The Lookback : Children's TV: Animated Live action shows

The Flashback  Children's TV 

      In case our title doesn't make sense ( it really doesn't)  this time we look at something a little strange and have touched upon before : Animated versions of live action shows (usually prime time) .   When a prime time (usually a family program) was  popular enough it sometimes wanted to grow  beyond that . This is where this comes in.   This is not really done now. (that's why there is no animated version of  "Big Bang Theory" floating around and if it was could it be for kids?)   So let's draw into a journey (boo!) into the world of animated TV shows made from live action TV shows.

1. "The Brady Kids"  

  What's it Based on ?  : "The Brady Bunch" (1969-1974)   

      So the "Brady Bunch" was a popular show with the families and especially with the kids watching , so why not cash in on that? (Yeah, why not?)  In 1972 , ABC had a new Saturday Morning series based on the Brady Bunch  it was called "The Brady Kids". ( I bet it was going to focus on the kids)   The original  voices of the regular series  did the voices on this show , for the first season that is , in the 2nd season  only Mike Lockinland (Bobby Brady) , Eve Plumb ( Jan Brady) , and Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) stayed as the voices of their charterers in season 2.  

     In the cartoon there was no parents or Alice (gasp)   as most animated versions of live action TV shows , it had animals in it ( kids like animals , I guess)  there was a bird  who also was a wizard ( Like Harry Potter but with wings) , A dog named Mop Top ( I guess Tiger's voice wasn't working on this show either) ,  and two Pandas Ping and Pong.   

   Unlike  the original live action show the Brady's where able to go on adventures with out adult supervision (every child's dream)  the went to the jungle, enter road rallies ,  Meet Wonder woman  in Ancient Greece (huh?)  ,and also magical things happens thanks to the wizard Bird. 

     

 The Youngest one is Bob     /Youtube

     After 22  episodes and two seasons the series packed up and left  , and  a few months later the live-action series  left too.  

2.Laverne and Shirley in the army
     What's it based off of ?  Laverne and Shirley  (1976-1983)
   Hmm "Laverne and Shirley" is so great  that let's make an animated series and put them in the army ? ( Ok then )  Yes that is what happened, in 1981 Hanna and Barbera made an animated series based on the popular sitcom , for ABC.  This series put Laverne and Shirley in the army ( odd)  it also didn't last long only 13 episodes for 1 season.

 


  presented without comment // Youtube

You would think that that would make them give up ( I did) , but no...  they created an hour called "The Mork and Mindy/ Laverne and Shirley /Fonz hour.  So, now they made Laverne and Shirley still in the army but now the Fonz joined them. (I wish this was fake)  and they added his dog , Mr. Cool from his own animated series.  The series was stopped after Cindy Williams ( Who played Shirley on the main show . and voiced her on the animated series) quit, so they played the eight and that was it.
 
more after this jump  , please join us

Discovery takes more control of The Hub and will be renamed Discovery Family

Discovery   TV News 

           Four years and 3 days after , Discovery Communications and Hasbro relaunched Discovery Kids as the Hub, a channel for kids and family , will be renamed Discovery Family as Discovery takes a controlling stake in the Network..   The Relaunch happens October 13. The Hub struggled in ratings , and is in less homes than the channels it competed against.
   

Via- press release

-- Hasbro and Discovery Partnership Focused on Continuing Successful Creation of Entertaining and Award-Winning Content for Kids and Families --
-- Discovery Communications and Kids Television Veteran Tom Cosgrove Named GM of Discovery Family Channel Under the Leadership of Group President Henry Schleiff --

