Newsletter – July 25, 2025
Leah, the youngest girl in The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles got her start thanks to PBS.
It began when Debbie was reading a book to our young daughter who started reading the words as well. Had she just memorized her favorite book? Kids are like that, they soak things up like sponges. Debbie pulled out a book that she knew our daughter had never seen and asked her to read it.
She did. Our little sponge had taught herself how to read.
How, you ask? We credit PBS.
All her favorite programs were on PBS, from “Sesame Street” to “Barney” to “Between The Lions” and more. All the groundwork was laid out to help her learn how to read and do basic math.
When she got tested for Kindergarten, the teacher told us she was already reading at a fourth grade level. We started referring to her as “a smarticle.”
The character of Leah is also a five year old—”almost six” she tells people—who taught herself how to read. Her adventure in Eveningwhere with teen step-sister, Vanessa, shows how very smart she is.
PBS helped educate our daughter those many years ago. Today, I listen to “The PBS News Hour” podcast every morning on my walks. I also listen to NPR’s “Fresh Air” and “The Treatment” to learn about movies, books, TV shows, and much more.
I’m so disappointed that the funding for these programs is being dropped by the government when they’re so valuable to the American public.
I’m contributing money to PBS and NPR and I’ll offer you a free ebook copy of MAMLA if you show me your receipt that says you’ve also donated (send it to eric@ericmargerum.com). My ebook is in EPUB format and can be read on Kindle, Apple Books, Nook, and most ebook apps.
Be sure to black out any credit card numbers, or other important information. I’ll also delete the receipt after I send you the ebook.
Many PBS and NPR stations award thank-you gifts like tumblers, tote-bags, and hats. If you get one, please use it or wear it with pride and let people know that these programs are made possible by people like you.
TTFN
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DONATION SITES:
Ken Burns, documentary director of “The Civil War,” “Baseball” and “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” said on PBS: My biggest thing is, I travel around the system all the time. And I meet in big markets and small markets. And you begin to see the way in which, particularly in those small rural markets, the PBS station is really like the public library. It’s one of those important institutions. It may be the only place where people have access to local news, that the local station is going to the city council meeting.
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If you received this email because it was forwarded to you by a subscriber, welcome. You can subscribe as well by following the link on my website: ericmargerum.com. A free story awaits you there.
Eric Margerum 