There was a time when children’s television was an unfiltered flood—washing right into their laps.  It was, activist Peggy Charren once said, “wall-to-wall monster cartoons.” 

So, in 1968, with young children at home, Charren and a group of like-minded parents began to fight. They formed Action for Children's Television or ACT. And they did.

“The broadcasters were reasonably responsive to the need to provide choice and diversity.  Not all the time and everything wasn’t wonderful.  But the advertisers were never responsive. They fought any regulation like you were going to put them out of business,” she once said.

But Charren was undaunted and fought to have children’s programming and advertising regulated.  ACT took on local shows like Romper Room in which the host directly marketed products to children. 

“Kids learn best when they feel good about themselves and advertising works best when they don’t," she said in 1997. "When you think you’re missing something. When you worry about being too poor to buy the kinds of things that television sells you.”

Charren moved up the chain—taking on the networks—demanding they restrict marketing and cut down on advertising.  And in 1990 ACT declared victory with the passage of the Children’s Television Act which created specific standards for children’s broadcasting.  It was never about censorship Charren later said.

“We as a society in this country are too quick I think to say um get it off the air.  That most people  who worry about media and children wanna either get rid of sex, mostly the right, the right political part of the country wants to get rid of sex and the more liberal people want to get rid of violence. But I think that’s never been the right tactic.”

Charren created a demand for children’s educational programming.  So, as it developed at WGBH, she became an advisor and trustee helping to hone shows like Arthur, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego and Degrassi Junior High.

“There is nothing educational about commercial broadcasting service to children, even in light of the new Communications Act change where it says you have to do some," she said in 1992. "They're saying 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town' is educational programming. It's not going to make kids hair fall out, but it's not going to teach them anything."

Ultimately when it came to tuning in children’s television, Peggy Charren made certain it was finely tuned.