(Silver Spring, Md. and Pawtucket, RI) – Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) and Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) today announced The Hub Network will become Discovery Family Channel effective October 13, 2014. The network will broaden its programming focus to serve families in primetime and continue to showcase Hasbro Studios award-winning children’s content in daytime.
During the daytime, Discovery Family Channel will offer a robust line up of brand new Hasbro Studios’ series as well as beloved library programming, including MY LITTLE PONY, LITTLEST PET SHOP and TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS, while during primetime, the network will serve a growing family audience that began to develop under The Hub Network. Primetime programming will draw from Discovery’s three decades of leadership in creating the highest-quality, real-world content that appeals to the entire family in the Natural History, Adventure, Animals and Science genres. Initial series will include SUPERHUMAN, TIME WARP, FLYING WILD ALASKA, AFRICA and EXTREME ENGINEERING: BIGGEST REVEALS.
“The next chapter of our collaboration will harness the incredible content strengths of both Discovery and Hasbro to program Discovery Family Channel with highly-rated award-winning storytelling around Hasbro’s brands and Discovery’s most popular non-fiction shows that appeal to both children and families alike,” said Hasbro President & CEO Brian Goldner. “Discovery Communications has a nearly 30-year track record of building television brands that create maximum value for advertisers and distributors through their world-class raft of programming and we look forward to evolving this network together.”
Under the executive management of Group President Henry Schleiff, Tom Cosgrove will assume the role of general manager of Discovery Family Channel and will manage all network operations and programming, working closely with the Hasbro Studios team as the new channel will prominently feature Hasbro Studios-produced content in daytime. Schleiff has overseen the successful turnaround and growth of several networks within the Discovery portfolio. Previously, Cosgrove served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Discovery Channel and Science Channel and has held senior leadership positions at ABC Family, Fox Family, Fox Kids and TV Guide Channel prior to his time at Discovery. Most recently, he led 3net and 3net Studios.
“Hasbro is a world-class company with franchises and characters that appeal to kids and families around the world. They have been terrific partners over the past several years as we developed our kids television audience in the U.S., and we look forward to a continued strong collaboration as we evolve to the Discovery Family Channel together,” said Discovery Communications President & CEO, David Zaslav. “Henry’s proficiency in developing and growing strong brands combined with Tom’s experience on Discovery’s flagship brand and deep background in family programming make for a perfect leadership team to drive the network toward future growth.”
The repositioning to Discovery Family Channel builds upon Discovery’s ongoing strategy to maximize its portfolio of channels to satisfy viewers and drive value for distributors and advertisers, while working alongside quality content partners to create long-term value. The Hub Network has grown from nearly 56 million homes in 2010 to approximately 70 million U.S. homes today. Since launch, the strong performance of Hasbro children’s content helped lift the network’s total day P2-11 delivery by +89% and for the past three years, The Hub Network has consistently been the most co-viewed children’s cable network among kids 2-11 watching with adults 18-49--a trend the partners plan to continue with Discovery Family.
“Brian and I want to thank the entire team at The Hub Network for their passion and dedication in building this brand over the past five years,” added Zaslav. “They are a fantastic group of executives, guided by a tremendously creative and inspiring leader in Margaret Loesch. We are grateful for their work in creating a channel of which Discovery and Hasbro have been incredibly proud.”
Discovery Family Channel will continue as a joint venture of Discovery Communications and Hasbro, with Discovery Communications taking a 60% ownership position in the new channel and Hasbro’s stake decreasing to 40%. The network will be consolidated and managed under the Discovery portfolio of networks.


About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s #1 pay-TV programmer reaching 2.7 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity, engaging and entertaining viewers with high-quality content on worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery and Science, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Discovery also controls Eurosport International, a premier sports entertainment group, including six pay-TV network brands across Europe and Asia. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education, and a digital leader with a diversified online portfolio, including Discovery Digital Networks. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company's world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company’s Hasbro Studios is responsible for entertainment brand-driven storytelling around Hasbro brands across television, film, commercial productions and short-form. Through the company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at www.hasbro.com.

The Lookback : School House Rock

The Flashback ABC Children's Programming 

    It would be hard to talk about classic chidren's TV blocks with out  looking at this  show ( it would be illegal  not to look at it) .  A way to refresh your memory it was a segment of 3 minutes (less commercial space to fill then )   of educational videos. (Before E/I to boot)  Apparently it was created  as an advertising venture. ( According to Wikipedia, please don't be wrong)
     The idea was , hey kids like Rock and  learning is good so why not combine the two in an interesting way.     The segements were broken up as different episodes and different "series" , the first was "Multiplication Rock" in 1973 .
 
   Three is a magic number    Disney/ Youtube
         The first episode was called "3 is  Magic Number" teaching kids how amazing the number 3 is ( 3 is amazing )  
    "Multiplication Rock"  ran 11 segments in 1973.  That Fall they introduced "Grammar Rock"  it ran between 1973 to 1993 (the final two made to air in 1993 ).  Due to Bi-Centennial fever (achoo) in 1975 they created "America Rock" (it sure does)  to show different aspects of America like history, the constitution, how laws are made, and other aspects.   This series ran from 1975-76 and some in 79 and 2002.

