Would a network approach of NEW episode airings work on cable?

N

Nutzz :)

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The days of cartoons on network TV is on life support. Unless it is some sort of E/I show. That being said...is it really that much of a risk for cable (Nick, Disney, and CN) to recreate the network schedule of NEW episodes?

Back in the day it worked this way: 7-8:30am (although some channels had 6-7am cartoons as well), 3-5pm (although some channels started at 2pm), and Saturday morning. Cable does things different. Most, if not all, of their new episodes premiere either on primetime or late afternoon.

So, would it be much of a risk if, say, CN aquired a show with enough episodes that it could air new episodes weekdays from 3pm-5pm with repeats in the morning slots. Then, on Saturday morning air new episodes of their cartoons like Flapjack, Chowder, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Batman: The Brave and The Bold, etc etc etc?

I mean, yea, the primetime and late afternoon stuff obviously works but the network approach just made more sense. Especially if you're a kid. You're basically watching cartoons before school, after school (before having to do homework/study for tests/be in bed by 9pm), and on Saturday morning (before being busy all weekend with outdoor activities, hanging with friends, and other trivial things).

So...I don't know...just a thought.
 
That's actually how they do things in CN UK and AU. But honestly, I don't see that happening because mornings are just a bad slot. Kids are too busy going to school for weekday mornings, and weekend mornings are all but dead. And CN doesn't much new shows they can strip for premieres anymore, with the exception of 6teen, which they are already doing.
 
That would be one way to do it, but even if Cartoon Network did give encore presentations in the mornings a try, I doubt that it would last very long, because the ratings would probably be terrible, what with the target demographic too busy getting ready for school to sit down and watch them.

That might work if it was tried during summer vacations, but in the fall and winter, it would be a disaster.
 
So little faith in the morning? I remember as a kid I would wake up like at 7am and by 7:30am I would have brushed my teeth, taken a quick shower, and gotten dressed. Then, with a bowl of cereal in my lap I would sit down and watch cartoons for the next 45 minutes. Sometimes I would watch Bobby's World and Sonic (the campy syndicated one) on FOX Kids or if I was in the mood for old school I'd switch over to TNT Toons and watch some Hannah-Barbera and Looney Tunes.

Also, I remember in `93 during the VERY early episodes of Power Rangers, FOX Kids would repeat the afternoon airings in case you missed it. Which was great for many, myself included, cause I missed the premiere as well as the first two or three episodes and was able to catch up on it the morning.

So, I don't know, I recall morning airings working back in the day. Although, yea, it was way more successful during summer vaction/2-week Christmas break/spring break. I remember during those days off I'd watch a bunch of different stuff in the morning. The FOX Kids station, aside from their original stuff, aired a bunch of syndicated cartoons in the mornings. I remember stuff like Sonic, `90s He-Man (remember that), and Double Dragon among others.
 
Some people don't have that luxury. In the morning, I only have 10 minutes, 20 minutes tops to get dressed, eat breakfast, and catch the bus.
 
Are you talking present tense or past tense? If it's present...then...duh! No one our age has time for cartoons in the morning. But kids is a different story. School doesn't start till 8:30am for them. And, yea, there's those who have to take the bus. I guess those don't have the luxury.
 
Present. School here opens at 8, and even in elementary school, there's never really been too much time to relax and watch TV during school.
 
CN is already doing that to an extent with new Chooks and 6Teen on weekdays.

When you said network approach I thought you meant different premieres every night in prime time. What you're suggesting is something that hasn't been all that present on network television. A far better example would be to call it the syndication approach or something more CN related... the weekday Toonami approach. Far better examples of using acquired shows to premiere on weekdays and originals for weekends.

I'm all for that approach. They could do it with a number of shows and they're currently doing it with 2 so that's a start.

As for weekdays mornings due to schools starting very early even for 6-11 you can't expect much from those hours but re-airing premieres from the previous day in the morning is a fine idea. Gives people a chance to at least tape it or maybe watch it if they're home.
 
Old Guy, I'm older than you, and I have time in the morning to watch cartoons. Or would, if there were some I wanted to watch. Being older doesn't force me to wake up at the last minute. I usually get up about two hours before I have to head out.

Then again, guess it's still not as early as I was waking up back in '94, back when I woke up three hours before I had to leave for school. Xuxa, Power Rangers, Hallo Spencer, Inspector Gadget, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog... good way to start my mornings back then.
 
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