RCA with a low wage, and transferred within the same company to NBC, her boss wasn't able to raise her income to acceptable levels. He helped Cooney move to publicise The US Steel Hour, which aired on CBS.
Cooney became involved in the Democratic reform movement, led by Eleanor Roosevelt
, helping it write releases about its activities. Still, she had much time on her hands, promoting a bi-weekly show. She became involved in the Partisan Review
, to help fundraise; the intellectual contributors had great contempt for Cooney, as she was involved with both television and publicity.
in Boston, Massachusetts, she was shocked to learn that there was a new educational television movement. She instantly knew that she was meant for such an area of broadcasting, "it was like St. Paul on the highway." She wanted to become the publicist for what is now WNET
. The head of the station told Cooney he had a publicist, but needed producers. After proving she knew the national issues of the time and pursuing the position through a series of notes, she became a producer for the station. At the station, she had an initial income of USD$9000, down from USD$12000 at U.S. Steel
.
Her first program was Court of Reason, where two advocates debated, with an audience of three expert judges. The series was hosted by Columbia University
's sociologist Robert Merton
. All tapes, including those with notable guests like Malcolm X
, no longer exist, as videotapes were reused (a standard industry practice at the time as videotape was expensive). One show Cooney produced was called Cuba: Should America Change Its Policy? It featured was a roundtable discussion on the topic; guest President Kennedy "virtually declared World War III." The series, incidentally, debuted the week before the Cuban missile crisis
. Her first documentary produced was A Chance at the Beginning. Through this, she met Tim Cooney, who would become her husband. The first episodes focused on adult literacy programs, teenage program Har U in Harlem, and Martin Doutch's program for four-year-olds in Harlem. Head Start was started within months of the third episode airing, and bought 125 print of the episode to use for teacher training. She produced Poverty, Anti-Poverty, and the World, for which she won a regional Emmy. The program invited multitudes of poor people into the studio, to confront the bureaucrats about the programming going on at the time. It was the very first teach-in, a format that became increasingly popular during the Vietnam War
.
Cooney "gave a little dinner party" in 1966 with her then-husband Tim Cooney, Lloyd Morrisett
(VP Carnegie Corporation) and his wife Mary, and Louis Friedman
. Carnegie Corporation had been researching children's education; Morrisett was inspired by Friedman's speaking on how the medium of television was untapped for children. Morrisett called Friedman and Cooney over to the Foundation's offices a few days later. During the meeting, Morrisett and Friedman agreed to create a study by channel Thirteen, to investigate what reactions would be to such a program. During the meeting, Morrisett mentioned that Cooney wouldn't be interested in such a project, as she was involved in public affairs programming. Cooney remembers yelling back, "Oh yes I would!" Friedman passed over her enthusiastic response, however, as he didn't want to lose her from his crew.
One day, Tim Cooney and Morrisett were having lunch together on a separate matter. Tim suggested to Joan that he would mention the project, and Joan agreed, knowing that with Friedman in the way she would never get involved. Morrisett eventually convinced Friedman that he wanted Cooney, who went on a three-month leave of absence from documentary production. Cooney toured the United States and Canada, talking to educators, researchers, and television producers. She wrote a paper based on this study, titled The Potential Uses of Television in Preschool Education. Cooney says that she always knew television could teach, as kids nationwide learned and sang ad jingles
perfectly, but a paper was needed to make things conclusive and systematic.
Along with some unused components, the paper suggested the basic format of what was to become Sesame Street. The paper also proposed the creation of a children's television production company, to be part of channel Thirteen; Cooney couldn't suggest to her employer that such an organization might be independent. Harold Howe, U.S. Commissioner of Education, liked the findings of the report, and the Ford Foundation
soon became interested in such a series, thanks to McGeorge Bundy.
. Carnegie hired Linda Gotley to help Cooney write the proposal. Barbara Finberg and Morrisett would regularly act as funders, every few days trying to find holes in the proposal. During these days, segments now considered traditional Sesame Street favorites like "One of these things is not like the other" were established.
