Go Out And Play: Fox Dumps Its Saturday Morning Cartoons For Infomercials

[mjlarochelle]

The thing, though, is how would the local shows compare to the nationally-syndicated or networked programs?

It depends. If local stations can produce slick newscasts, I'm sure they can produce slick kids' programming. Sadly news has become the sole focus of local programming on stations throughout North America, and on some American stations at least it is beyond excessive. I think it would be smart for some stations to counter-program morning news shows, instead of just doing what every other station in the market does. It's a good opportunity for a station like WWOR which does not program morning news up against the rest of the major NYC stations.

 

[Poledo]

Do any stations still produce local children's programing, like Bozo on WGN?

 

[TexasTom]

It depends. If local stations can produce slick newscasts, I'm sure they can produce slick kids' programming. Sadly news has become the sole focus of local programming on stations throughout North America, and on some American stations at least it is beyond excessive. I think it would be smart for some stations to counter-program morning news shows, instead of just doing what every other station in the market does. It's a good opportunity for a station like WWOR which does not program morning news up against the rest of the major NYC stations.

The problem is that it is an "opportunity" that would generate no revenue for the stations.

Almost no local advertisers buy time on children's programs -- and that's been true for 30 years or more. Throughout the eighties and nineties, kids programming on broadcast stations was supported primarily through national spot advertising. Apparently, that was enough to make it pretty profitable, judging by the huge amounts of children's shows that aired on many independent/Fox/WB/UPN stations during this time.

But the national spot advertising dollars started drying up towards the end of the nineties, when national advertisers trying to reach kids started shifting their budgets over to cable networks like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. And that left stations that carried kids programming with a bit of a problem -- even if they earned solid ratings with those shows, those ratings didn't translate into advertising revenue, and the kids shows ended up becoming increasingly unprofitable. So those programs got replaced by infomercials, court shows, or whatever would bring in at least a little money.

If anyone wants broadcasters to be able to make a go at offering children's shows again, something needs to change. That means a return of local and/or national spot advertising for children's programs...or it means trying a completely different distribution model. My thought is that if children's shows were syndicated on a "revenue sharing" basis, that might work. The shows would come fully loaded with 12 minutes of national advertising per hour, and the stations carrying these shows would get a cut of the national revenue instead of making a futile effort to sell any local ad slots within these shows. That might end up being an economic model on par with stations carrying informercials -- the money may not be great, but the effort is minimal.

Obviously, this would do nothing to promote any sort of local children's programming. I just don't see that happening, because there is no way to turn a profit from it.

 

[bpatrick]

I've mentioned it before but the beginning of
the end of local kids' shows came in the '70s,
when the FCC (through Action for Children's
Television) clamped down on kids'-show hosts
doing commercials; I mentioned Buckskin Bill
on WAFB/9 Baton Rouge. His show was sponsored
by a bakery, and when he was forced to stop
doing their commercials, the bakery pulled all
its advertising off Channel 9.

I suppose the only way Fox stations can meet
E/I requirements is to run syndicated shows;
that's what my local affiliate, WGHP/Fox8, does.

 

[jal41]

Do any stations still produce local children's programing, like Bozo on WGN?

WSB-TV/Atlanta still produces "High Q", a local quiz show featuring local high school students. After years on Saturdays at 10:30, it was moved to Sunday's at 7 AM (after public affairs) a few years ago to make way for ABC's kids shows (which for years aired out of line - and a couple still do today because of weekend noon news). There is no indication that the show will end anytime soon.

 

[jegrant]

Back to the leasing idea - I'm sure that many PBS affiliates would be happy to collect a fee for this, but they would have to "roll their own" E/I and/or Kids network, as PBS Kids Sprout prevents the national PBS from distributing any 24/7 kidvid net to its affiliates. And then again there is qubo.

I think the FCC seems to be afraid somehow that if stations were allowed, to, say, make a "voluntary contribution" toward the costs of another station in their DMA providing E/I, that it would somehow reduce the total quality and/or quantity of E/I programming.
My response is that a lot of E/I right now is relatively low quality reruns, which in some cases appear on multiple stations in a market. So, although this rule change might appear on the face of it to reduce the quantity of E/I, it would probably do a lot to ensure the quality of the E/I that was available.

 

[azumanga]

I'm sure that many PBS affiliates would be happy to collect a fee for this, but they would have to "roll their own" E/I and/or Kids network, as PBS Kids Sprout prevents the national PBS from distributing any 24/7 kidvid net to its affiliates.

I think there is some kind of national children's service for PBS stations, if not from PBS then from a third party -- here in the Tampa Bay area, WUSF recently added a 24/7 children's channel; considering that it replaced Annenberg's now-defunct TV network, I don't think subchannels can be created off the cuff.

My response is that a lot of E/I right now is relatively low quality reruns, which in some cases appear on multiple stations in a market. So, although this rule change might appear on the face of it to reduce the quantity of E/I, it would probably do a lot to ensure the quality of the E/I that was available.

The question is -- is anyone watching E/I? Some stations are following the letter of the law, but not the spirit, by putting E/I shows on weekdays when kids are at school. Here in Tampa Bay, WMOR (last time I checked) shows Degrassi TNG (an E/I program) weekdays at 9:30 AM -- a time when their target audience should be at school. Practically, the only kids that should be home watching TV should be preschoolers, and Degrassi features topics that would be way over the rugrats' heads.

 

[ixnay]

Do any stations still produce local children's programing, like Bozo on WGN?

