I didn't realize this until just a few minutes ago but last Saturday was the final Saturday morning (probably ever) for Saturday morning cartoons. That was the day for most of us older folks growing up that you could see new cartoons. Even if they sucked, they were new.

Nowadays of course, kids can see cartoons anytime they want on Nick, or Disney or any one of a hundred different places. NBC hasn't had Saturday morning cartoon shows since 1992 and most of the other networks dropped them shortly after that. But CW still had new shows up until last weekend.

One of the reasons the networks stopped showing them was an FCC rule that says networks have to put on at least three hours of educational programming a week, and they use Saturday mornings for that 'educational' programming. That and the fact that the competition is just too tough to go against.

One more thing from our youth that is gone forever....

The FCC rule is equally silly in that all broadcast channels must air 3 hours of E/I programming per week, so your 24/7 weather sun channels have to stop and air the same E/I programming as well.

Univision does have an animated Jungle Book series in its E/I block (which naturally is in Spanish), and it is available over the air in a number of markets; last time I saw TBN had an animated E/I series as well, but I'm not sure of its time slot. Even with those technicalities it certainly is a marked decline from the early days of television.

Best Saturday morning cartoon ever. This is why kids today are so soft--they don't get to watch the end of the world once a week anymore (of course, the apocalypse is 20 years overdue).

Talk about a cartoon that is in need of an update.

(10-08-2014 07:17 PM)jh Wrote:  Best Saturday morning cartoon ever. This is why kids today are so soft--they don't get to watch the end of the world once a week anymore (of course, the apocalypse is 20 years overdue).

Well, actually, kids DO get to watch this, and not just once a week, but every day. It's called the cable TV news-channels.

When Tom and Jerry was designated as a racist cartoon, surely we all knew Saturday morning cartoons were doomed.

The Road Runner was the best Saturday cartoon.

I'm still looking for an "Acme" store for anvils and dynamite.

With a bowl of cereal.

I think you are wrong about no cartoons on Saturday

Quote:Nowadays of course, kids can see cartoons anytime they want on Nick, or Disney or any one of a hundred different places.

Which makes it moot, by ruining the whole Significance of Saturday Morning Cartoons before any controversy about this. :)

Quote:put on at least three hours of educational programming a week, and they use Saturday mornings for that 'educational' programming

And that's their choice! And one could have educational programming in the form of cartoons, but that still wouldn't make it the same. But they could have Saturday Morning cartoons anyway, but it's been fazed out due to so many other channels like the Cartoon Network and Nick -- just to name a couple -- that makes Sat Morn cartoons on networks (like network news) not that watchable anyway.

(10-08-2014 07:17 PM)jh Wrote:  Best Saturday morning cartoon ever. This is why kids today are so soft--they don't get to watch the end of the world once a week anymore (of course, the apocalypse is 20 years overdue).

I liked Thundarr. Could have had better writing. Of course that's true for every Sat Morning Cartoon.

I used to sit so close to the tv on Saturday mornings that my eyeballs were almost resting on the screen.