Litton's Weekend Adventure
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| Type | Saturday morning block |
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| Country | United States |
| Availability | National |
| Launch date | September 3, 2011 |
| Affiliation | ABC |
| Official website | www.littonweekendadventure.com |
Litton's Weekend Adventure (originally known as ABC Weekend Adventure) is an American programming block of children's live-action series programmed by Litton Entertainment that is broadcast Saturday mornings on the owned-and-operated stations and affiliates of ABC.[1][2] Announced on May 24, 2011, Litton's Weekend Adventure launched on September 3, 2011, replacing the ABC Kids block.[3][4][5][6]
Contents |
Overview[edit]
The block came as a result of ABC deciding in early 2011 to no longer provide E/I programming as part of its Saturday morning network lineup to its affiliates; the network had not introduced any new E/I programs for its ABC Kids block since 2008, and the E/I programs that were airing had all been re-purposed Disney Channel sitcoms in reruns for three years at the time of the decision, some of which were fully out of production without remaining drawing power to children's audiences. Also, before the returning of the rights to the Power Rangers franchise in 2010 to Haim Saban, several affiliate groups refused to carry any series from that franchise or chose to run them only in low-rated early morning timeslots, and had demanded any lineup be fully educational so the stations would not have to purchase E/I programming on the open syndication market. Litton's Weekend Adventure is the first Saturday morning block among the major U.S. broadcast networks to feature programs produced in high definition.
As a compromise, the network's affiliate board agreed to instead look for a broadcast syndication package that would only air exclusively on ABC stations. Litton Entertainment was eventually selected, beating out two other competitors.[3] Although the block airs exclusively on ABC owned-and-operated and affiliate stations, Litton's Weekend Adventure does not contain any ABC branding (though some stations may insert their own logo "bug", like they do for syndicated programming), does not carry any advertising supplied by ABC, and likewise is not promoted directly by ABC on-air or mentioned on the network's website. In addition, commercial breaks within the block do not feature any product advertisements aimed at children.
The Litton's Weekend Adventure block follows federally-mandated educational programming guidelines, thus allowing ABC stations to carry it and comply with the manadatory weekly three-hour E/I programming rule implemented by the Federal Communications Commission. Programming featured on the block promotes a co-viewing experience for the entire family.[3][4][5][6][2] Several ABC affiliates have chosen not to carry the block and instead air their own E/I-compliant children's programming; these stations include affiliates in KDNL-TV St. Louis; WAWV-TV Terre Haute, Indiana; WVNY Burlington, Vermont (although a digital subchannel of sister station WFFF-TV airs the block); and WXLV-TV Winston-Salem, North Carolina. During college football season, some ABC affiliates (particularly those located in the Western United States) may air the block on Saturday afternoons or during the daytime hours on Sundays depending on regional or network game scheduling.
On September 24, 2012, it was announced that a television version of Everyday Health's YouTube series Recipe Rehab would premiere on the block beginning on October 6, 2012. The series was notably one of several web series directly funded by YouTube as a part of a push towards generating more "premium" content on the series.[7]
Programming[edit]
Current programming[edit]
Actual times may vary by station.
| Eastern & Alaska |
Central & Pacific |
Mountain | Show Name | Program Host(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am | 8:00 am | 7:00 am | Jack Hanna's Wild Countdown | Jack Hanna |
| 9:30 am | 8:30 am | 7:30 am | Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin | Jeff Corwin |
| 10:00 am | 9:00 am | 8:00 am | Born to Explore with Richard Wiese | Richard Wiese |
| 10:30 am | 9:30 am | 8:30 am | Sea Rescue | Sam Champion |
| 11:00 am | 10:00 am | 9:00 am | Recipe Rehab | Danny Boome |
| 11:30 am | 10:30 am | 9:30 am | Food for Thought with Claire Thomas | Claire Thomas |
Former programming[edit]
- Culture Click (hosted by Nzinga Blake) – September 2011–January 2012
- Everyday Health (hosted by Leila Ali, Jenna Morasca, and Ethan Zohn) – September 2011–September 2012
References[edit]
- ^ "Litton's Weekend Adventure". Litton Entertainment. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Everyday Health, Inc. and Litton Entertainment Announce New Television Series, "Everyday Health," to Premiere on ABC Affiliates". KFVS-TV. July 8, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c "ABC Orders Saturday Kids Block From Litton". TVNewsCheck. May 24, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
- ^ a b Albiniak, Paige (May 24, 2011). "ABC to Premiere ABC Weekend Adventure on Sept. 3". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
- ^ a b "Litton Announces "ABC Weekend Adventure"". Business Wire. May 24, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
- ^ a b "Cynopsis: Kids! 05/26/11". Cynopsis. May 26, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ^ Shields, Mike (September 24, 2012). "YouTube Hit Jumps to TV—Albeit Saturday A.M.". AdWeek. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
External links[edit]
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