The CW is Pulling the Plug on Kids' WB (1995-2008)

tmc_6882 · Post by **tmc_6882** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:36 pm

Kids' CW was the only over-the-air outlet left that produced an original, in-house (as opposed to leasing the schedule to the highest bidder) Saturday morning line-up.

Network shutting down Kids' WB! franchise

The CW announced late Tuesday it will shut down the nearly 13-year-old Kids' WB! franchise at the end of this season and turn Saturday mornings over to 4Kids Entertainment, which has handled Fox's Saturday morning kids block for the past six years.

minkwheel · Post by **minkwheel** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:08 am

All too true.....there will be three or so HOLDOVERS from this season due to contractual stuff... and even the new SPIDERMAN series that Kids WB was going to begin airing in he Spring, will have to find a new home .... Warners is beginning to go to the MADE FOR VIDEO route that Disney just disbanded ...WB BIGSHOT SANDER SCHWARZ just left Warners to head up SONY for MADE FOR VIDEO productions..like a SURF'S UP 2 and all that. Yes... it means more money for the entertainment juggernauts... but I for one LOVE choce and variety on my Saturday morning.... I really don't want to watch four hour blocks of some shows that have been around for five seasons ...I've already SEEN YU GI OH, and DON'T NEED TO RELIVE "THE MAGIC" so that the network can save a dollar. -----'YES... LET'S CUT OFF THE NETWOR'S ONE SAVING GRACE TO SAVE SOME MONEY AND PUMP SOME NEEDED CASH INTO 'AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL" ........... I'm sure you can tell I'm a bit BITTER. --sorry to rant. --minkwheel

freakofn99 · Post by **freakofn99** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 4:23 pm

Ya i started watching that chanel when POKEMON first aired on it A YEAR BEFORE ANYONE ELSE STARTED AIRING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Im sad to say i watched that show for quite some time (even as an adult).

wow so many memories growing up with that channel and everything started going down hill the moment they anounced they were merging with CW23.

Sad to see it go

tmc_6882 · Post by **tmc_6882** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:09 pm

The Death of Saturday Morning Television

Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming which was typically scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Parents' lobby groups like Action for Children's Television appeared in the late 1960s. They voiced concerns about the presentation of violence, anti-social attitudes and stereotypes in Saturday morning cartoons. By the 1970s, these groups exercised enough influence that the TV networks felt compelled to lay down more stringent content rules for the animation houses.

Critics have complained that this proceeded to the point where the very depiction of conflict and jeopardy and the basic elements of drama and suspense were severely restricted, and the artists were left with few avenues of expression. The prohibition against the depiction of anti-social elements often prompted conformist stories, such as in the Smurfs series, where almost any individual initiative often resulted in trouble for the group and therefore had to be avoided.

However, the decline of the timeslot truly began in the mid 1980s for a variety of reasons, including:
*The rise of first run syndication animated programs, which usually had a greater artistic freedom, and looser standards
*The increasing popularity of home video
*The rise of cable TV channels like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network

Because of FCC-mandated regulations that began in the mid-1990s, broadcast stations were forced to program a minimum of three hours of children's educational/informational ("E/I") programming.

To help their affiliates comply with the regulations, broadcast networks began to reorganize their efforts to adhere to the mandates, so its affiliates wouldn't bear the burden of scheduling the shows themselves on their own time.

agent_smith · Post by **agent_smith** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:33 am

This does surprise me at all. The Kids WB has the only good cartoons on Saturday morning in my opinion.

But corporate America is about the bottom line, money. The parents groups are about "safety and education". I'd rather have the old Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes any day.

MisterXYZ (RoboTomo) · Post by **MisterXYZ (RoboTomo)** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:20 pm

I feel sorry for Kids WB to die.

I miss the good old days, including Earthworm Jim, Freakazoid, Pinky and the Brain, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!

At least I got to see Tom and Jerry in "Hi, Robot!". I even recorded it.