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| 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) |
| Dissolved | May 17, 2008 (Television) |
| Former affiliations | The WB (1995–2006) The CW (2006–08) |
| Official website | http://www.kidswb.com |
Kids' WB! was Warner Bros.' American children's programming division brand for 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. Kids' WB! shut down on May 17, 2008, and was sold to 4Kids Entertainment to form The CW4Kids.
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.
Even though the block is now defunct, there are still Kids' WB blocks in Australia and Bulgaria.
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Contents
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History
Early years
Kids' WB! debuted on The WB on Saturday, 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, and weekdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.
On September 1, 1997, Kids' WB! started airing weekday mornings at 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. in most markets. Some stations, such as KTLA in Los Angeles, California and KWGN in Denver, Colorado, aired the weekday morning hour in conjunction with the weekday afternoon block, expanding it to three hours, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. On the same day, it got a new rebrand by Riverstreet Productions, which lasted until 2005.
Changes at Kids' WB!
In 1999, Kids' WB made a breakthrough when the English dub of the anime Pokémon by 4Kids Entertainment premiered. It was a big hit for its 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.
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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 was re-branded Kids' WB! in June 2002.
On September 7, 2001, Kids' WB! ceased airing weekday morning programming, and gave that slot back to the local affiliates. On December 30, 2005, the weekday afternoon Kids' WB block was dropped "at the request of the local affiliates", replaced by Daytime WB. As a result, the Saturday morning block was extended by an hour on January 7, 2006, running from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., no longer affected by time zone.
On January 24, 2006, The WB, Kids' WB!'s original broadcaster, announced they would merge with UPN to form The CW Television Network. The combined network utilized The WB's scheduling practices and brought the Kids' WB! block, still run by Warner Bros. Television, and still maintaining its name, to the new lineup.
The End and Rebirth of Kids' WB!
On October 2, 2007, the network announced that due to a joint decision between Warner Bros. and CBS, (parent companies of The CW), it would suspend the Kids' WB programming block due to the effects of children's advertising limits and cable competition and sell the programming time to 4Kids Entertainment.[4] Kids' WB! shut down broadcasting operations on May 17, 2008. However, on WUPA, Kids' WB shut down one day later[citation needed].
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.[5] 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 Beyond.[6][7][8]
Close Captioning
Every one of the shows on Kids WB as seen in the United States is close captioned by the National Captioning Institute. It was that the new evolved and present close captioning of the NCI was first used and seen on Kids WB.
Programming
Voice Over Announcements
- Jim Cummings
- Rino Romano
- Jeff Bennett
- Maurice LaMarche
- Jonathan David Cook
- Tom Kenny
- Dana Snyder
References
- ^ Mendoza, N.F. (October 22, 1995). "WB Raises the Animation Ante". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1995-10-22/news/tv-59667_1_animation-show. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "Pokemon Takes 'Em All!". Press release. USA: Time Warner. May 6, 1999. http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/1999/05/IPokemonI_Takes_Em_All_Show_Posts_Record_High_40_Share_05-06-1999.php. 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. http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/1999/06/OneTwo_Punch_IPokEacuteMonI_IBatman_BeyondI_Flattens_06-04-1999.php. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ^ 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
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