Twin Cities Public Television (tpt) turns 50 this month. In addition to the national classics, some terrific children’s programming has been coming straight out of St. Paul since the very beginning.
1957 “Exploring Science,” hosted by a teacher from the St. Paul Public Schools, is the first program ever shown on KTCA, at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 16. For the first two decades of KTCA, daytime programming was devoted to elementary school classroom instruction, including music, foreign languages (Spanish, Russian, and German), and science.
1960s “Ya Hablamos Espanol” is one of the best-known classroom shows.
Howard Hathaway plays Spanish instructor Don Miguel.
1971 “Children and the Law,” about the roles of police and the courts, is one of several puppet series using the skills of Minnesota comedian and puppeteer Pat Proft. Proft went on to write national comedy TV shows and movies, including the Police Academy and Naked Gun movie series.
1974 When “Lunch with Casey” ends its long run on commercial TV, the mischievous Rodney, played by skater Lynn Dwyer, spins off “Roundhouse” on KTCA.
1982 The lively science show “Newton’s Apple,” which will go on to run for 15 years and win national awards, including a Daytime Emmy, debuts. It lives on at the popular site NewtonsApple.tv
2002 The newest science show from tpt, “DragonflyTV,” is now in its sixth season. It features real kids exploring science around the country. This season, the show’s hosts are visiting science centers in different U.S. states.
