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If you loved the hit show Reading Rainbow, you’ll be happy to know that LeVar Burton will be livestreaming his podcast, “LeVar Burton Reads” on Twitter. NBCBLK recently reported that Burton has teamed up with Twitter to promote early literacy and continue his relationship with his fans.
In a Twitter announcement to his audience, Burton wrote, “I figured that during this difficult time I could contribute by reading aloud to folks who could use some diversion for themselves and their families.”
I’ve been busting my brain for about a week now trying to figure out how to do a live-streamed version of #LeVarBurtonReads. I figured that during this difficult time I could contribute by reading aloud to folks who could use some diversion for themselves and their families.
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) March 24, 2020
In 2017, Burton launched his podcast after ending a legal battle with a PBS affiliate as a result of reviving Reading Rainbow.
NBCBLK reported:
The show, which premiered in 1983, became the most watched PBS program in the classroom and garnered more than 200 awards, including a Peabody and 26 Emmys, including 11 for outstanding children’s series.
The show was canceled in 2006, but with the support of Burton and his company, RRKidz, it was later relaunched as an iPad app in 2012. The app saw similar success, becoming the No. 1 educational app within 36 hours of its release.
Later, Burton started a Kickstarter fund to revive the show and its materials in 2014, quickly raising more than $6 million.
Its success was followed by a 2017 lawsuit from WNED, the PBS affiliate in Buffalo, New York, against Burton and his company for “theft and extortion” regarding a series of alleged trademark violations, including Burton’s signature “Reading Rainbow” catchphrase: “But you don’t have to take my word for it.” The lawsuit was settled later that year.
Since the launch of his podcast, Burton has garnered international support. And he continues to build his audience with fresh and exciting content.
Burton’s podcast is set to premiere Friday on Twitter Livestream at 6 p.m. EST
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