You thought we were going to.. hahhahaha  Disney/Youtube

 "Science Rock" came out in 1978 to teach kids about different elements of Science  (like why your arms are not attached to your head)  
    Almost after being forgotten it came back in 1993 to make those more episodes for the  series they made in the 70's including a couple more Grammar Rock segments.   In 1995 a new series "Money Rock" (nobody must have watched this ) ,which talked about money usage by you and the government.  When   Disney took over it moved on to One Saturday Morning ( it did fit in the E/I )



No comment  / /  Disney /Youtube

It finally did leave TV in 2002, but was released to VHS (later DVD) .  In 2009 a new set of episodes came out on DVD called "'Earth Rock" (for the hippie inside).

On a side note ....The BBC had a favourite (see what we did there?, no really I don't )
   
  Three is such a magic number  // BBC  Lambie Narin


So once again a (short) look at something in the past of TV history.

ABC Family Announces 13 Nights of Halloween schedule

ABC Family TV News 

 ABC Family  has announced it's programming plans for it's annual 13 Nights of Halloween
from Press release

ABC FAMILY SCARES UP SOME FUN
DURING ITS 16TH ANNUAL “13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN”
HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING EVENT, AIRING OCTOBER 19TH – 31ST


HALLOWEEN EPISODES OF “MELISSA & JOEY” AND “BABY DADDY,”
AND “PRETTY LITTLE LIARS” FAN APPRECIATION AND “FREAK OUT” SPECIALS

Burbank, CA (September 2, 2013) – ABC Family brings the thrills and chills with 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN, a celebration filled with scares as you countdown to Halloween. The popular programming event, now in its 16thyear, starts Sunday, October 19th and concludes on Friday, October 31st. The fright fest features brand-new Halloween-themed episodes of “Melissa & Joey” and “Baby Daddy,” an all-new “Pretty Little Liars” fan appreciation special, plus the hilariously scary prank specials “Freak Out.” The stunt will also include the network television premieres of “Dark Shadows” and “ParaNorman,” and a ghoulish mix of Halloween-themed programming.


Following is a listing of chill-tastic programming taking place October 19th-31st during ABC Family’s 13 Nights of Halloween:


Night One – Sunday, October 19th
The 16th annual 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN launches an all-day scarefest, starting with the friendliest ghost,“Casper” (7:00 – 9:00 AM ET/PT). Then it’s a double dose of the kookiest, ookiest family on the block in “TheAddams Family” (9:00 – 11:00 AM ET/PT) and “Addams Family Values” (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET/PT). Next Harryprepares for his final epic battle with “He Who Must Not Be Named” in the two-part finale of the blockbuster series “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1” (1:00 – 4:30 PM ET/PT) and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2” (4:30 – 7:30 PM ET/PT). Buzz, Woody and all your favorite toys must work together to track down their missing friend in “Disney∙Pixar’s Toy Story OF TERROR!” (7:30 – 8:00 PM ET/PT; encore at 10:00 PM ET/PT). Then meet us down on the Scare Floor for “Disney∙Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.” (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT). We wrap up our night with Jack Skellington and Halloweentown in “The Nightmare Before Christmas”(10:30 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT).


Night Two – Monday, October 20th
Christmas is the most haunting holiday of all in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (6:30 – 8:00 PM ET/PT). Then the world will be watching “The Hunger Games” (8:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT). Finally, stop by “The Haunted Mansion” (12:00 – 2:00 AM ET/PT) where the spirited residents are “dying” to meet you.


Night Three – Tuesday, October 21st
It’s Halloween, Witches, and “A” is up to his or her usual tricks, as ABC Family presents the “Pretty Little Liars”fan-appreciation special, “We Love You to DeAth” (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT; encore at 12:00 AM ET/PT). Then stay tuned for “Freak Out” (9:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT; encore at 1:00 AM ET/PT), the hilariously scary new hidden-camera prank special. Each special will feature an unsuspecting mark whose fears come to life before their eyes with elaborate hoaxes deviously tailored with help from the victim’s friends and family.


