For Kids' Sake is an American public service announcement (PSA) campaign launched by Westinghouse Broadcasting and Boston's then-NBC television station WBZ-TV in March 1985, featuring educational, health, and safety messages for children. The campaign encourages parents to "take the time to give and care" to ensure a brighter future for children across the United States. Despite the show targeting at adults age 25 and 54, For Kids' Sake is a two-year campaign (multi-year on some stations) that aired in most television markets throughout the 1980s, with a small number of stations continuing into portions of the 1990s. The campaign, by market, was sponsored by various national corporations, such as McDonald's and True Value, and local businesses such as dealerships, hospitals, and regional grocery store chains.
History For Kids' Sake started life as a special three-part series produced by WBZ's Channel 4 Eyewitness News team on March 4, 1985, encouraging viewers on why growing up in the future was more difficult "than what it used to be". The series explains the pressures of experiencing drugs, alcohol, and sex, as well as contending struggles with family life, racial harmony, and technology with an uncertain future. Later that year, WBZ and Westinghouse produced its own primetime television series based out of its context. Throughout the 1985 season, the campaign was so successful that Group W expanded For Kids' Sake to all of its owned-and-operated stations at the start of 1986, beginning with then-NBC affiliate KYW-TV in Philadelphia that January. By the end of the year, the show expanded to non-Westinghouse stations and became a stable in local television across the United States, airing in a total of 115 stations from Big Four networks, independent stations, and superstations. Over a span of four years between 1988 and 1992, Group W created three more public service vignette campaigns, A Time to Care, Thanks to the Teachers, and Celebrate America, with A Time to Care being the concept's sequel to For Kids' Sake.
List of affiliates
As of 1987 and 1988 combined, a total of 115 television stations carried the campaign, one station by each market and covering nearly 70% of the country's viewership. State Media market Station Channel Affiliation Launch of campaignAlabamaBirminghamWBMG42CBS1987HuntsvilleWAFF-TV48NBC1987MobileWKRG-TV5CBS1987MontgomeryWSFA12NBC1987ArizonaPhoenixKPNX12NBC1987ArkansasFort SmithKFSM-TV5CBS1987Little RockKATV7ABC1987CaliforniaFresnoKSEE-TV24NBC1987Los AngelesKTTV11FOX1987SacramentoKTXL-TV40FOX1987San FranciscoKPIX-TV5CBS1986Santa CruzKMST46CBS1987ColoradoDenverKWGN-TV2IND1987ConnecticutHartfordWFSB3CBS1987District of ColumbiaWashington, D.C.WTTG-TV5FOX1987FloridaFort MyersWINK-TV11CBS1987JacksonvilleWJKS-TV17NBC1987MiamiWPLG10ABC1987OrlandoWOFL-TV35FOX1987Panama City BeachWMBB-TV13ABC1987TampaWXFL8NBC1987West Palm BeachWPTV5NBC1987GeorgiaAtlantaWXIA-TV11NBC1986AugustaWRDW-TV12CBS1987HawaiiHonoluluKHON-TV2NBC1987IdahoIdaho FallsKIFI-TV8ABC1987IllinoisChicagoWGN-TV9IND1987MolineWQAD-TV8ABC1987IndianaEvansvilleWFIE-TV14NBC1987IndianapolisWTHR-TV13NBC1987South BendWNDU-TV16NBC1987IowaCedar RapidsKCRG-TV9ABC1987Des MoinesKCCI-TV8CBS1987KansasTopekaWIBW-TV13CBS1987WichitaKAKE-TV10ABC1987KentuckyLouisvilleWAVE-TV3NBC1986LexingtonWKYT-TV27CBS1987LouisianaBaton RougeWBRZ-TV2ABC1986New OrleansWDSU6NBC1987ShreveportKSLA-TV12CBS1987MaineBangorWLBZ-TV2NBC1987PortlandWCSH-TV6NBC1987MarylandBaltimoreWJZ-TV13CBS1986MassachusettsBostonWBZ-TV4NBC1985MichiganDetroitWJBK-TV2CBS1987FlintWNEM-TV5CBS1987Grand RapidsWOTV8NBC1987MinnesotaDuluthKDLH-TV3CBS1987MinneapolisKARE-TV11NBC1987MissouriKansas CityKCTV-TV5CBS1987SpringfieldKYTV-TV3NBC1987St. LouisKMOV-TV4CBS1987MontanaBillingsKTVQ2CBS1987Great FallsKRTV3CBS1987NebraskaOmahaWOWT-TV6NBC1987NevadaRenoKOLO8ABC1987New MexicoAlbuquerqueKOB-TV4NBC1987New YorkAlbanyWNYT-TV13NBC1987BuffaloWGRZ-TV2NBC1986New York CityWNYW-TV5FOX1987RochesterWHEC-TV10CBS1987SyracuseWSTM-TV3NBC1987 North CarolinaCharlotteWBTV3CBS1987GreensboroWGHP8ABC1987RaleighWTVD-TV11CBS1987OhioCincinnatiWLWT-TV5NBC1987ClevelandWJW-TV8CBS1987ToledoWTOL-TV11CBS1987OklahomaLawtonKSWO-TV7ABC1987Oklahoma CityKOCO-TV5ABC1987TulsaKJRH-TV2NBC1987OregonEugeneKVAL-TV13CBS1987PortlandKPTV-TV12IND1987PennsylvaniaHarrisburgWGAL-TV8NBC1986PhiladelphiaKYW-TV3NBC1986PittsburghKDKA-TV2CBS1986ScrantonWNEP-TV16ABC1987Rhode IslandProvidenceWPRI-TV12ABC1987South CarolinaCharlestonWCSC-TV5CBS1987GreenvilleWYFF-TV4NBC1986Myrtle BeachWBTW-TV13CBS1987TennesseeMemphisWREG-TV3CBS1987KnoxvilleWBIR-TV10NBC1987NashvilleWSMV-TV4NBC1987TexasAmarilloKAMR-TV4NBC1987AustinKTVV36NBC1987BeaumontKFDM-TV6CBS1987Corpus ChristiKRIS-TV6NBC1987DallasKTVT11IND1987El PasoKVIA-TV7ABC1987HoustonKRIV-TV26FOX1988LufkinKTRE9ABC1987San AntonioKMOL4NBC1986TylerKLTV7ABC1987UtahSalt Lake CityKTVX-TV4ABC1987VermontBurlingtonWCAX-TV3CBS1987VirginiaBristolWCYB-TV5NBC1987RichmondWTVR-TV6CBS1987RoanokeWDBJ7CBS1987Virginia BeachWAVY-TV10NBC1987WashingtonSeattleKOMO-TV4ABC1987SpokaneKXLY-TV4ABC1987West VirginiaCharlestonWOWK-TV13CBS1987WisconsinGreen BayWFRV-TV5ABC1987MadisonWISC-TV3CBS1987MilwaukeeWCGV-TV24FOX1987
See also Children's television series List of local children's television series (United States)
References