Question

transforming childrens television
mister rogers neighborhood, created by fred rogers, first appeared on national television in 1968. rogers developed the program in order to address what he perceived as a deficiency in television programming for young children; specifically, he viewed traditional programming as neglectful of social and emotional issues. one year after the shows national debut, another new public television childrens program was introduced: sesame street, the brainchild of joan ganz cooney and lloyd morrisett. like rogers, coone and morrisett were dissatisfied with the options available for young children. they created sesame street in order to add an educational option to childrens programming. while sesame street was more academically focused than mister rogers neighborhood, both programs were unusual in their tackling of complicated issues, such as divorce, disability, and the human impact of natural disasters, which were typically ignored by traditional childrens television shows.
what is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
fred rogers created mister rogers neighborhood in order to address social and emotional issues with young children.
mister rogers neighborhood and sesame street were television programs that both dealt with issues previously unaddressed in childrens programming.
both mister rogers neighborhood and sesame street included discussion of complicated social issues, but sesame street was more academically focused.

Explanation:

The passage first introduces Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and its creator's motivation to address social - emotional issues in children's TV. Then it introduces Sesame Street and its focus on education. It concludes by stating that both shows dealt with complex issues not typically covered in traditional children's TV.

Answer:

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street were television programs that both dealt with issues previously unaddressed in children's programming.