Night Four – Wednesday, October 22nd
A night of ‘sclaughing’ (screaming and laughing) starts with Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, “Beetlejuice” (6:00 – 8:00 PM ET/PT), followed by an all-new Halloween episode of “Melissa & Joey” titled “Witch Came First” (8:00 – 8:30 PM ET/PT; encore at 12:00 AM ET/PT). Mel is visited by her doctor (guest star Beth Broderick), who tells Mel she’s actually a witch and must help break a curse. Then it’s an all-new Halloween-themed “Baby Daddy” titled “Strip or Treat” (8:30 – 9:00 PM ET/PT; encore at 12:30 AM ET/PT) where Riley decides to pull a prank on everyone after all the jokes they’ve played on her over the years. Finally, scare up some laughs with an all-new ”Freak Out”special (9:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT; encore at 1:00 AM ET/PT).


Night Five – Thursday, October 23rd
It’s a second chance to scare yourself silly, as we kick off the night with encore presentations of ”Freak Out”(5:30 – 6:30 PM ET/PT), “Melissa & Joey” (6:30 – 7:00 PM ET/PT) and “Baby Daddy” (7:00 – 7:30 PM ET/PT). Then meet the creepiest bride of them all in “Corpse Bride” (7:30 – 9:30 PM ET/PT), followed by “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (9:30 – 11:00 PM ET/PT) and Michael J. Fox’s hairy high school hijinks in “Teen Wolf” (12:00 – 2:00 AM ET/PT).


Night Six – Friday, October 24th
It’s a Tim Burton movie marathon, starting with “Corpse Bride” (5:00 – 7:00 PM ET/PT), followed by the creepiest Christmas ever in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (7:00 – 8:30 PM ET/PT) and then the network television premiere of Johnny Depp as “Barnabas Collins” in “Dark Shadows” (8:30 – 11:00 PM ET/PT). The evening wraps with an additional airing of “Beetlejuice” (12:00 – 2:00 AM ET/PT).


Night Seven – Saturday, October 25th
Saturday is a full day of frightful fun! First, it’s Mel, the Adult Witch, in an encore presentation of “Melissa & Joey” (7:00 – 7:30 AM ET/PT). Then it’s a Tim Burton mini movie marathon. Gotham City is under attack by The Joker in “Batman” (7:30 – 10:30 AM ET/PT), then “Batman Returns” (10:30 AM – 1:30 PM ET/PT) to thwart The Penguin’s evil plans. It is followed by “Beetlejuice” (1:30 – 3:30 PM ET/PT) and “Dark Shadows” (3:30 – 6:00 PM ET/PT) and then a double dose of “The Addams Family” (6:00 – 8:00 PM ET/PT) with “Addams Family Values”(8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT). Whatever you do, don’t drink the witches’ brew in “Hocus Pocus” (10:00 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT). And cap off the night with “Corpse Bride” (12:00 – 2:00 AM ET/PT).


Night Eight – Sunday, October 26th
Stay in bed all day and enjoy monster madness. Start with an encore presentation of Freak Out” (7:00 – 8:00 AM ET/PT), followed by “Coraline” (8:00 – 10:00 AM ET/PT), a little girl who discovers the life she dreamed of is more sinister than she thought. Then grab the Scooby snacks for “Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” (10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET/PT). We dare you to take a tour through ”The Haunted Mansion” (12:00 – 2:00 PM ET/PT), followed by “Corpse Bride” (2:00 – 4:00 PM ET/PT). “The Addams Family” (4:00 – 6:00 PM ET/PT) invites you to spend the evening with them and learn some “Addams Family Values” (6:00 – 8:00 PM ET/PT). Something wicked this way comes as the Sanderson sisters work their magic in “Hocus Pocus” (8:00 PM – 10:00 PM ET/PT). And finally, the network television premiere of “ParaNorman” (10:00 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT), about a young boy who can talk to the supernatural.



Night Nine – Monday, October 27th
Double your fun with back-to-back encores of “Freak Out” (5:00 – 7:00 PM ET/PT). Then it’s movie marathon madness with “ParaNorman” (7:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT), “Casper” (9:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT) and “Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” (12:00 – 2:00 AM ET/PT).


Night Ten – Tuesday, October 28th
Shaggy, Scooby and the gang face spooky specters in “Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” (5:00 – 7:00 PM ET/PT), followed by “Casper” (7:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT) and a double helping of “Freak Out” encores (9:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT). Then enter “The Haunted Mansion” (12:00 – 2:00 AM ET/PT) if you dare.