Despite the insistence of the US Office of Education that there was no money to fund the project, Howe persisted, and insisted the project be classified as a research project. The Ford Foundation joined funding, as did the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
, which was being established just as Sesame Street was. Between those organizations and Carnegie, USD$8 million was raised to create a semi-autonomous organization. This organization was established to become completely separate, should they succeed.
At a press conference in March 1968, the Children's Television Workshop and Sesame Street were announced. Jack Gould
, television critic for The New York Times
gave the project front page space. "If you had Jack Gould in your corner, you could not believe what it meant."
With Cooney, an assistant, and a secretary, CTW began production on the show. Soon, Cooney signed on Mike Dann of CBS, and Captain Kangaroo
alumni David Connell
, Jon Stone
, and Sam Gibbon.
During preparations for the program, Cooney insisted that "if we can't get Jim Henson
, we won't use any puppets at all."
Cooney directed CTW's expansion into licensing for consumer products, one of the organization's key methods of funding.
, David V. B. Britt took over as President and COO of CTW. In October 1990
, Cooney stepped down as CEO as well, Britt taking the position, based on long-standing plans. She wanted to be able to focus more on the creative side of the company's projects, then Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact
, and Square One TV. She became and still remains chairwoman of Sesame Workshop
's executive committee.
was founded in 2007
by Sesame Workshop, to study the role of digital technologies in childhood literacy. According to the organization's mission statement, The Cooney Center exists "to advance children’s literacy skills and foster innovation in children’s learning through digital media."
Board of directors
Trustee
Honorary degrees
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television producer. She is one of the founders of the Children's Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop , is a Worldwide American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world...
), the organization famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. Cooney received her B.A. degree in education from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in 1951.
Cooney was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
National Women's Hall of Fame
The National Women's Hall of Fame is an American institution. It was created in 1969 by a group of people in Seneca Falls, New York, the location of the 1848 Women's Rights Convention...
in 1998, and the Television Hall of Fame
Television Hall of Fame
The Television Academy Hall of Fame was founded by a former president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the late John H. Mitchell , to honor individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to television....
.
She has been married to Peter G. Peterson
Peter George Peterson
Peter G. Peterson is an American businessman, investment banker, fiscal conservative, author, and politician whose most prominent political position was as United States Secretary of Commerce from February 29, 1972, to February 1, 1973 under Richard Nixon. He is most well known currently as...
, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, since April 1980. Unable to have children of her own, she became a stepmother to Peterson's five children. She lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Childhood
Cooney was born Joan Ganz in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, and adopted the name Joan Redden Ganz, using her mother's maiden name. Cooney's mother was Irish-Catholic, and born in Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
. After her maternal grandfather died, her mother's family came west when she was 18 or 19. Her father was Jewish and was born in Phoenix, but his mother went to California to get better medical care when giving birth to him. Her Jewish German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
paternal grandfather was Emil Ganz
Emil Ganz
Emil Ganz was a businessman and three-time mayor of Phoenix, Arizona.He fought in Georgia during the American Civil War, on the Confederate side. From a German Jewish background, he was an atheist, and brought his children up as atheists.Ganz lived in Prescott, Arizona, before moving to Phoenix in...
, who fought in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, on the Confederate side. Ganz was elected mayor of Phoenix three times.
Cooney's mother and father dated for five years. She describes her father as "the perennial bachelor," being thirteen years older than her mother.
Her father, Sylvan, always had a job in the Depression era, and the family had a summer cabin "up near Prescott, Arizona
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
, because the weather was terrible in the summer." Growing up near the Phoenix Country Club, she grew up more affluent than her family had money, although she considers them to have been middle class. Her father's occupation was executive vice-president of the First National Bank in Phoenix.
Cooney went to public school in first grade, switching to a Phoenix Catholic school, St. Francis Xavier, for grades 2-8. Never able to keep up with her siblings, she always read, much to the chagrin of her mother, who always wanted her to get outside. As World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and gas rationing came, Cooney's family sold the cottage. Cooney describes the weather at the time as "bearable", thanks to early, self-made air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
systems. For high school, Cooney went to North Phoenix
North High School (Phoenix, Arizona)
North High School is part of the Phoenix Union High School District. The campus is located at 1101 East Thomas Road north of downtown Phoenix, Arizona, USA. North’s enrollment is 2600 students. The school predominantly serves students from partner elementary districts Madison, Osborn, Creighton...
