CPB Statement on the Death of Sesame Workshop Co-Founder Lloyd Morrisett

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 24, 2023) -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting released the following statement on the death of Lloyd Morrisett, co-founder of Sesame Workshop, from Debra Sanchez, CPB senior vice president, Educational Media & Learning Experiences:

“Public television owes a debt of gratitude to Lloyd Morrisett for his incredible vision to use television to teach preschoolers basic reading and math skills. As vice president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, he wondered whether television could be used to educate young children. He went on to answer his own question in 1968 when he and Joan Ganz Cooney formed the Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop), and created ‘Sesame Street,’ which showed the world that television could indeed reach and teach preschool children wherever they were.

“As chairman of Sesame Workshop’s board for 30 years, he had an indelible impact on children's educational media. In appreciation for that work, in 2002, CPB awarded Sesame Workshop the Fred Rogers Award for excellence in children's educational media.”

About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for other updates.