The Disappearance of Saturday Morning

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE ^ | April 30, 2003 | By Gerard Raiti

[paltz]

The Disappearance of Saturday Morning Saturday morning no longer means kids in front of TV sets across the country, glued to the latest in hip cartoons. Why? Gerard Raiti investigates the death of an era.

April 30, 2003

By Gerard RaitiA once seemingly inseparable partnership between children and Saturday morning cartoons is now a thing of the past.

In a time not so long ago, Saturday mornings were indicative of one and only one pastime for children — watching cartoons. Throughout the '70s and '80s, the broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC dominated the Saturday morning airwaves by inundating children with cartoons. Cartoons on these networks used to earn ratings of more than 20 million viewers. Today, network Saturday morning cartoons only exist on ABC Kids, FOX Kids and Kids’ WB!, the latter two networks either did not exist or did not air cartoons two decades ago. Current successful cartoons on FOX Kids or Kids’ WB! can garner a mere two million viewers. That statistic does not even take into consideration that the population of children in the U.S. has increased by approximately ten percent over the last 20 years.

Due to this precipice in viewers, network cartoons are left struggling to make money while advertisers remain befuddled without a mainstream channel to promote new toys and products to children. Why have children stopped tuning in on Saturday mornings to network cartoons and what are the ramifications of this change?

Six key factors have led to children watching less Saturday morning cartoons: more recreational sports, the introduction of cable and satellite TV, the Internet and video games, a poorer quality of animation, and a greater emphasis on family time. These factors are rather self-explanatory with the exception of the latter: the divorce rate of Americans now stands at 49 percent, and time on the weekends has become more precious for children as many commute between parents’ houses.

For parents who only have limited access to their children due to either divorce or career advancement, plopping them down in front of the television for five hours on a Saturday morning is no longer a viable option. Among most parents, divorced or not, there is a new emphasis on "quality" time. Consequently, taking one’s children to the theater, mall, museum, event, zoo or beach on the weekend is deemed more appropriate to being a "good" parent, than letting kids sit and watch cartoons. To this effect, American society has changed substantially enough over the last two decades to the point where Saturday morning cartoons are less important to our culture.

According to Linda Simensky of Cartoon Network, Saturday morning animation has always been the backwater of programming for network broadcasters. Courtesy of Cartoon Network.

The Biggest Change of All Today, cartoons are no longer on the major three networks that dominated the preceding decades. Although ABC technically still airs Saturday morning cartoons, its relationship with Disney distinguishes it from ABC’s past programming during the ‘70s and ‘80s. When NBC and CBS began reducing their children’s programming on Saturdays in 1988-1990, FOX jumped aboard the bandwagon and laid the cornerstone for its FOX Kids Network. NBC chose to delve into live-action teen entertainment, hallmarked by Saved by the Bell. Presently, NBC is in partnership with Discovery Kids; a Saturday edition of Today either precedes or follows Discovery Kids. CBS initially chose to replace its cartoons with news from local affiliates and now airs a national morning show, which is either preceded or followed by children’s content from Nick Jr. Disney acquired ABC, so their relationship has stayed relatively constant over the decades and still continues to air its One Saturday Morning, recently renamed ABC Kids. Linda Simensky, vice president of original programming at Cartoon Network, feels that, “Children’s television was never the strength of broadcasters to begin with. There were some good shows in there, but kids’ TV was the department where executives at the network would start their nephews out in. [Kids’ TV] was never the primary goal of a network.” Children’s entertainment on Saturday mornings is currently such a liability that local affiliates in markets such as Baltimore choose to air local news in lieu of Discovery Kids, Nick Jr., and ABC Kids. PAGE 2

[Kieri]

My toon-watching days started with Astro Boy and Kimba. I got off to an early start with Anime, and these teenagers look at me strangely when I tell them, "I was watching anime before you were born! So there!"

I don't know how I survived the 70's as a kid. There was that never-ending parade of absolute drek that should have destroyed HB ("Jabberjaws," anyone? Or how about "Speed Buggy"?), very crappy animation ("Justice Friends") and the terrible camera tricks by Filmation ("Fat Albert"). Gawd, what an awful decade.

Now I can watch toons again with my kids and we've got a list -- Kim Possible, (The Christmas episode is HYSTERICAL and just plain twisted!), Spongebob Squarepants, Teen Titans, Samauri Jack (Bring Back the SCOTSMAN!) and -- just for my daughter -- the very UN-PC Powerpuff Girls.

