Peggy Charren, a tireless advocate whose work pushing for more and better educational television programming for children began with a 1968 meeting of parents in her suburban Boston home, died Jan. 22.
Ms. Charren, 86, began her efforts for better programming at a time when the three broadcast networks had limited children’s lineups, mostly dominated by Saturday morning cartoons. She helped create and led a nonprofit group called Action for Children’s Television and was soon seeking meetings to cajole reluctant network-television executives.
Another campaign mounted by her group culminated in the Children’s Television Act of 1990, a compromise measure that limited the number of commercials that could air during children’s shows.
She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 by President Bill Clinton.