TV News Programs For Young Viewers Making a Comeback

By Mark Walsh

Television news and informational programming for young viewers, virtually absent from the major broadcast networks for the past decade, is making a comeback this year, especially on cable channels and local stations.

Underlying the trend is a combination of forces, including the spur of competition, requirements in a new federal law, and a heightened interest in children's news sparked by the Persian Gulf war.

One indicator of the trend comes from an unlikely source: MTV, or Music Television, the 10-year-old cable channel that many parents and educators view as the very symbol of American youths' preference...