FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — The national push by credit unions to promote and brand the BizKid$ financial literacy show on public TV picked up new steam last week, with 311 stations now signed on and Hawaii the latest state to carry the episodes.

“We now have 90% saturation of all the PBS stations, which is well past our 60% estimate for this time,” said RoxAnne Kruger, who serves as national BizKid$ project coordinator for the Washington Credit Union League, the BizKid$ founder.

The show, which in many locales contains a CU brand and awareness messaging, received an extra bit of publicity last week when the Money Section of USA Today mentioned the show, urging readers to check with PBS stations for broadcast times.

Though it did not list a CU tie-in, the USA Today article praised “this fast-paced 'eductainment' series that teaches kids about business and personal finance.”

Kruger, who also is senior vice president of the Washington Credit Union League, said the show is now being telecast in 14 of the top 15 markets, with Dallas the lone exception for the moment.

With Arkansas a holdout, the show also now enjoys viewership in 49 states, and in March it was calculated to have reached 118 million households.

“American Public Television reported that was the greatest reach of any other program that APT represents and as a comparison, the Emmy Award winning Bill Nye the Science Guy aired on 40 stations at the end of its first season,” said Kruger. Responding to specific requests from viewers and CUs, Kruger said a DVD set covering the 26 episodes covering a two-year period are now available for $50.

–jrubenscut@aol.com

Instant Insights /

BizKid$ Financial Literacy Show, Now on 311 Stations, Gets USA Today Plug

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