WB replacing weekday cartoons with rerun sitcoms

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The WB Network is looking to grow up a bit in the afternoons.

The WB confirmed Tuesday that as of January, it will drop its 3-5 p.m. Monday-Friday Kids' WB! animation block in favor of sitcom repeats that the WB will acquire for its 200-plus station affiliates. The two-hour block will retain some WB-related branding, but the programing will be acquired from a range of sources, including the network's sibling studio, WB executives said.

As part of the change, Kids' WB! will expand its Saturday morning block from four to five hours, 7 a.m.-noon, starting in January to make room for some of the shows that previously aired on weekdays.

The decision to drop the weekday animation block reflects the dramatic changes in the television landscape that were already under way when the WB bowed in January 1995. At the time, WB brass stressed the importance of having a kid-oriented outpost on the network to introduce youngsters to the WB brand and to expose their parents to the then-fledgling network.

In the contemporary multichannel universe, however, younger viewers tend to flock to Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and other outlets that offer children's programing on a 24-hour basis. WB's station affiliates primarily carry sitcom reruns and first-run syndicated fare outside of primetime, which has made the Kids' WB! cartoon block a big exception that has become cumbersome for the stations to program around, WB executives said.

Despite the success Kids' WB! has had with such animated hits as "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and "Pokemon," advertising sales also have been a problem for WB affiliates who do not otherwise court kid-targeted advertising spending.

WB brass said they hope the switch to sitcom reruns aimed at older teens and the 18-34 demo will help strengthen their affiliate stations during the crucial hours leading into primetime.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[Phobos]

I don't watch the cartoons anyway.