, while her siblings went to St. Mary's. She feels this separation, that she was no longer "their little sister", let her come into her own. In school plays and even state-wide drama contests, Cooney was sure she wanted to become an actress. She describes herself as the "world's happiest adolescent", especially after not being a happy child. She says that a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
once told her, "You're the only patient I've ever had that's ever had a happy adolescence."
One of Cooney's teachers in 1943, Bud Brown, taught a course on the history of culture, as well as operating Bud Brown Barn, a dancing establishment. Brown was Cooney's first teacher to talk about the injustice of segregation, and it "absolutely inflamed" her. Brown talked about Hitler's treatment of the Jews, a topic Cooney says "nobody talked about": "I was 13-years-old, and it totally changed my life." Later, both Brown and Ms. Natscowski were investigated as potential Communists.
Cooney stopped acting in college, when her father expressed that he would never support such a career; she says she's very content with this life path, instead of trying to find jobs on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. Cooney attended the Catholic girls' institution Dominican College
Dominican College
There are several current and former institutions of higher learning named Dominican College.-Higher education:*Dominican College , a four-year private college in Orangeburg, New York...
, before transferring to the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, where she was initiated into Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
and obtained her BA in Education. Along with not wanting to stay in an all-girl institution, she switched because it was "more fun" at Arizona. She feels she learned more at Dominican, simply because she didn't find Education challenging. Her mother advised her to take Education, with the justification that women teachers could find work if their husbands were to die, and could still be at home at the same time as their children.
After graduation, Cooney went with a friend to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to work for the United States government in 1951, organizing Foreign Student Exchange for the State Department. She started as a clerk typist, and was on the point of being given the position of Program Officer when she left. During that period, Cooney visited New York City a couple of times, and became intent on moving there. She returned to Phoenix and began working at the Arizona Republic newspaper, getting a job on the women's page, to write wedding stories and the like. As time went on, she got many general assignments.
Life in New York City
Moving to New York City, she was hired in the press department of RCARCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
. There, she wrote regular releases, on prediction of what television would be like in the future, from shopping for groceries, and color transmissions. She was offered a job on the women's page of Lester Markel's the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, which she found easy to turn down. She met up with the Arizona-born head of a firm that ran publicity at Pat Weaver
Pat Weaver
Sylvester Barnabee "Pat" Weaver was an American radio advertising executive, who became president of NBC between 1953 and 1955. He has been credited with reshaping commercial broadcasting's format and philosophy as radio gave way to television as America's dominant home entertainment...
's NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, moving there after eight or nine months at RCA. At NBC, Cooney promoted the Day Drama lineup, consisting of soap operas. As Cooney had started at RCA with a low wage, and transferred within the same company to NBC, her boss wasn't able to raise her income to acceptable levels. He helped Cooney move to publicise The US Steel Hour, which aired on CBS.
Cooney became involved in the Democratic reform movement, led by Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, helping it write releases about its activities. Still, she had much time on her hands, promoting a bi-weekly show. She became involved in the Partisan Review
Partisan Review
Partisan Review was an American political and literary quarterly published from 1934 to 2003, though it suspended publication between October 1936 and December 1937.-Overview:...
, to help fundraise; the intellectual contributors had great contempt for Cooney, as she was involved with both television and publicity.
Television production
When someone from The US Steel Hour was left to go to WGBHWGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
in Boston, Massachusetts, she was shocked to learn that there was a new educational television movement. She instantly knew that she was meant for such an area of broadcasting, "it was like St. Paul on the highway." She wanted to become the publicist for what is now WNET
WNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
. The head of the station told Cooney he had a publicist, but needed producers. After proving she knew the national issues of the time and pursuing the position through a series of notes, she became a producer for the station. At the station, she had an initial income of USD$9000, down from USD$12000 at U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
.