Night Eleven – Wednesday, October 29th
Check your pulse at the door of “The Haunted Mansion” (5:00 – 7:00 PM ET/PT). Then spend some time with everyone’s favorite frightening family, “The Addams Family” (7:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT), followed by “Addams Family Values” (9:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT). Finally, meet “ParaNorman” (12:00 – 2:00 AM ET/PT), a boy with a gift for talking to ghouls.



Night Twelve – Thursday, October 30th
Join Morticia, Gomez and the rest of “The Addams Family” (4:30 – 6:30 PM ET/PT) in “Addams Family Values”(6:30 – 8:30 PM ET/PT). It is followed by a Tim Burton double creature feature with “Dark Shadows” (8:30 – 11:00 PM ET/PT) and Beetlejuice” (12:00 – 2:00 AM ET/PT).


Night Thirteen – Friday, October 31st
A day of truly spine-tingling frights starts with encore presentations of “Melissa & Joey” (11:00 – 11:30 AM ET/PT), “Baby Daddy” (11:30 AM – 12:00 PM ET/PT) and “Freak Out” (12:00 – 2:00 PM ET/PT; encores at 12:00 AM ET/PT). Then…they’re heeeerrrreee! Back to back airings of otherworldly battles between some truly wicked spirits in Poltergeist (2:00 – 4:30 PM ET/PT), Dark Shadows” (4:30 – 7:00 PM ET/PT), Beetlejuice” (7:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT) and “Casper” (9:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT).


Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today's relationships - told with a mix of diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a combination of network-defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. For 2014, ABC Family has launched the “WATCH ABC Family” authenticated service which allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on demand access to such popular series at home and on the go via a wide array of devices. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with “13 Nights of Halloween” and “25 Days of Christmas.” ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.

The Look Back : Kids WB

The Flashback   Children's TV
                                                              
        We now return to all our children's programs.  Well, that got your attention, this time we are talking Kids WB something about this block  to really note.  It ran longer than the network it was created for , and  it was the last weekday children's block on commercial TV.
     The WB network  was announced  in 1993  as the network of Warner Brothers and Tribune Company (who owned a minority share and provided affiliates in major markets)  and it launched in  January of 1995. Many of the affiliates were stations that were non-affiliated (independents)and  some former network affiliates.  Like when we talked about FOX KIDS , many of these stations may have had their children's programming blocks of syndicated programs.   But like the network itself , why not have a place to show-off Warner Brothers cartoons and library of shows for Children?

    A new block of children's program yay!!!/ Warnerbrothers/Youtube                
     In the new fall season 1995, Kids WB launched  it  ran  Weekday afternoons for 1 hour 4-5pm (all time zones , though could be adjusted) , and Saturday Mornings ,of course, 8AM-11AM.  The Early programs were some Warner Brother's programs that were originally on FOX Kids or syndication: "Animaniacs". New series included : "Sylvester and Tweety mysteries" (Where the cat and bird solve mysteries together ) , Freakazoid! (about a teenager who absorbs his computer  and gains all knowledge of things on the internet  and becomes a super-hero), "Earthworm Jim" ( a super hero worm, no we didn't make these shows up) , and  "Animaniacs" spin-off "Pinky and The Brain" (Narff).
   
    See... we didn't make it up                 Warnerbrothers/ Youtube
         They also later  added cartoons of Batman and Superman  and was doing well enough to expand Weekdays by 2 more hours ( 1 hour in the morning, and 1 more hour in the afternoon, though some stations would combine into 3 hours in the afternoon) , in 1997.  Then something BIG happened.   In 1999, Kids Wb picked up the English Dub of anime program , "Pokemon". The Program was a hit.  (Stop!,  Kids WB was not the first home on American TV for Pokemon, it was originally in syndication. Now back to your whatever this is)   This helped it beat FOX Kids.  (We bet someone at FOX Kids was not very happy about not getting  Pokemon)

 
  Oh my Gosh! it's Something amazing! Call Everyone!!!!  | Youtube
    When you buy anime  and it does well, you buy more anime , and that's what they did.. like "Yu-Gi-Oh!".  Oh , and the whole block didn't become anime fueled it still had other series to make the non anime fans happy.
  OK, time for learning.. (E/I).
    In 1996, Time Warner owned Warner Brothers (well of course) , Ted Turner (for some odd reason) sold his company to Time Warner, one of those properties was Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network was launched in 1992, as a place for Ted Turner to put all his cartoons that he had bought in the 80's somewhere.  In March of 1997, Cartoon Network launched a block in the afternoon called Toonami. It was the home of Cartoon Network's action shows. (Yeah!!! Action!). Now keep that in mind.



