By now just about everyone has probably heard of the Kickstarter to bring back iconic children’s television show Reading Rainbow. News reports on the millions raised by the campaign are often outdated before they’re even published ($3.2m as of Sunday night). But is it all about the children? MobyLives explores how the former host LeVar Burton bought the rights and now operates the show as part of a for-profit company.
The Reading Rainbow Industrial Complex
Ian MacAllen
Ian MacAllen is the author of Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American (Rowman & Littlefield, April 2022). His writing has appeared in Chicago Review of Books, Southern Review of Books, The Offing, 45th Parallel Magazine, Little Fiction, Vol 1. Brooklyn, and elsewhere. He tweets @IanMacAllen and is online at IanMacAllen.com.