ABC Kids (United States)
Encyclopedia
ABC Kids was a children's block of animated television series and live-action children's television series
. broadcast on the ABC
network on Saturday–Sunday mornings in the U.S. and was broadcast on BBS
/CTV
in Canada
until 2002. It was formerly known as Disney's One Saturday Morning.
, Schoolhouse Rock!
, The Mighty Ducks, Disney's Doug and Gargoyles
. Sometime around 1997, Peter Hastings, the creator and excutive producer of "One Saturday Morning", who wrote for Animaniacs
and Pinky and the Brain
left both shows in order to produce cartoons for Disney and ABC. ABC was told by Michael Eisner
to create a Saturday morning
block that was different from the rest at the time. In February 1997, Peter Hastings pledged the idea that Saturday is different from every other day and to represent weekdays as buildings. He also proposed the use of virtual set technology; Although he knew little about it at the time and the technology used was just starting development. Disney and ABC liked the idea. He hired Prudence Fenton
as Consultant Manger and Co-Executive Producer. Together they sampled virtual set technology at NAB 1997 and chose technology developed by Accom and ELSET. Rutherford Bench Productions which had previously worked with Disney hired Pacific Ocean Post, POP Sound today, to produce the virtual set. The building was initially a drawing of Grand Central Terminal
with a roller coaster but evolved into a towering mechanical 1. Even the interior has similarities such as a central high raised room with two wings on left and right sides and another on the south side.
, aired on UPN
and in syndication
every weekday in the morning or afternoon and Sunday morning. One Saturday Morning aired the final time on September 7, 2002 (by this time it had simply become bumpers and promos; the segments and hosting had been dropped in 2000 due to low ratings
). Since Fox Kids
was bought by Disney, 4Kids Entertainment
took over the block as "Fox Box
" and Disney changed the block from Disney's One Saturday Morning to ABC Kids on exactly the same day that Fox Kids was taken over.
During the introduction to One Saturday Morning as well as other introductions on the block, a tiny lightbulb icon would appear in a bottom corner of the screen and an announcer would say, "Illuminating Television," stating the programming block's educational programming
. The lightbulb's chain would be pulled by a hand, and the lightbulb would have an animation (turning into a rocket, falling into a garbage can, jumping in a pool, etc.). The lightbulb icon continued to be used after the switch to ABC Kids until 2004, when it was replaced by a mortarboard hat that said "e/i" on it and an ABC logo that jumped to the top of the screen to wear the e/i hat. The mortarboard continued to be used until August 27, 2011.
originals.
Power Rangers
was previously aired on Fox Kids
until halfway through the Wild Force season, when Power Rangers moved to ABC Kids for the 2002 Fall season due to the Fox Family Channel
/Saban Entertainment purchase by Disney in 2001. Starting with the episode "Unfinished Business", the remainder of the Wild Force season premiered on ABC Kids. During its time on both Fox Kids and ABC Kids the entire Wild Force season also reran later on ABC Family
(in part both prior to the introduction of and during the ABC Family Action Block). The following Ninja Storm season also premiered on ABC Kids and then reran later on the ABC Family Action Block. The Dino Thunder, S.P.D., Mystic Force, Operation Overdrive and Jungle Fury seasons were all premiered on Jetix
and then reran on ABC Kids. The RPM season and broadcasts of the first season of Mighty Morphin
, newly re-version
ed, aired exclusively on ABC Kids.
Power Rangers ended its run on ABC Kids on August 28, 2010 nationwide due to Haim Saban
having bought back the intellectual rights
to the franchise from Disney and giving airing rights to Nickelodeon
in May 2010. Airings ended slightly earlier on August 14, 2010 on west coast affiliates due to a two-week preemption caused by the 2010 Little League World Series
and the E/I
recovery that resulted from it. On September 4, 2010, the hour held by Power Rangers was returned to the local affiliates. After its completion on ABC Kids, Power Rangers moved to Nickelodeon. All new seasons (starting with the Samurai
season) began to premiere on the main Nickelodeon
channel on February 7, 2011. Repeats of new seasons and all previous seasons began airing on Nicktoons on February 11, 2011.
With the rise of federally-mandated E/I
programming guidelines, some of the network's affiliate groups, primarily Hearst Television and Allbritton Communications
, refused to carry any show that did not fulfill E/I requirements (such as Kim Possible or the Power Rangers series during their time on ABC Kids) in order to instead free up time to air locally produced programming. However, some stations time shifted these shows either to very early in the morning Saturday or to Sunday, often before local news, Good Morning America and/or that week's "live" portion of the ABC Kids block began.
