For Kids Sake
 | This article needs more citations. (April 2026) |
| For Kids Sake | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Educational |
| Presented by | Various (see below) |
| Narrated by | Various (see below) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Production location | Various locations throughout the United States |
| Running time | 30-90 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | WBZ-TV Syndication |
| Release | March 4, 1985 – 1996 |
For Kids' Sake is an American public service announcement (PSA) campaign launched by Westinghouse Broadcasting and Boston's then-NBC television station WBZ-TV in March 1985, featuring educational, health, and safety messages for children.[1][2] The campaign encourages parents to "take the time to give and care" to ensure a brighter future for children across the United States. Despite the show targeting at adults age 25 and 54,[3] For Kids' Sake is a two-year campaign (multi-year on some stations) that aired in most television markets throughout the 1980s, with a small number of stations continuing into portions of the 1990s. The campaign, by market, was sponsored by various national corporations, such as McDonald's and True Value, and local businesses such as dealerships, hospitals, and regional grocery store chains.
History
[edit]For Kids' Sake started life as a special three-part series produced by WBZ's Channel 4 Eyewitness News team on March 4, 1985, encouraging viewers on why growing up in the future was more difficult "than what it used to be".[4] The series explains the pressures of experiencing drugs, alcohol, and sex, as well as contending struggles with family life, racial harmony, and technology with an uncertain future.[4] Later that year, WBZ and Westinghouse produced its own primetime television series based out of its context. Throughout the 1985 season, the campaign was so successful that Group W expanded For Kids' Sake to all of its owned-and-operated stations at the start of 1986, beginning with then-NBC affiliate KYW-TV in Philadelphia that January.[5] By the end of the year, the show expanded to non-Westinghouse stations and became a stable in local television across the United States, airing in a total of 115 stations from Big Four networks, independent stations, and superstations. Over a span of four years between 1988 and 1992, Group W created three more public service vignette campaigns, A Time to Care, Thanks to the Teachers, and Celebrate America, with A Time to Care being the concept's sequel to For Kids' Sake.[6]
List of affiliates
[edit] | This article needs to be updated. (May 2026) |
As of 1987 and 1988 combined, a total of 115 television stations carried the campaign, one station by each market and covering nearly 70% of the country's viewership.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Looking Back On 70 Years Of WBZ And Those Who Made It Possible". WBZ-TV. June 7, 2018.
- ↑ "Children's programing is focus of Group W public service push" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 16, 1985.
- ↑ "Group W advertisement - For Kids' Sake" (PDF). Television Radio Age. September 29, 1986.
- 1 2 ""For Kids' Sake" debut in Boston". The Boston Globe. March 4, 1985.
- ↑ "Group W's Kids Drive" (PDF). Television Radio Age. December 23, 1985.
- ↑ "Group W hopes to "celebrate" in "92"" (PDF). Television Radio Age. March 25, 1991.
- ↑ "Syndication Marketplace for Group W" (PDF). Television Radio Age. December 28, 1987.