Peggy Charren, children’s TV pioneer

Peggy Charren, a children's television activist who is credited with revolutionizing children's programming, died at her home in Dedham (MA).

Frustrated with the vapid quality and hyper-commercialization of TV programs her children watched in her Newton (MA) home the late 1960s, Peggy Charren helped found Action for Children’s Television, a grassroots organization that brought about landmark legislation and sweeping changes in programming for young viewers. Charren was a book-loving mother whose efforts earned her a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and comparisons to Ralph Nader as a consumer rights activist. Sen Ed Markey (D-MA), a longtime friend and political ally, called her “the principal defender of children’s television in America” and “a conscience sitting on the shoulder of every commercial broadcaster.”