ABC Kids was aired for the final time on August 27, 2011. After that, ABC discontinued airing animated programming, making it the first not to air animated programs since September 1993, when NBC
stopped airing animated programs to make room for TNBC
.
to produce original content for the Saturday morning block. The Litton's Weekend Adventure block launched on September 3, 2011, replacing ABC Kids.
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
. broadcast on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network on Saturday–Sunday mornings in the U.S. and was broadcast on BBS
Baton Broadcast System
ONT was initiated in 1991, consisting of eight CTV affiliates - seven owned by Baton and Electrohome's CKCO. Initially providing 10.5 hours of common programming each week, this was soon expanded to 35 hours....
/CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
until 2002. It was formerly known as Disney's One Saturday Morning.
History
Although Disney's One Saturday Morning started in 1997, it was formerly ABC Saturday Morning, airing ReBootReBoot
ReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions and created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell and John Grace,...
, Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock! is an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films that aired during the Saturday morning children's programming on the U.S. television network ABC. The topics covered included grammar, science, economics, history, mathematics, and civics...
, The Mighty Ducks, Disney's Doug and Gargoyles
Gargoyles (TV series)
Gargoyles is an American animated series created by Greg Weisman. It was produced by Greg Weisman and Frank Paur and aired from October 24, 1994 to February 15, 1997. Gargoyles is known for its dark tone, complex story arcs and melodrama...
. Sometime around 1997, Peter Hastings, the creator and excutive producer of "One Saturday Morning", who wrote for Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
and Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and the Brain is an American animated television series.The characters Pinky and the Brain first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs...
left both shows in order to produce cartoons for Disney and ABC. ABC was told by Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
to create a Saturday morning
Saturday Morning
-Album credits:*All tracks produced by Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Executive Producer/Concept: Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Engineered by Peter McCabe and Larry Fergusson....
block that was different from the rest at the time. In February 1997, Peter Hastings pledged the idea that Saturday is different from every other day and to represent weekdays as buildings. He also proposed the use of virtual set technology; Although he knew little about it at the time and the technology used was just starting development. Disney and ABC liked the idea. He hired Prudence Fenton
Prudence Fenton
Prudence Fenton is an American film, television and music video producer.-Overview:She began her career creating and animating MTV ids, Pee-wee's Playhouse, and the animated Peter Gabriel rock videos. At the turn of the century she was executive producer for ABC's One Saturday Morning, made up of...
as Consultant Manger and Co-Executive Producer. Together they sampled virtual set technology at NAB 1997 and chose technology developed by Accom and ELSET. Rutherford Bench Productions which had previously worked with Disney hired Pacific Ocean Post, POP Sound today, to produce the virtual set. The building was initially a drawing of Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
with a roller coaster but evolved into a towering mechanical 1. Even the interior has similarities such as a central high raised room with two wings on left and right sides and another on the south side.
Disney's One Saturday Morning
On September 13, 1997, Disney's One Saturday Morning was first broadcast as a two hour block on the ABC Saturday Morning lineup, and originally featured some of the shows that had aired on it. It was originally scheduled for September 6, 1997, but due to ABC and all the other networks airing Princess Diana's funeral instead of children's programming that day, It was pushed back a week later. In 1999, it was extended to 5 hours. On September 6, 1999 a spin-off, Disney's One TooDisney's One Too
Disney's One Too was a weekday and Sunday morning children's programming block on UPN, it was a spinoff of Disney's One Saturday Morning, and resembled The Disney Afternoon.-History:...
, aired on UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
and in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
every weekday in the morning or afternoon and Sunday morning. One Saturday Morning aired the final time on September 7, 2002 (by this time it had simply become bumpers and promos; the segments and hosting had been dropped in 2000 due to low ratings
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
). Since Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
was bought by Disney, 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
took over the block as "Fox Box
4Kids TV
4Kids TV was a Saturday morning television programming block on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The block was part of the Fox Network schedule...
" and Disney changed the block from Disney's One Saturday Morning to ABC Kids on exactly the same day that Fox Kids was taken over.
