GIVING A FRIENDLY FACE TO THE BIG BLACK BOX

On the air since August, cable TV channel KidZone has set itself an ambitious task: helping out today’s harried mums and dads by becoming a third parent to Thailand’s children.

Run by Nation International Edutainment or NINE, a subsidiary of Nation Multimedia Group, the station is devoted to the development of young brains.

With the television the centrepiece not just of most homes but also of several rooms in a home, there’s no escaping the box these days and inevitably what the children see on the screen is going to affect their behaviour. “That’s why it so important for parents to monitor the content of television programming and set viewing limits,” says Sivaporn Chomsuwan, the president of NINE, which was established in 2009 and is also involved in youth publications, games, e-books, and other applications.

“With our third parent strategy, KidZone aims to be an excellent educator and entertainer, a channel that parents can trust and even enjoy quality programming in front of the television themselves.” 

KidZone, which broadcasts around the clock and is aimed at children between the ages of four and 12 years, is aired through satellite C Band Thaicom 5 and can be received on PSI channel 101, BIG channel 33, Sunbox channel 43, and GMM Z channel 93. 

“KidZone is age-appropriate and is designed to help children learn life skills with a large helping of problem-solving. Our programmes have three principles: they must contain substantial knowledge, be entertaining and promote creativity,” he explains. 

“Even when they watch cartoons, kids should not just be only having fun but also be learning about themselves and their communities, as well as friendship, caring, sharing, perseverance and other virtues. Animations must not contain violence. Our international selection highlights include ‘Canimals’, ‘Pleasant Goat and the Big Big Wolf’, ‘Astro Boy’, ‘Super Hams Band’, ‘Oops! I-Koo’, ‘Curious Kemi’, ‘Why?’ and ‘The Adventures of Dalgo the Great’. As well as translation, we also have a team who censors and controls the language.”

Among the Thai cartoons is “Once Upon a Time”, which goes out at weekends at Saturday at 9.30am and features folktales and dharma teachings, along with Thai traditions. “The cartoons are fun, easy to follow and understand, and also teaches children about Thai precepts,” he adds.

“KidZone is more about edutainment than just cartoons. We emphasise children-oriented content. Our live broadcast ‘KidZone Club’ from Monday to Friday invites young viewers to think and learn about the world around them. Viewers can interact with our friendly presenters in Saturday’s ‘Kid Diary’ when we take young fans to different cultural places and learning centres to learn arts, music, sport and science. On Sunday, the channel presents ‘Learn and Play’, which highlights learning methods through fun activities like cooking, art crafts and yoga,” Sivaporn says. 

Ultimately, he says, watching television in moderation can be a good thing. “Since the significance of social and emotional development is seen in every area of a child's life, with or without parents viewing, KidZone is truly a friendly channel for children. As the content producer, I think it is our direct responsibility to provide high quality edutainment for children. I see KidZone as better television for a better world,” he says.

 

Getting connected

Chat with fellow KidZone fans either at Facebook www.facebook.com/KidZoneTV or on twitter @KidZoneTV.