After 26 Years, Good-Bye to "Reading Rainbow"

The final episode of "Reading Rainbow" aired its final episode Friday after more than twenty-five years on the air.

The show, created in 1983, was hosted by "Star Trek: The Next Generation" actor and "Roots" alum LeVar Burton. The show aimed at instilling a love of reading in children.

"Reading Rainbow" was "the third-longest for a public television children's show, beaten only by 'Sesame Street' and 'Mister Rogers Neighborhood,'" reported The Washington Post.

According to The Associated Press, the once-popular show's ratings were down and new episodes ended years ago. PBS also said that pbskids.org will be discontinued in December.

The reason for the ending of "Reading Rainbow" is partly because of the funding crunch. It also is attributed to a philosophy change in regards to education. Instead of teaching children why they should read, there is more of a focus on things like phonics and spelling.

"Reading Rainbow," however, will still be available for classroom use, revealed a PBS web site.