New Regulations in the United States, which took effect this autumn, require all commercial broadcasters there to include three hours of ducational/informational (E/I) programmes for children in their daily schedules. That sounds great, but in practice the networks have largely picked out a few shows from their schedules which are aimed at young viewers (leaving out the egregiously violent ones) and stuck the E/I label on them, earning new credibility with parents for mostly the same old content.

ABC's E/I list is particularly interesting. It is basically a litany of the Disney cartoons shown on the network.

Disney's 101 Dalmatians: The Series apparently teaches "strategic thinking, creative problem-solving and learning through experience".

It is no coincidence that ABC generously shares the enhanced credibility of E/I designation with Disney. The network is owned by the huge global entertainment conglomerate, Disney/Capital Cities.