During the introduction to One Saturday Morning as well as other introductions on the block, a tiny lightbulb icon would appear in a bottom corner of the screen and an announcer would say, "Illuminating Television," stating the programming block's educational programming
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
. The lightbulb's chain would be pulled by a hand, and the lightbulb would have an animation (turning into a rocket, falling into a garbage can, jumping in a pool, etc.). The lightbulb icon continued to be used after the switch to ABC Kids until 2004, when it was replaced by a mortarboard hat that said "e/i" on it and an ABC logo that jumped to the top of the screen to wear the e/i hat. The mortarboard continued to be used until August 27, 2011.
ABC Kids
On September 14, 2002, Disney's One Saturday Morning was rebranded as ABC Kids. The block originally contained new programs, but by the end, all of ABC Kids programs became repeats of Disney ChannelDisney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
originals.
Power Rangers
Power Rangers
Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...
was previously aired on Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
until halfway through the Wild Force season, when Power Rangers moved to ABC Kids for the 2002 Fall season due to the Fox Family Channel
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
/Saban Entertainment purchase by Disney in 2001. Starting with the episode "Unfinished Business", the remainder of the Wild Force season premiered on ABC Kids. During its time on both Fox Kids and ABC Kids the entire Wild Force season also reran later on ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
(in part both prior to the introduction of and during the ABC Family Action Block). The following Ninja Storm season also premiered on ABC Kids and then reran later on the ABC Family Action Block. The Dino Thunder, S.P.D., Mystic Force, Operation Overdrive and Jungle Fury seasons were all premiered on Jetix
Jetix (US)
Jetix USA was a television programming brand running on Toon Disney, owned by The Walt Disney Company. It first officially began programming as a children's programming block on ABC Family in September 2002 as the ABC Family Action Block...
and then reran on ABC Kids. The RPM season and broadcasts of the first season of Mighty Morphin
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, newly re-version
Re-version
A relatively recent phenomenon in television production, re-versioning is the process of re-releasing an existing production or an entire series, updated in some form, as a "new" show. It is an alternative to a straight rerun of a series...
ed, aired exclusively on ABC Kids.
Power Rangers ended its run on ABC Kids on August 28, 2010 nationwide due to Haim Saban
Haim Saban
Haim Saban is an Egyptian born Israeli-American television and media proprietor. With an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 104th richest person in America.-Biography:...
having bought back the intellectual rights
Intellectual rights
Intellectual rights is a term sometimes used to refer to the legal protection afforded to owners of intellectual capital...
to the franchise from Disney and giving airing rights to Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
in May 2010. Airings ended slightly earlier on August 14, 2010 on west coast affiliates due to a two-week preemption caused by the 2010 Little League World Series
2010 Little League World Series
-Pool A:-Pool B:-Pool C:-Pool D:-Championship games:-Champions path:The Edogawa Minami LL reached the LLWS with a record of 8 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie. In total, their record was 13–1–1, their only loss coming against Musashi-Fuchu....
and the E/I
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
recovery that resulted from it. On September 4, 2010, the hour held by Power Rangers was returned to the local affiliates. After its completion on ABC Kids, Power Rangers moved to Nickelodeon. All new seasons (starting with the Samurai
Power Rangers Samurai
Power Rangers Samurai is the nineteenth season of the American children's television series Power Rangers. With Saban Brands buying back the franchise, the show is produced by SCG Power Rangers and began airing on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons on February 7, 2011...
season) began to premiere on the main Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
channel on February 7, 2011. Repeats of new seasons and all previous seasons began airing on Nicktoons on February 11, 2011.
With the rise of federally-mandated E/I
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
programming guidelines, some of the network's affiliate groups, primarily Hearst Television and Allbritton Communications
Allbritton Communications Company
The Allbritton Communications Company is an owner of television stations and other media, based in Arlington, Virginia. All of its stations are affiliated with ABC after signing an affiliation agreement in 1997.-Currently owned:...
, refused to carry any show that did not fulfill E/I requirements (such as Kim Possible or the Power Rangers series during their time on ABC Kids) in order to instead free up time to air locally produced programming. However, some stations time shifted these shows either to very early in the morning Saturday or to Sunday, often before local news, Good Morning America and/or that week's "live" portion of the ABC Kids block began.
ABC Kids was aired for the final time on August 27, 2011. After that, ABC discontinued airing animated programming, making it the first not to air animated programs since September 1993, when NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
stopped airing animated programs to make room for TNBC
TNBC
TNBC was a Saturday morning programing block of television shows geared toward teenagers and young adults that aired on NBC from 1992 to 2002.-History:The idea for TNBC sprang from the popularity of Saved by the Bell...
