The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Cooney, Joan Ganz
1929–, American television producer, b. Phoenix, Ariz. After graduating (1951) from the Univ. of Arizona, Cooney worked as a newspaper reporter and television publicist for ten years before becoming a producer at WNET, a public television station in New York City. There she developed the concepts for children’s programming that led to the incorporation (1968) of the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW; since 2000, Sesame Workshop); Cooney has been president since 1970. Through Sesame Street,Electric Company, and other innovative programs, CTW transformed children’s television and learning. Cooney was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995.