( Can we get back to Kids'WB Now?)

    In 2001 , the afternoon block was renamed Toonami on Kids WB it didn't air everything the Cartoon Network block did,  but it did shows from Cartoon Network to the block ,namely the "Powerpuff Girls". Other shows were shared with Cartoon Network ,and some were Kids WB's own shows namely, "Nightmare Room".  Sadly in 2001  the weekday morning block was discontinued. (For Newscasts, bad talk shows , or infomercials depending on where you are because that's fun) .  This was around the same time as FOX Kids was in it's dying days, the weekday block of FOX kids had ended.  UPN's weekday block ,which was done by Disney,  and Kids WB were the only network weekday  children's blocks left.
    It's mix of outside  and done-by-Warner-Brothers, and  Cartoon Network co-operating continued.  They introduced a new version of Scooby-Doo  called "What's New Scooby-Doo" (Yes Scooby,what is new?) It was the first new Scooby Series in about a decade (the last Scooby-Doo series was A Pup named Scooby Doo , it was him as a puppy) after some direct to video releases and the other series airing in reruns on Cartoon Network, it was time. Scooby had a new voice and the series was a hip, cool 21st century making of  "Scooby Doo, Where are you?"

Yeah rock theme song.... cool      Warner Brothers/ Youtube
   There was also more "Pokemon" , !Mucha Lucha!, more "Yu-Gi-Oh!", and more.  In 2002, the Toonami on Kids WB name was removed and the weekday block was just called Kids WB.   So it continued it's competition around it was changing  around  2002.  CBS had Nickelodeon programming, ABC was more Disney  Channel Programming , FOX had given up and sold it's kids slot to 4Kids Entertainment , UPN  didn't do children's TV ( local stations had to find their own), and NBC had gone to Discovery. So, Kids WB was the only commerical network with it's own programmed block of new programming. Though Cartoon Network programs were shared with Kids WB.

more after this jump

A busy trade between 5 station groups

TV News    Business TV News 

    Today was a busy day for Lin, Media General , Sinclair , Hearst , and Meredith as some TV station deals and trades were made.
    Due to Lin and Media General wanting to merge , they had to remove some stations that would be redundant  and to comply with FCC ownership Rules.
      The Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Lin/Media General are making the following  sales as trade :
  Due to Media General owning WJAR-TV   (NBC affiliate)  and WPRI-TV (CBS) being owned by  Lin Media General will sell WJAR To  Sinclair  , keeping WPRI.
     In Greenbay  WLUK-TV(FOX) and WCWF(CW)  ,owned by Lin  will be sold to Sinclair while Media General owned WBAY (ABC)  will be owned by the new merged company.
   In Savannah, GA  WJCL (FOX)  the non-license assets owned by Lin will be sold to Sinclair , while the station will still be owned by WTGS Television ,LLC.

 Meanwhile as part of the trade , Sinclair will hand over 3 stations to Media General.
        WTTA-TV (MyTV) in Tampa Bay, which will become a sister station to WFLA (NBC) .    Colorado Springs Fox and CW affiliates KXRM (FOX) , KXTU (CW)  are the other two to be sold to Media General.
 
In Birmingham  Lin owned WTAT  (CBS) will be owned by the new company  , WVTM (NBC) ,owned by Media General , will be sold to Hearst Broadcasting.  Hearst will also acquire Savannah WJCL (abc).