.
Litton's Weekend Adventure
On May 24, 2011, ABC announced that it had reached a deal with broadcast syndication production company Litton EntertainmentLitton Entertainment
Litton Entertainment is a media company based in Charleston, South Carolina, with offices in New York City; Burbank, California; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia and Raleigh, North Carolina.The company was founded in 1987 by President and CEO Dave Morgan....
to produce original content for the Saturday morning block. The Litton's Weekend Adventure block launched on September 3, 2011, replacing ABC Kids.
Former programming
|
Phil of the Future Phil of the Future is an American situation comedy that originally aired on Disney Channel from June 18, 2004, to August 19, 2006 for a total of two seasons. The series was created by Tim Maile and Douglas Tuber and produced by 2121 Productions, a part of Brookwell McNamara Entertainment... (TV-G) (2004–2006) Power Rangers Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes... (TV-Y7-FV) (2002–2009) The Proud Family The Proud Family is an American animated television series that premiered on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005.-Production:... (TV-G) (2002–2006) Recess (TV series) Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers... (TV-G) (2001–2006) That's So Raven That's So Raven is an American cable television teen sitcom/fantasy series. The show premiered on the Disney Channel on January 17, 2003, and ended on November 10, 2007. The show spawned Disney Channel's first spin-off series: Cory in the House... (TV-Y7/TV-G) (2003–2011) W.I.T.C.H. (TV series) W.I.T.C.H. is an animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name produced by SIP Animation in association and participation by France 3, Jetix Europe, CNC, , - AGICOA, the Poitou-Charentes region and the Charente department. Despite their acronym, the five main... (TV-Y7-FV) (2004–2006) |
Disney's One Saturday Morning programming
|
Hercules: The Animated Series Hercules is an animated series based on the 1997 film of the same name and the Greek myth. The series follows teenage Hercules training as a hero as well as trying to adjust to life. With his free-spirited friend Icarus, his future-seeing friend Cassandra and his teacher Philoctetes , he battles... (TV-G) (2000) Jungle Cubs Jungle Cubs is an animated series produced by Disney for ABC in 1996. It was based on their 1967 feature film The Jungle Book, but set in the youth of the animal characters. The show was a hit, running for two seasons in syndication before moving its re-runs to the Disney Channel... (TV-G) Lizzie McGuire Lizzie McGuire is an American teen sitcom which premiered on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001 and ended February 14, 2004. A total of 65 episodes were produced and aired. Its target demographic was preteens and adolescents... (TV-G) (2001–2002) Lloyd in Space Lloyd in Space is an animated television series, created by Joe Ansolabehere and Paul Germain , and released in 2001. The pilot was written by Ansolabehere, Germain and Mark Drop... (TV-G) Mickey Mouse Works Mickey Mouse Works is a television show that features the cartoon character Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animated segments. It is somewhat of an update of Mickey's Mouse Tracks.... (TV-G) The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television that ran from 1988 to 1991, inspired by A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories.-Overview:... (TV-G) Pepper Ann Pepper Ann is an American animated series created by Sue Rose and aired on ABC. It debuted on September 13, 1997.Pepper Ann starred cartoon adolescents and charted their ups and downs at Hazelnut Middle School. It aired as part of the Disney's One Saturday Morning block... (TV-G) (1997–2001) |
Recess (TV series) Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers... (TV-G) (1997–2001) Sabrina: The Animated Series Sabrina: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the Archie Comics character Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. It was produced by DIC Entertainment, which was owned by Disney at the time... (TV-G) Science Court Science Court, an edutainment animated series from Tom Snyder Productions, aired on ABC's One Saturday Morning from 1997 to 2002. It was the closing show to Disney's One Saturday Morning as it aired at 11:30 am/12:30 pm... (TV-G) (1997–1999) Teacher's Pet (TV series) Teacher's Pet is an American Disney animated television series about a dog who lives like a little boy. Created by Gary Baseman, Bill Steinkellner and Cheri Steinkellner and directed by Timothy Björklund, it was broadcast on Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC and later Toon Disney... (TV-G) The Weekenders The Weekenders is a Disney animated series about the weekend life of four diverse 7th graders: Tino Tonitini, Lorraine McQuarrie, Carver Descartes, and Petratishkovna Katsufrakis, voiced by veteran cartoon voice-actors: Jason Marsden, Grey DeLisle, Phil LaMarr, and Kath Soucie, respectively... (TV-G) |