| medialifemagazine.com Younger viewers
But that’s anything but the case for the networks’ weekend morning cartoon lineups. ABC, the CW and Fox, the top three Saturday morning channels among kids 2-11, actually have a surprising number of shows with roots reaching back to the 1980s and well before. Though none are top hits, they’ve all proven surprisingly durable, and that's prompted other networks to revive popular kids’ programs from the past as well. CBS is bringing back two this fall, and public TV staple “Electric Company” is constantly rumored to be making a comeback. “Shows like ‘Power Rangers,’ ‘Care Bears,’ and other Saturday morning mainstays are still around because they're a solidified brand with a product line already in place,” says Ashley Fenwick-Naditch, executive editor of ChildrensMediaConsultant.com and a former TV and online content producer. They join four already airing on ABC, CW's Kids’ WB! and Fox. Fox’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward” is an extension of the popular kids’ animated series that debuted in 1987, while ABC’s “Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive” is currently in its 15th season. Kids’ WB!’s “Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!” harkens back even further, with the original premiering in 1969 and more than half a dozen spinoffs since. But the most durable show has to be Kids’ WB!’s “Tom & Jerry Tales.” The original show about the battling cat and mouse debuted in 1965, spun off a series of successful theatrical shorts dating all the way back to 1940. The longevity of these kids’ shows, in one form or another, seems to suggest that kids’ tastes do not change all that much from generation to generation. There are certain themes that tie the shows together. There is, of course, some comical violence in each show, something children adore. There’s also the very clear idea of good versus evil. But more than anything, as Fenwick-Naditch reminds us, the value in these old hits is in the merchandising. “In the 1980s, we saw a huge craze of children's programming in the form of 30-minute commercials for children's toys,” she says about shows like “TMNT.” Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ended Aug. 19: Among teens 12-17, Fox was first with a 1.4 rating and 5 share, followed by the CW at 0.9/3, CBS at 0.8/3, NBC, ABC and Univision at 0.7/3, Telemundo at 0.2/1, Telefutura at 0.1/1, and Azteca at 0.0/0. Among kids 2-11, Fox led with a 1.1/4, followed by Univision at 1.0/4, NBC at 0.7/3, ABC at 0.6/3, CBS at 0.6/2, the CW at 0.5/2, Telemundo and Telefutura at 0.2/1, and Azteca at 0.0/0. The top five shows among kids 2-5: 1. “High School Musical 2” (Disney, Friday 8 p.m.); 2. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Thursday 11 a.m.); 3. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Tuesday 11:30 a.m.); 4. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Thursday 11:30 a.m.); 5. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Saturday noon) The top five shows among kids 6-11: 1. “High School Musical 2” (Disney, Friday 8 p.m.); 2. “Sneak Peek” (Disney, Friday 10:05 p.m.); 3. “Hannah Montana” (Disney, Friday 10:20 p.m.); 4. “Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (Disney, Friday 7:30 p.m.); 5. “Hannah Montana” (Disney, Friday 10:45 p.m.)
The top five shows among kids 9-14: 1. “High School Musical 2” (Disney, Friday 8 p.m.);2. “Hannah Montana” (Disney, Friday 10:20 p.m.); 3. “Sneak Peek” (Disney, Friday 10:05 p.m.); 4. “Hannah Montana” (Disney, Friday 10:45 p.m.); 5. “Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (Disney, Friday 7:30 p.m.)
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