Bob the Vid Tech

Did You Know?

• Heck made regular public appearances as an emcee at malls, hospitals, schools, concert halls, and festivals on behalf of MPT's Vid Kid Club.
• Larger events called Vid Kid Roadshows featured live stage performances with Bob and his partner-in-fun Brianna.

History

In 1993, Maryland Public Television discontinued its daytime instructional television broadcasts and rebranded the time slot as The Children's Channel, adding PBS Kids programming. To connect with young viewers, the station created a Video Technician character, known as Vid Tech, and a Vid Kid Club for families. New York native and Maryland resident Robert Heck, using his nickname Bob, was hired for the role. Though played by an adult, Bob acted like an elementary-age child excited about learning. Collaborating with creators Jonathan Slade and Susie Shaw, Heck also portrayed other characters including Momma Vid Tech, his brother Biff, and Pop Quiz, and voiced his puppet friend Sid the Vid Fish. These characters appeared in short interstitials and open animations for longer specials. In summer 2000, singer Parris Lane joined as Brianna, an on-air floor director and camera person. Production ended in 2010.

Interstitials

To localize content and connect with Maryland families, MPT produced short videos called interstitials, placed between national PBS kids shows. Shot in studio and on location, they ranged from 15 seconds to one minute, covering subjects like numbers, language, and imagination, and visiting places such as local libraries. In the late 1990s, The Children's Channel was rebranded as MPT Kidworks, still featuring Bob in his aqua-colored jacket. In 2002, MPT announced no new interstitials would be made, relying on the 200 already produced, but production continued for seven more years under MPT Kids and Family with producer Frank Batavick. In 2003, Bob spoke with Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich at his inauguration about sharing the same name. Bob's last televised appearance was visiting the Maryland Special Olympics in 2009.

Specials

Longer format specials allowed Bob and his young viewers to explore subjects in depth. Twelve specials were produced, beginning with 1993's Holiday Special and ending with Big City Adventure in 2009. Themes included history, space, water, music, communication, transportation, and food. The original open theme music was by Don Barto, replaced in 2000 by musician David Zee to accompany updated open animation by editor Steve Smith. The specials were: Holiday with Bob Heck (1993), where Bob reads a bedtime story; Vid Kid Field Trip to the National Aquarium (1995), about life under the sea; A Vid Kid Fable: The Day the World Stayed in Bed (1996), imagining a day no one got out of bed; Vid Kid: Lost in Maryland History (1997), a time-travel experience; Vid Kid: Meeting the Challenge! (1998), featuring children with disabilities learning to sail and ride horses; Bob the Vid Tech: Blast Into Space! (2000), with the Maryland Science Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, and NASA to save his brother Biff; Bob the Vid Tech: Music to My Ears (2001), about feeling left out for not playing an instrument; Bob the Vid Tech: Water Water Everywhere (2002), on water's importance; Bob the Vid Tech: Message in a Bottle (2004), on communication history; Bob the Vid Tech: Planes, Trains and Automobiles (2006), about transportation to a family reunion; Bob the Vid Tech: The Mystery of the Missing Pizza (2008), exploring agriculture; and Bob the Vid Tech's Big City Adventure (2009), learning about Baltimore City.