Her first program was Court of Reason, where two advocates debated, with an audience of three expert judges. The series was hosted by Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's sociologist Robert Merton
Robert K. Merton
Robert King Merton was a distinguished American sociologist. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor...
. All tapes, including those with notable guests like Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
, no longer exist, as videotapes were reused (a standard industry practice at the time as videotape was expensive). One show Cooney produced was called Cuba: Should America Change Its Policy? It featured was a roundtable discussion on the topic; guest President Kennedy "virtually declared World War III." The series, incidentally, debuted the week before the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. Her first documentary produced was A Chance at the Beginning. Through this, she met Tim Cooney, who would become her husband. The first episodes focused on adult literacy programs, teenage program Har U in Harlem, and Martin Doutch's program for four-year-olds in Harlem. Head Start was started within months of the third episode airing, and bought 125 print of the episode to use for teacher training. She produced Poverty, Anti-Poverty, and the World, for which she won a regional Emmy. The program invited multitudes of poor people into the studio, to confront the bureaucrats about the programming going on at the time. It was the very first teach-in, a format that became increasingly popular during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Cooney "gave a little dinner party" in 1966 with her then-husband Tim Cooney, Lloyd Morrisett
Lloyd Morrisett
Lloyd Newton Morrisett, Jr. is an American experimental psychologist with a career in education, communications, and philanthropy...
(VP Carnegie Corporation) and his wife Mary, and Louis Friedman
Louis Friedman
Louis Friedman is an American astronautics engineer and space spokesperson. He was born in New York and raised in the Bronx. Dr. Friedman was a co-founder of The Planetary Society with Carl Sagan and Bruce C. Murray.-Education and career:...
. Carnegie Corporation had been researching children's education; Morrisett was inspired by Friedman's speaking on how the medium of television was untapped for children. Morrisett called Friedman and Cooney over to the Foundation's offices a few days later. During the meeting, Morrisett and Friedman agreed to create a study by channel Thirteen, to investigate what reactions would be to such a program. During the meeting, Morrisett mentioned that Cooney wouldn't be interested in such a project, as she was involved in public affairs programming. Cooney remembers yelling back, "Oh yes I would!" Friedman passed over her enthusiastic response, however, as he didn't want to lose her from his crew.
One day, Tim Cooney and Morrisett were having lunch together on a separate matter. Tim suggested to Joan that he would mention the project, and Joan agreed, knowing that with Friedman in the way she would never get involved. Morrisett eventually convinced Friedman that he wanted Cooney, who went on a three-month leave of absence from documentary production. Cooney toured the United States and Canada, talking to educators, researchers, and television producers. She wrote a paper based on this study, titled The Potential Uses of Television in Preschool Education. Cooney says that she always knew television could teach, as kids nationwide learned and sang ad jingles
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
perfectly, but a paper was needed to make things conclusive and systematic.
Along with some unused components, the paper suggested the basic format of what was to become Sesame Street. The paper also proposed the creation of a children's television production company, to be part of channel Thirteen; Cooney couldn't suggest to her employer that such an organization might be independent. Harold Howe, U.S. Commissioner of Education, liked the findings of the report, and the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
soon became interested in such a series, thanks to McGeorge Bundy.
Children's Television Workshop established
Moving to Carnegie, to act and advise independent of Thirteen, Cooney began laying the groundwork for the Children's Television WorkshopSesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop , is a Worldwide American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world...
. Carnegie hired Linda Gotley to help Cooney write the proposal. Barbara Finberg and Morrisett would regularly act as funders, every few days trying to find holes in the proposal. During these days, segments now considered traditional Sesame Street favorites like "One of these things is not like the other" were established.
Despite the insistence of the US Office of Education that there was no money to fund the project, Howe persisted, and insisted the project be classified as a research project. The Ford Foundation joined funding, as did the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
, which was being established just as Sesame Street was. Between those organizations and Carnegie, USD$8 million was raised to create a semi-autonomous organization. This organization was established to become completely separate, should they succeed.