WSB-TV/Atlanta still produces "High Q", a local quiz show featuring local high school students. After years on Saturdays at 10:30,

WJZ-13 Baltimore still produces a similar show on late Sat. mornings, It's Academic, which aired on WBAL-11 when I first moved to the Baltimore market from Philly in 1985. Within a decade of my move, It'sA had moved to WJZ.

ixnay

 

[4dude]

Who cares,all the cartoons fox shows are utter trash....... (So why not replace them with more trash)

 

[MarcB]

The question is -- is anyone watching E/I? Some stations are following the letter of the law, but not the spirit, by putting E/I shows on weekdays when kids are at school. Here in Tampa Bay, WMOR (last time I checked) shows Degrassi TNG (an E/I program) weekdays at 9:30 AM -- a time when their target audience should be at school. Practically, the only kids that should be home watching TV should be preschoolers, and Degrassi features topics that would be way over the rugrats' heads.

Yeah TXX-TV the CW affiliate in Hartford runs Degrassi at 830AM Monday-Friday. Their sister station in NYC CW 11 has the right idea. They run Degrassi Sundays 1030AM-1PM.

 

[EricStein]

My response is that a lot of E/I right now is relatively low quality reruns, which in some cases appear on multiple stations in a market. So, although this rule change might appear on the face of it to reduce the quantity of E/I, it would probably do a lot to ensure the quality of the E/I that was available.

The question is -- is anyone watching E/I? Some stations are following the letter of the law, but not the spirit, by putting E/I shows on weekdays when kids are at school. Here in Tampa Bay, WMOR (last time I checked) shows Degrassi TNG (an E/I program) weekdays at 9:30 AM -- a time when their target audience should be at school. Practically, the only kids that should be home watching TV should be preschoolers, and Degrassi features topics that would be way over the rugrats' heads.

I think the only "E/I" programming that children actually watch is on PBS and other non-commercial outlets. E/I on commercial stations are most often placed in lesser-watched time slots because of lack of interest from viewers and advertisers. Also, I assume that at least half of the syndicated "E/I" programming that is out there has to be nature/wildlife/animal related. It's as if that's the easiest programming to produce. And I suspect more adults than children watch live-action shows specified "E/I" like Animal Rescue and Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures.

The last such "E/I" program in syndication that had studio-quality production values and attracted broad interest had to be "Bill Nye, The Science Guy," and that ended nearly ten years ago.

 

[jal41]

Back to the leasing idea - I'm sure that many PBS affiliates would be happy to collect a fee for this, but they would have to "roll their own" E/I and/or Kids network, as PBS Kids Sprout prevents the national PBS from distributing any 24/7 kidvid net to its affiliates.

That is because Comcast is a part owner in the PBS Kids Sprout venture. Comcast obviously wants to protect their interests (cable distribution).

 

[jegrant]

Back to the leasing idea - I'm sure that many PBS affiliates would be happy to collect a fee for this, but they would have to "roll their own" E/I and/or Kids network, as PBS Kids Sprout prevents the national PBS from distributing any 24/7 kidvid net to its affiliates.

That is because Comcast is a part owner in the PBS Kids Sprout venture. Comcast obviously wants to protect their interests (cable distribution).

Yeah, I know that Comcast is the primary reason why PBS can't distribute a Kids network; I just didn't mention it, because it didn't seem particularly relevant to this discussion.

Although, I guess that Comcast & PBS both are showing that they believe kids these days are looking at cable for quality programming, not broadcast. (Or at least, not to the extent that they used to. I do believe that PBS is the last broadcast option for quality kids' shows.)

 

[TheRob]

Our station airs "Saved By the Bell" at 5:00 on Sunday morning, and we brand it as E/I programming. I'm not kidding. I guess if you can't learn from A.C. Slater, then there was nothing to be learned.

 

[azumanga]

Our station airs "Saved By the Bell" at 5:00 on Sunday morning, and we brand it as E/I programming. I'm not kidding. I guess if you can't learn from A.C. Slater, then there was nothing to be learned.

Including broadcast law -- last time I heard, 7AM is the earliest time for E/I programming; other wise, it doesn't count.

 

[DToTheJ]

Maybe in this case, the "E/I" stands for eccentric and idiotic...

 

[quadraphonic]

FOX50 in Raleigh runs "Beakman's World" at 5AM on Saturday mornings. It might have even been 4:30 when I saw it a couple times.
I think it's followed by an infomercial block.

I remember getting up at 6AM to watch cartoons and "Kids are People Too" back in the 70s [after staying up late to catch "Donny & Marie" on Friday!].
But 5AM???? Come on. Be for real.

 

[azumanga]

Has the FCC changed the start time for E/I programming, as at least two stations we know carry them at 5AM (maybe earlier)? If so, E/I has started to become a bigger joke than it was.

 

[TroyG]

Sad but true; FOX has finally got itself out of the Saturday Morning Cartoon Business. Its stations can do whatever they like. Some of these stations are now offering Local News in their place. That leaves CBS, ABC, NBC, and The CW as the only Non-Cable networks that shows Cartoons/Children's programming. People nowadays are watching Nick & Cartoon Network-just to get their Saturday Morning Cartoon fix. SpongeBob still remains TV's Most Popular Saturday Morning Cartoon.

 

[MarcB]

Tribune's FOX 61 in Hartford is airing Infomercials 8AM-Noon On Saturdays although from 10AM-Noon they air under the CodeName "Weekend Marketplace".