Kids today don't know just how good they've got it.

[Great_Dame]

H.R. Puff'n'stuff anyone????
how about Wackey Racers...
Magilla Gorilla...
The Banana Splits...
Underdog...
Might Mouse...
The Adventures Of Penelope Pittstop...
Tennessee Tuxedo...
The Rockey and Bullwinkle Show...(try and tear me away from the Fractured Fairy Tales)
Woody Woodpecker...
Yogie Bear...
don't forget School House Rock...

even Pee Wee Herman was far better than most of the trash they deal out now...

Heck I even remember Beanie and Cecil, now there was a show you could laugh at!!!

[Grig]

"Six key factors have led to children watching less Saturday morning cartoons: more recreational sports, the introduction of cable and satellite TV, the Internet and video games, a poorer quality of animation,"

Sorry, but the artwork and animation is much better now than when I was a kid.

I used to get up earlier on Saturdays than I did on school days just to watch TV. Jason of Star Command, Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour, Lidsville, Puff n' Stuff, Superfriends, life was good.

[speedy]

Hey, our gal Sal. And Chief Halftown -- Ee sah sah sussaway, tribal members!! Remember Buckskin Billy and Bertie the Bunyip? Apologies to the non-Philadelphians for the hometown references here. Is there anyplace to watch Crusader Rabbit or King Leonardo these days?

[speedy]

"Heck I even remember Beanie and Cecil, now there was a show you could laugh at!!!"

A Bob Clampett cartooooon!! (Nyah ah ah, Dishonest John)

[flair2000]

I remember watching Bugs Bunny, Land of the Lost, Shazaam/Isis hour, and Fat Albert on Saturdays. Then at 12:00, after cartoons, my favorite show came on: Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. Those were the days.

[Gabz]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH

I remember so many of them!!!!

I've acquired a bunch of Rocky and Bullwinkle tapes - I originally bought them for my husband - they are among our 5yo's favorits!!!

I still love Scooby-Doo. For about a year or so my daughter and I had an early sunday afternoon ritual. She would get a bath and have her hair washed and then we would spend the next hour and a half watching Scooby while I combed out her hair and braided it. I'll never forget the shocked look on her face when she realized I knew all the words to the theme song!!!!

There are a few decent ones in the newest crop for kids - but absolutely nothing like all, "the what is now considered so politically incorrect," we watched as kids.

[teldon30]

Spongebob RULES!! ;)

[Merdoug]

"Row! Row! Row! Bail! Bail! Bail!"
Yeah; I got the first season of Bullwinkle too. What a gem of a cartoon that was. I never got to watch it enough to follow an entire story: now I can! :)
As for un-PC cartoons; how about Johnny Quest? The bad guys actually DIED in those cartoons! Now-a-days, the villians convert to Good, and they all join hands and sing for peace.

[GreenHornet]

Hey, our gal Sal. And Chief Halftown -- Ee sah sah sussaway, tribal members!! Remember Buckskin Billy and Bertie the Bunyip? Apologies to the non-Philadelphians for the hometown references here. Is there anyplace to watch Crusader Rabbit or King Leonardo these days?

I don't remember Buckskin Billy, but I remember the others. Chief Halftown passed away recently (he still had a show on Channel 6 until about 2-3 years ago!). Then there was Pixanne, who was a real babe back in the day. I also remember watching a show called "Pete's Gang", hosted by Pete Boyle, father of actor Peter Boyle. I believe he aired Crusader Rabbit cartoons on his show.

[Gabz]

I don't think these tapes are of seasons, I think they are just sets of specific episodes. I saw them in the dollar store a couple of years ago, right around my husbands birthday and knowing what a fan he was I bought one.....it was amazing how he thought that was the greatest present he had ever gotten. so I went back the following week and bought the other ones they had and doled them out like candy!!!


My brother was more of a Johnny Quest fan than I was - but I do know what you mean about today's villians.