At a press conference in March 1968, the Children's Television Workshop and Sesame Street were announced. Jack Gould
Jack Gould
Jack Gould was an American journalist and critic, who wrote influential commentary about television....
, television critic for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
gave the project front page space. "If you had Jack Gould in your corner, you could not believe what it meant."
With Cooney, an assistant, and a secretary, CTW began production on the show. Soon, Cooney signed on Mike Dann of CBS, and Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
alumni David Connell
David Connell (television producer)
David Connell was the original executive producer for Sesame Street, and Children's Television Workshop's vice-president in charge of production. Connell, who had been a producer for the CBS children's program Captain Kangaroo, played a key role in establishing the basic format of the "street" skits...
, Jon Stone
Jon Stone
Jon Stone is best known for writing and producing Sesame Street, and is credited with helping develop characters such as Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. He is regarded by many as one of the best children's television writers. He started working for children's programs in 1955...
, and Sam Gibbon.
During preparations for the program, Cooney insisted that "if we can't get Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
, we won't use any puppets at all."
Cooney directed CTW's expansion into licensing for consumer products, one of the organization's key methods of funding.
Recent years
In 19871987 in television
The year 1987 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1987.For American TV schedule, see: 1987–88 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
, David V. B. Britt took over as President and COO of CTW. In October 1990
1990 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1990-91 United States network television schedule.The year 1990 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1990.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
, Cooney stepped down as CEO as well, Britt taking the position, based on long-standing plans. She wanted to be able to focus more on the creative side of the company's projects, then Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact
3-2-1 Contact
3-2-1 Contact is an American science educational television show that aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and an adjoining children's magazine. The show, a production of the Children's Television Workshop, teaches scientific principles and their applications. Dr. Edward G...
, and Square One TV. She became and still remains chairwoman of Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop , is a Worldwide American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world...
's executive committee.
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center
The Joan Ganz Cooney CenterThe Joan Ganz Cooney Center
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center is an independent, non-profit research and innovation lab in the United States founded by Sesame Workshop in order to advance children’s literacy skills and foster innovation in children’s learning through digital media.-History:...
was founded in 2007
2007 in television
2007 in television may refer to:*2007 in American television*2007 in Australian television*2007 in British television*2007 in Canadian television*2007 in Japanese television...
by Sesame Workshop, to study the role of digital technologies in childhood literacy. According to the organization's mission statement, The Cooney Center exists "to advance children’s literacy skills and foster innovation in children’s learning through digital media."
Honors
- Presidential Medal of FreedomPresidential Medal of FreedomThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
- Celebrate Life Award from the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations
- Association of Educational Publishers Hall of Fame, 2004
- Centennial Medallion Award
- The Bower Award for Business Leadership
Board of directors
- Johnson & JohnsonJohnson & JohnsonJohnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
, 1978 to 2001 - The Chase Manhattan Corp. and The Chase Manhattan Bank
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
- Xerox Corp. (c. 1975-1995)
Trustee
- New York and Presbyterian Hospitals Inc.
- Educational Broadcasting Corporation
- WNET New York
Honorary degrees
- Boston CollegeBoston CollegeBoston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, 1970 - Hofstra UniversityHofstra UniversityHofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
, Oberlin CollegeOberlin CollegeOberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityOhio Wesleyan UniversityOhio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
, 1971 - Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, 1973 - Russell Sage CollegeRussell Sage CollegeRussell Sage College is a women's college located in Troy, New York, approximately north of New York City in the Capital District. It is one of the three colleges that make up The Sage Colleges...
, 1974 - University of ArizonaUniversity of ArizonaThe University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, and Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, 1975 - Allegheny CollegeAllegheny CollegeAllegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
, 1976 - Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, 1978 - University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, 1982 - Smith CollegeSmith CollegeSmith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, 1986 - Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, 1987 - Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, 1991 - University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, 2002 - Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(Honorary Doctor of ArtsDoctor of ArtsThe Doctor of Arts is a discipline-based terminal doctoral degree that was originally conceived and designed to be an alternative to the traditional research-based Doctor of Philosophy and the education-based Doctor of Education . Like other doctorates, the D.A. is an academic degree of the...
), 2006