History
Prior to 1993, TBN's Saturday morning children's block had no branding. Commercial breaks during the block primarily featured public service announcements, interstitials encouraging viewers to support Christian television, and TBN promos. On May 22, 1993, TBN re-branded its children's block as Kids Club and introduced two new shows to the block; Curtain Climbing Kids Club and Kids Like You. The public service announcements and "support Christian television" interstitials were replaced with newer interstitials targeted to kids, as well as scenes from the Curtain Climbing Kids Club TV series.
On March 30, 2002, the Curtain Climbing Kids Club TV series aired for the final time on the block, but interstitials related to the series continued to air. On December 24, 2005, TBN re-branded its Saturday morning block as Smile of a Child TV , but on TBN, the block itself from the Smile of a Child TV block started to be used on October 7, 2006.
"Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre's popularity had a broad peak from the mid-1960s through the mid-2000s; over time it declined, in the face of changing cultural norms, increased competition from formats available at all times, and heavier media regulations. In the final two decades of the genre's existence, Saturday-morning and Sunday-morning cartoons were primarily created and aired to meet regulations on children's television programming in the United States, or E/I. Minor television networks, in addition to the non-commercial PBS in some markets, continue to air animated programming on Saturday and Sunday while partially meeting those mandates.
Kids' WB was an American children's programming block that aired as part of The WB network from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006. Initially launched as a competitor to Fox Kids, Kids' WB aired during the Saturday morning and after-school time slots, although as an affiliate network the times and programming varied regionally. In 1997, the block gained its Warner Bros. studio lot backdrop.
ABC Kids was an American Saturday morning children's programming block that aired on ABC from September 13, 1997 to August 27, 2011. It featured a mixture of animated and live-action series from Walt Disney Television Animation and Disney Channel, aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 14. This was the only time Disney Channel content aired on over-the-air television in the United States.
Nick Jr. is an American morning programming block that airs on Nickelodeon every weekday. It was launched on January 4, 1988. Nick Jr. features a lineup of shows aimed at children aged 2 through 6.
Fox Kids was an American children's programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channels. Originally a joint venture between the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox) and its affiliated stations, it was later owned by Fox Family Worldwide.
Davey and Goliath is a Christian clay-animated children's television series, whose central characters were created by Art Clokey, Ruth Clokey, and Dick Sutcliffe, and which was produced first by the United Lutheran Church in America and later by the Lutheran Church in America. The show was aimed at a youth audience, and generally dealt with issues such as respect for authority, sharing, and prejudice. Eventually, these themes included serious issues such as racism, death, religious intolerance and vandalism. Each 15-minute episode features the adventures of a boy named Davey Hansen and his "talking" dog Goliath as they learn the love of God through everyday occurrences. Many of the episodes also feature Davey's parents John and Elaine, his sister Sally, as well as Davey's friends: Jimmy, Teddy, and Nathaniel in earlier episodes, and Jonathan, Nicky, and Francisco in later ones.
SNICK was a two-hour programming block on the American cable television network Nickelodeon, geared toward older audiences, that ran from August 15, 1992, until January 29, 2005. It was aired on Saturdays starting at 8 p.m and ending at 10 p.m. ET, with a replay on Sundays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. In 2005, SNICK was revamped as the Saturday night edition of TEENick. Nickelodeon continues to run a Saturday night programming block today, though since the TEENick name was removed from the lineup in February 2009, the block no longer goes by any name.
CBC Kids is a Canadian children's block on CBC Television. The block was launched as Hodge Podge Lodge in 1987 and contains programming targeted at children. The block airs on weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to noon and Sundays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Nick on CBS was an American Saturday morning children's programming block featuring programming from Nick Jr. and Nickelodeon that ran on CBS from September 16, 2000, to September 9, 2006. It initially aired programming from the Nick Jr. block until 2002, when it began airing mainline programming from Nickelodeon; in 2004, it switched back to its previous format.
JUCE TV was a youth-oriented Christian television network and is a current YouTube channel owned and operated by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. The channel is aimed at teenagers and young adults between the ages of 13 and 30 years, and features a format similar to MTV and MTVU, airing Christian music videos, and original content such as Christian-themed entertainment and lifestyle programming, along with some church services.
Smile is a Christian free-to-air television network owned and operated by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. The network is aimed at children aged 2-12 and offers a mixture of children's religious and family-oriented programming. The network was founded as the television branch of TBN's Smile of a Child ministry, created by TBN co-founder Jan Crouch.
Colby's Clubhouse, aka, "La Cerotada", is an American Christian children's television show that teaches principles from the Bible; through songs and everyday situations. The main character is Colby, an anthropomorphic computer that teaches children Christian principles, lessons and how to be a great cerotada. Colby has the entire Bible programmed into his memory. The show was written and produced by Peter and Hanneke Jacobs and was originally aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network, with Peter playing the part of Colby. It originally aired from 1995 to 2000 with several changes of cast members. The first episode aired on November 19, 1995, and it was last aired on December 31, 2000. The show was primarily shot in Orange County, California. On December 30, 2006, the show was removed from TBN, although it remains on the network's Smile of a Child digital subchannel. Albums and videotapes featuring Colby the Computer were produced. However, many of these were produced before the TBN series and feature different children.
Gulli is a French free-to-air television channel focused on kids' programming for those aged 3 to 14. It was created as a result of a partnership between Lagardère Active and state-owned broadcaster France Télévisions. In 2019, the M6 Group bought Gulli as well as the television division of the Lagardère Active Group.
In regard to children's television programming, CBS has aired mostly animated series, such as the original versions of Scooby-Doo, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Jim Henson's Muppet Babies, Garfield and Friends and the 1987 incarnation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This article outlines the history of children's television programming on CBS including the various blocks and notable programs that have aired throughout the television network's history.
In regard to children's programming, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) has aired mostly programming from Walt Disney Television or other producers. This article outlines the history of children's television programming on ABC including the various blocks and notable programs that have aired throughout the television network's history.
The broadcast of educational children's programming by terrestrial television stations in the United States is mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under regulations colloquially referred to as the Children's Television Act (CTA), the E/I rules, or the Kid Vid rules. Since 1997, all full-power and Class A low-power broadcast television stations have been required to broadcast at least three hours per-week of programs that are specifically designed to meet the educational and informative (E/I) needs of children aged 16 and younger. There are also regulations on advertising in broadcast and cable television programming targeting children 12 and younger, including limits on ad time, and prohibiting the airing of advertising for products related to the program currently airing.
HBO Kids was an American preschool/children's television morning block operated by Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO), a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. The block ran on HBO Family, HBO's sister station that targets children and families.
Telemundo Kids is a former American children's programming block that debuted on October 6, 2001 on the Spanish-language television network Telemundo. The three-hour block—which aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time and Pacific Time—featured live action and animated series aimed at children between the ages of 2 and 14.