[Merdoug]

The entire first season of Bullwinkle is out on DVD. Try a local "Media Play" , "Bestbuy" or equivalent store if you're interested. :)

[speedy]

Yeah, Pixanne (Jane Norman). Loved that little woodland outfit. Sorry to hear about Chief Halftown -- a very nice man. Sally Starr is still on the radio on a small station in New Jersey on Sunday afternoons -- she sounds like she's had a few too many gin and tonics, but maybe it's just her age. Remember Larry Ferrari playing the organ on Sundays? And I sure do remember Uncle Pete Boyle and his drawings -- he used to show "Little Rascals" films too. Buckskin Billy was played by a local sportcaster named Bob Bradley. Sawdust Sam used to sit in for Sally on occasion, showing the Three Stooges and Popeye.

[Gabz]

Thanks - appreciate the info.

[Richard Kimball]

I still miss Mr. Whitaker.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I recall being struck by the serial nature of Transformers. It was almost like a soap opera. Things changed from episode to episode and sometimes changed in a very big way. Most cartoons end and the next episode acts like the previous one never happened. You had to watch all the episodes of Transformers to know what was going on. Starscream was an interesting character and his journey through the show was always changing. When he was exiled and then created the WW2 Combaticons who then rebelled against Starscream, that whole thing just blew my mind as a kid. I couldn't believe the writers were working so hard on the storylines. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen in a cartoon. This whole huge story arc-- and Transformers did this all the time.

[Dane]

It's the Sleezestacks' fault.

For those who don't get the joke the sleezestack were the villains in a Sid & Marty Croft production called "Land of the Lost". The Kroft brothers gave us such shows in the 70's as H.R. Puffinstuff, Lidsville, and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. Looking back their writers and the Krofts must have have done a boat load of drugs.

[Rushmore Rocks]

I am 61 years old. I remember returning to the U.S. after
WWII and watching television for the very first time. We had been living in Germany during the Berlin airlift and post war reconstruction. This must have been 1952...I think.
Our neighbors had a television. We didn't. They invited me over to watch the Howdy Doody Show. What a thrill! Howdy and Princess Summerfallwinterspring really opened my eyes to a new world. After the bleakness and gray ruins of Munich, this was quite a treat. Children's programming has changed so very much over the years. Some of it is good, some of it is deplorable.

I now find myself in what they call the "sandwich generation". I care for my aging parents ( they have an apartment in our basement) and a four month old grandson.
My father, 87 years old and Andrew, my grandson, have recently discovered "Bob the Builder" cartoon. They both love it!!

[gcruse]

I'm the same age as you. My first television experience was on a visit to my grandmother in California. TV was ten years or so away from where we lived in Texas. The show was the Buster Brown Show. I had listened to Buster Brown on the radio in the late forties, along with Space Patrol and Big John & Sparky. But seeing Froggie the Gremlin....that was a revelation.

[Paul C. Jesup]

I recall being struck by the serial nature of Transformers. It was almost like a soap opera. Things changed from episode to episode and sometimes changed in a very big way. Most cartoons end and the next episode acts like the previous one never happened. You had to watch all the episodes of Transformers to know what was going on. Starscream was an interesting character and his journey through the show was always changing. When he was exiled and then created the WW2 Combaticons who then rebelled against Starscream, that whole thing just blew my mind as a kid. I couldn't believe the writers were working so hard on the storylines. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen in a cartoon. This whole huge story arc-- and Transformers did this all the time.

I got good news, better news and great news for you.

The good news is, if you still like the series, Rhino is selling remaster versions of the G1 TF series in $40 to $50 DVD Boxsets and a remaster version DVD of the TF G1 Movie (which bridges season2 and 3 and it has aged well.

The better news is the Hasbro has released a very good book trilogy base off the original TF cartoon (season 1 and 2)/comic series. The first book is called is Hardwired by Scott Ciecin and book two is Annihilation by David Cian. The third book will be released early next year.

If you like Starscream, your going to love reading these books. In book one Megatron is taken out of action (he, Prime, Jazz and Bluestreak are kidnapped by aliens) and Starscream take ove command of the Decepticons, but the way does it, is he tells them his plan and they go along with it. The plan it itself is revealed fully at the beginning of book two and it is a very solid plan. But the ingredients for the plan may make you question his sanity.

They are:

1. Starscream and the rest of the Decepticons...

2. Go to and take over Las Vagas...

3. And begin in the TV networks for a Reality TV Show.

Also the action scenes and plot of these books are excellent (for book one at least). I have not finished book two yet. Also, Spike plays a major role in these books.

Now the great news is that the guys who made the X-Men movies are working on a live action CGI version movie based on the original G1 TF cartoon/comic series.

Like I said, I had good news for you.