A file image from WGBH in Boston and Cinar Corp. of the public television character "Arthur." Alabama Public Television opted to not show an episode of the animated series which featured a gay wedding.
In the episode, which aired nationwide May 13, Arthur and his friends attend their beloved teacher Mr. Ratburn's nuptials to his partner.
APT preempted the episode by showing a re-run of Arthur.
Mike Mckenzie, director of programming at APT, said APT was notified by WGBH and PBS in mid-April about the episode titled "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone" and decided to show a re-run. Mckenzie said APT has no plans to air the episode at a later date.
"Parents have trusted Alabama Public Television for more than 50 years to provide children's programs that entertain, educate and inspire," Mckenzie said in an email. "More importantly - although we strongly encourage parents to watch television with their children and talk about what they have learned afterwards - parents trust that their children can watch APT without their supervision. We also know that children who are younger than the 'target' audience for Arthur also watch the program."
Comment: Seems a reasonable stance to take, i.e. let parents decide what their children will be exposed to and when!