Saturday, August 20, 2011

What has happened to children's TV programing?

What has happened to childrens television? It sucks now. This will be an ongoing project. If you have someinging to remember, I will bring it up. This was the first draft. Enjoy it for what it is. Come back after for a better rememberence.

If it's not a good game or catholic...who do you call?...Why Pokematic "hi".

There once was a time when parents and children could sit down and watch tv together without the parents being bord. There once was a time when tv shows were organized into weekly lineups. There once was a time when Friday night meant getting to stay up later to watch new cartoons. There once was a time when you could watch anime on tv without a subscription service or video devices And finally, there once was a time when kids could watch cartoons on non-cable TV.

For anyone who is getting nastalgic, I am refering to 90s and before with television viewing. While I can find some good programing on now, it is hard to find what once made tv great. And here's the sad part, I don't think it'll ever come back. And we have Hanna Montana to blame. Now this isn't a "bash Miely and her writers" text video. This is just a lets get nastalgic thing. I will cover what was my childhood, and how I feel that I wouldn't have that great experience without what once was.

For starters, I didn't have cable as a kid. Now adays that's a death sentance to kids without cable, but it used to not be. I used to be able to watch kids WB, 1 Saturday Morning, Disney's One Too, and some others that were more obscure. And here's the thing, they didn't suck, for either my parents or me. I remember watching Sailor Moon with my dad and 101 Dialmations the series and Recess with my mom. We could all watch cartoons together, and while they may not have enjoyed it as much as some would, I remember having a babysitter that would watch Pokemon with me and one time he brought over a 6 hour tape of it. But I guess I should get back to the over the air waves being good. They had some good shows on. Over the air cartoons had some good cartoons that rivled cable. They had cartoons that were so good that they ended up on cable because they were so good. 101 Dialmations was amazing, Recess same, Disney's Doug same, Pokemon, oh man.

Then cable tv channels had good programing as well. Everyone talks of 90s nick and 90s cartoon network. Well they actually existed at one point as just nick and cartoon network. Remember Mickey Mouse? Disney Channel actually used to show Mickey and his friends. There was actually a time when Hanna Montana and High School Musical didn't exist. Nick didn't show the same 3 shows over and over again. Spongebob had new episodes, every Friday night actually. Cartoon Network showed a mix of clasic animation from warner brothers, mgm, and hanna-barbara, in adition to new shows most stemming from what a cartoon. Disney XD was Toon Disney, nuf said there.

Well then comes some changes, but things were still grand. But then 2006 struck, and VHS tapes were no longer being made. Granted, DVD is better than VHS, but all the way through 2005, childrens entertainment was still good. Sure cartoon cartoon fridays, a friday programing block hosted by cartoon characters from the network, was replaced by fridays, a friday night line up hosted by 2 stupid adults that had this party with a bunch of kids while watching cartoons, back in 2001 or so, but it still worked.But come 2006, cartoons started sucking. Cartoons were being cancled and replaced by live action. Ok, I can't go on, nastalgia is killing me right now.

(tears for the old days shed. No more remenising will happen for fear of this happening again.)

So here's the thing. I'm not one of those nastalgia fanboys that feels that only the 90s is good. I like some of the cartoons and shows that are on now. I like some cartoon network new cartoons, but it's not at the same level as it once was. I feel I must point out some things that are the past but should not be. For starters, cartoon television line ups. Gone are the days of 1 saturday morning, Disney's one too, kids WB, friday night nicktoons, cartoon cartoon fridays, fridays, saturday morning cartoons, and the like. The big thing that shouldn't have happened was the removal of new cartoons on friday nights. Yes adults don't watch TV on fridays and Saturdays because they are going out, but news flash, that's when kids can! Even when I did get cable, I didn't watch a whole lot because I was busy. I looked forward to the weekend when I could stay up late and just watch TV. Kids watch on Friday night and Saturday night, not weekdays. And that's Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon is worse. They rerun the same episodes over and over again and air a new episode in "a week long premere." I don't want 1 new episode everyday for a week. I want 1 new episode every week.

Now here's the thing. No line ups anymore. Period. Sure they have a schedule, but it's not a line up. Line ups have names. The last TV line up I recall was the cw 4kids. Unfortunately 4kids isn't the best, so we're stuck with nothing. Where was I? I blame the shitty TV I'm watching because that's all that's on. Uhhhh, o yeah, I still need to talk about how cartoons are no longer fun for both kids and parents. Cartoons used to be fun for both kids and adults. There was once a time when cartoons were imature enough for kids to enjoy, while also having humor and themes that the parents could enjoy as well. Now we are stuck with cartoons that are so imature that only the kids will enjoy it, or are just way to mature for kids. But then again, that's if we're lucky enough to get cartoons. Yeah that's right, I'm calling you out childrens networks. Cartoons are fun for kids, and for adults as well. Your stupid live action isn't and will only last as long as your young actors. Cartoon characters can stay that age forever, and adults can be funny and not creepy. Only 1/4 of Nickelodean's programing is cartoons. SpongeBob is the only cartoon. Victorious, iCarly, and Big time Rush are live action. Disney, they got rid of their cartoon channel for a live action for boys channel and don't show cartoons other than Phineous and Ferb on Disney Channel. Cartoon Network is the last hold out for cartoons, but the again *cough bs real.*

Disney XD has some hope. They still show marathons of their shows, some of them are entertaining, like I'm in the Band and Kick Butouski. They are Disney, and the others follow Disney. I hope they bring us back to a happy time.

And then there's the no more kids shows on network tv. No more 1 saturday morning, no more Kids WB, no more any kids tv on over the air waves. I thing ABC still has ABC Kids, but that line ups sucks and no one knows about it. It's a sad atempt at 1 saturday morning.

Earlier I mentioned anime on TV. We fans used to be able to watch anime on TV without the netflix, hulu plus, DVDs, or any of that. We used to be able to watch Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, and Sailor Moon on UPN. Remember UPN, before it bacame the cw? It was awesome. Then Cartoon Network used to show tons of anime. Now all we can do is watch DBZ Kai and Shippuden but only at weird times. Ahhhhh.

No more tv line ups, no more over the air cartoons, no more good cartoons, and almost no more cartoons period. Ahhhhh Well this has been pokematic signing off and bu bye.

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