In Moblie, Alabama  WALA  (FOX ) , will be sold to Meredith  Company , while it's sister station , CW affiliate WFNA  will co-run with WKRG (CBS).




soucres:  Sinclair (PDF)  Hearst   Lin/MG   TV news check 

Al Jazeera America : 1 year later

NEWS  MEDIA

Written By Skyler
 Editor of Mychiller

     On , August 20, 2013  Al Jazeera America launched  replacing  Current TV.  So now we have reached one year since launch and how  is it doing?
   Well ratings wise, not to well   there could be an assortment of reasons .  1) Cable : This reason has two, on many cable systems  ,including mine , it's on a higher channel  , while Fox News , MSNBC, and CNN are right to next other  AJAM is out there.  HD rights , it's not available in  HD on many cable systems unlike , FOX News , MSNBC, and  CNN. Many HD viewers may want to watch but be not wanting too.  2) The Name:  The hard thing this channel has it's name . I don't hold  it's name against it I mean most names on American cable tv don't mean anything , look at History Channel , where's the History?  Or Discovery , what I am to discover ?  Or BBC America, not much  BBC to the Americans there.  But many people in America do because of it's foreign sounding name and logo and maybe to an extant it's ownership , the ruling family of the Qatari government.  The company has stated they aren't thinking of changing the name ,because Al Jazeera is the name of the company and the channel is part of the company.  Which makes sense , BBC World News is owned by the BBC (BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC) and the BBC News name is a respected trusted news organization  so why change the name?
     I am kind of glad they didn't just plop Al Jazerra English and say "here you go" , they do simulcast AJE at points of the day. AJAM's  US based newscasts cover alot of international stories and stories here in US.  Unlike MSNBC , which most of it's programming weekdays are opinion programming , and Fox News Channel , which has alot of opinion programming, they don't that you won't see (insert liberal /conservative here) hosting a prime time show on the channel . Instead you get a 8PMET / 5PM PT   News cast anchored by former NBC News anchor  , John Seigenthaler. Yes, a full hour of news from around the world and the US. Not a program telling me why I should  hate republicans or democrats  or CNN  squeezing some random story out any juice they can get.  At 9PMET/6PT you get a news magazine show "America Tonight"  that  gives interesting stories  not constantly focusing on crime like the network news magazine shows , 60 Minutes not in that group of crime laden shows.  At 10PM/7pt   you get a conversation and current affairs show , "Consider  This", which sometimes has some interesting topics. At 11PM/8pt they give another live newscast anchored by Seigenthaler , because we have a west-coast time zone .     The reason why I said I am glad they didn't just plop AJE in  and try to give some American news programming , as well  is because it is kind of lacking. We have a confused CNN  , MSNBC, which has lot of opinion programming ,especially between 2PMET until 5AMET.  Fox News has a mix . I am a person who watches all the news channels , just not all day (that would be crazy). Do find that  Al Jazeera America's un-flashiness , not  having the word breaking news  on all day for no reason , or telling me why insert celeb here has been arrested, married, having a baby,moved to somewhere ,said/did something stupid...etc.  a nice chance of pace. It's a style that I l like about "CBS Evening News" (when I do watch an evening newscast) and a reason why  I don't watch "ABC World News".
       As it hits one year  it has not changed much even though low ratings, which I say is good thing  I would hate that it jumped around got crazy and started copying other channels ideas or programming.  I am also glad we have  more news channels on our systems like AJAM , BBC World News, One America News  , and some have France 24 and I24.  

Two new digital networks launch today

TV News 

                        

           Two new digital networks are launching today.  Grit is a channel  for men  airing movies and TV shows targeted to that audience.   The movies are from the Warner Brothers , Universal, and Paramount pictures libraries. While Escape is targeted toward women with movies and TV shows.  With Movies from the same libraries as Grit TV.  It will also have true crime programs ,mystery programs , and Crime dramas.  Both channels launch at 12PMET .  Grit will start with the John Wayne film High Noon  part of a launch week of John Wayne movies.  While  Escape's first broadcast will be with Body Heat.   
      Grit and Escape join a long list of over the air digital television networks  many of which air movies.

Grit Launch day schedule
12PMET   High Noon
1:45PMET   Shane
4:15PMET    Jeremiah Johnson
6:45PMET    Young Duke : Making of A Movie Star
8PMET    Big Jake
10PMET   Donovan's Reef

Escape Launch day schedule
12PMET Body Heat
2:30PMET    Final  Analysis
5PMET   Dead Calm
7PMET   Malice
9:30PM  Frantic

To find where these stations are in your area      Grit   Escape   As with most digital networks it may not be on cable on launch day so check your local cable listings after you find out if you area will have the station.