Kids' WB
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2009) |
 |
|
| Type | Online Network (2008–present) Video on demand (2009–present) Defunct Saturday morning cartoon block (1995–2008) Weekday afternoon cartoon block (1995–2006) Weekday morning cartoon block (1997–2001) |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Availability | United States Puerto Rico |
| Slogan | Kids' WB Yourself! (1999–2000) |
| Launch date | September 9, 1995 (Television) April 28, 2008 (Online) |
| Affiliation | Defunct |
| Former affiliations | The WB (1995–2006) The CW (2006–08) |
| Official website | http://www.kidswb.com |
Kids' WB was an American children's programming block that aired on The WB Television Network.[1] In September 2006, the block moved to The CW Television Network. The CW is the result of The WB's merger with UPN in 2006. The Kids' WB television block was last aired on May 17, 2008, and the Saturday morning programming slot was sold to 4Kids Entertainment to form The CW4Kids (which has since been renamed to Vortexx).
Kids' WB was re-launched as an online network on April 28, 2008, a few weeks before it was replaced by The CW4Kids. The network allows viewers to watch shows of Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics. It has different zones where users are linked to Kids' WB, Kids' WB, Jr., and DC HeroZone. It is also available on Fancast featuring full episodes of such TV shows such as Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, and The Jetsons.
Kids' WB-branded blocks still air on Australia and Bulgaria.
Contents |
History[edit]
Early years[edit]
Kids' WB debuted on The WB on September 9, 1995, airing on Saturday mornings from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and weekdays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. On September 7, 1996, the Saturday block was extended by a full hour, airing from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST.
On September 1, 1997, a weekday morning block was added from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m., and the weekday afternoon block was extended by one hour, airing from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Some stations, such as New York City's WPIX-TV, Los Angeles, CA's KTLA-TV, and Denver, CO's KWGN-TV, aired the weekday morning block in conjunction with the weekday afternoon block, extending it to three hours, running from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. On the same date, the block received an on-air rebranding – that included a revised logo and graphics package centered upon the Warner Bros. Studios lot theme that was also used in promotions for The WB's primetime programming during the network's first eight years on the air – that was developed by Riverstreet Productions, and lasted until 2005.
Changes at Kids' WB[edit]
On February 13, 1999, Kids' WB made a breakthrough when the English dub of the anime Pokémon by 4Kids Entertainment moved to the network from broadcast syndication. It was a major hit for the programming block,[2] beating Fox Kids with its animated block backed by Warner Bros.[3] In later years, other anime shows aired such as Cardcaptors, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Astro Boy, Megaman NT Warrior, and Viewtiful Joe.
.JPG){kind=logo}
In July 2001, Kids' WB's afternoon lineup was rebranded Toonami on Kids' WB, extending the Cartoon Network action-cartoon brand Toonami to broadcast television, and bringing shows such as Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, and The Powerpuff Girls to network television. In addition, non-action programming such as The Nightmare Room were also branded as Toonami. The afternoon block stopped using the Toonami name in June 2002. On September 3, 2001, the Kids' WB weekday morning block was discontinued, with The WB giving that slot back to its local affiliates to carry syndicated programming and/or infomercials.
On May 31, 2005, The WB announced that the weekday afternoon Kids' WB block would be discontinued "at the request of the local affiliates", as it became financially unattractive as broadcast stations perceived that children's programming viewership on afternoon timeslots had gravitated more towards cable networks – these stations began to target more adult audiences with talk shows and sitcom reruns in those timeslots. Kids' WB's weekday programming continued, but with redundant programming and theme weeks until December 30, 2005 (the block began to increasingly promote Cartoon Network's afternoon Miguzi block and the Kids' WB Saturday morning lineup during the transition). The weekday afternoon Kids' WB block aired for the last time on December 30, 2005, and was replaced on January 2, 2006 by "Daytime WB", a more adult-targeted general entertainment block featuring repeats of sitcoms and drama series formerly seen on the major networks. As a result, the Saturday morning Kids' WB lineup that remained was extended by one hour on January 7, 2006, running from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., no longer affected by time zone variances.
On January 24, 2006, Time Warner (owner of Kids' WB's original broadcaster, The WB) and CBS Corporation (owners of UPN) announced that The WB and UPN would be shut down and replaced by The CW Television Network.[4] The combined network utilized The WB's scheduling practices (inherting the 30-hour weekly programming schedule that the network utilized at the time of the announcement) and brought the Kids' WB block, still run by Warner Bros. Television and maintaining the same name, to the new lineup.
The end and rebirth of Kids' WB[edit]
On October 2, 2007, the network announced that due to a joint decision between Time Warner and CBS Corporation (parent companies of The CW), it would discontinue the Kids' WB programming block due to the effects of children's advertising limits and cable competition, and would sell the programming time to 4Kids Entertainment.[5] The Kids' WB block last aired on May 17, 2008 (for some stations, the block's last airdate was on May 18).
On May 24, 2008, 4Kids launched The CW4Kids in place of Kids' WB. The lineup for the block consists of 4Kids-produced shows, such as Chaotic (which also aired on Jetix and currently shows re-runs of it on Disney XD and Cartoon Network) as well as new seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.[6] The official site, http://www.cw4kids.com, officially launched on April 20, 2008.
On April 28, 2008, Warner Bros. Entertainment announced that The WB and Kids' WB brands would be relaunched as online networks, with the Kids' WB network consisting of five subchannels: Kids' WB, Kids' WB Jr., Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, and DC Hero Zone.[7][8][9] After the dissolution of In2TV, the Kids' WB online portal absorbed most of that service's children's programming.
Programming[edit]
Voice over announcements[edit]
- Jim Cummings
- Rino Romano
- Jeff Bennett
- Harland Williams
- Maurice LaMarche
- Jonathan David Cook
- Tom Kenny
- Dana Snyder
- Kevin Michael Richardson
References[edit]
- ^ Mendoza, N.F. (October 22, 1995). "WB Raises the Animation Ante". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "Pokemon Takes 'Em All!". Press release. USA: Time Warner. May 6, 1999. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ^ "One-Two Punch of Pokémon and Batman Beyond Flattens Competition for Kids' WB". Press release. USA: Time Warner. June 4, 1999. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ^ UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network, The New York Times, January 24, 2006.
- ^ CW turns to 4Kids on Saturdays, Variety.com, October 2, 2007
- ^ Brands Old and New for 4Kids at Licensing Expo 2008, AWN Headline News
- ^ Online Kids' WB Venture, DC Hero Zone Press Release, The World's Finest, April 29, 2008
- ^ WB Revived as Online Platform, Variety.com, April 28, 2008
- ^ Warner Moves Toon Content Online to KidsWB.com, KidScreen Magazine, April 29, 2008
External links[edit]
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
