I believe that old and new cartoons will come back in OTA’s very soon

[Don CT]

Just because something was done in the past doesn’t make it a good idea today—completely agree with the point that it’s a different world. We learn things about the potential ramifications of actions. We have access to more knowledge, more data. Ideally, that would give us pause to think about what is and isn’t the wisest course.

Yet we are becoming dumber by the day.

 

[CTListener]

I suppose. Still, I wish logical thinking were more of a thing these days. Even as a kid, I knew what hunting was and what guns did and what happened to ducks (and other living things) when they were shot. Daffy was a funny cartoon duck being shot by a funny cartoon hunter. The sight gag was funny, period.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Yet we are becoming dumber by the day.

We’re not. The up and coming generations are just fine and every bit as smart as those that came before. There’s always a mix. Always has been. Presumably always will be. The idea that “we” collectively are becoming dumber sounds like little more than “get off my lawn” carping about the world changing. Also just like it has always done.

 

[Don CT]

We’re not. The up and coming generations are just fine and every bit as smart as those that came before. There’s always a mix. Always has been. Presumably always will be. The idea that “we” collectively are becoming dumber sounds like little more than “get off my lawn” carping about the world changing. Also just like it has always done.

I'm not talking about the up and coming generations.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Daffy Duck got shot in the face in seemingly dozens of cartoons. In half of them his bill would wind up in the back of his head; in the others it would be split between the top and bottom. Do the must-protect-the-children do-gooders who don't want kids to see this kind of gag violence again think that there might be kids today who would see this and get daddy's shotgun and try the same thing on little brother? And that television would somehow be legally responsible for that shallow-end-of-the-gene-pool behavior?

At the times I've watched Me TV's cartoon show they were showing the cartoon violence uncut. I haven't seen anything that could be considered racially offensive though to my knowledge.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

If Kids Programming were to go back to OTA outside of PBS affiliates then it would have to be done by Litton (Hearst Owned Production Company)

Television — Litton Entertainment

www.litton.tv

Michelle Obama is launching a cooking show on Netflix | CNN Business

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is launching a kid-centric cooking show on Netflix.

www.cnn.com

Also Litton will have to look at the Obama's media production company for ideas with kids programming now that the former First Lady is releasing a kids show for Netflix in March.

 

[Don CT]

When I was growing up the independent stations would all run the syndicated cartoons all morning before school.

 

[CTListener]

When I was growing up the independent stations would all run the syndicated cartoons all morning before school.

The prehistoric days of audience research, before advertisers learned that the real money lay in females 25-44 and that trash TV (Maury, judge shows, etc.) and female-oriented "news" and talk (extended hours of GMA and Today, The View, etc.) made much more sense than sponsoring shows for kids.

 

[anotherguyTN]

If Kids Programming were to go back to OTA outside of PBS affiliates then it would have to be done by Litton (Hearst Owned Production Company)

Television — Litton Entertainment

www.litton.tv

That's the problem. The OTA networks caved in and turned strictly to Litton rather than trying to do truly fun kid's shows that would meet the E/I rules.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Xploration Station - Steve Rotfeld Productions

Xploration Station is a block of science and STEM related TV shows.

www.rotfeldproductions.com

Xploration Station - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

About SRP - Steve Rotfeld Productions

STEVE ROTFELD PRODUCTIONS, INC. is a four-time Emmy Award-winning television production and distribution company. Since its inception in 1985, its programs have appeared on cable networks, streaming services, and broadcast television. It produces a broad array of content, ranging from kids to...

www.rotfeldproductions.com

There a second production company that provides E/I to local stations called Steve Rotfield Productions they provide E/I content for the Fox O&O's. As far as I know Xploration Station will get pre-empted by Fox Sports or Local News coverage in lots of cases. In the case of Fox at least in the Bay Area Xploration Station is most likely to air on KTVU+ while the main Fox O&O KTVU Fox 2 is airing sports and weekend news. If the main Fox O&O is airing it its probably when theres no Sports coverage by Fox.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

That's the problem. The OTA networks caved in and turned strictly to Litton rather than trying to do truly fun kid's shows that would meet the E/I rules.

It’s not caving. It’s focusing resources where you get the best return. This is an obligation. A price of doing business. There is zero business reason to throw away money.

 

[TexasTom]

The prehistoric days of audience research, before advertisers learned that the real money lay in females 25-44 and that trash TV (Maury, judge shows, etc.) and female-oriented "news" and talk (extended hours of GMA and Today, The View, etc.) made much more sense than sponsoring shows for kids.

There's much more to it than that. As far back as the 70s, advertisers would pay a much lower CPM (cost per thousand households) for a show being watched primarily by children. But the concentration of children watching on Saturday mornings made it profitable for the networks in that time period, and the limited competition for children's programming on weekdays made it profitable for (typically) one station in the market to program to children on weekday mornings and afternoons. For relatively low-rated independent stations, there was the added advantage that if the kids changed the channel to their station, it was possible that the station could get the attention (and viewing) of adult viewers in the same household later in the afternoon.

What really killed the economic viability of children's programming OTA was when the kids cable networks hit big -- all of a sudden, there was constant competition for the attention of children and much of the advertising moved to those cable networks. There were no longer the ratings to justify the lower CPMs, and so the programming rapidly disappeared.

 

[Megatron]

WXMI Fox17 airs the Xploration series at 9AM until the sports come on Fox sometimes ends at 11:30AM for pregame and Big Noon Kickoff at 10AM sometimes or 11AM during the fall. Fox market place is aired late Sat/early Sun from 2AM to 4AM.