fbpx
Wikipedia

Regulations on children's television programming in the United States

January 13, 2024

"E/I" redirects here. For other uses, see EI (disambiguation).

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.[1][2] Since 1997, all full-power and Class A low-power[3] broadcast television stations have been required to broadcast at least three hours (or more if they operate digital subchannels) 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.

Early regulations on educational programming were implemented by the FCC in 1991, as ordered by the Children's Television Act—an Act of Congress passed in 1990. They included a requirement for television stations to document their broadcasting of programs which "[further] the positive development of children 16 years of age and under in any respect, including the child's intellectual/cognitive or social/emotional needs", and a requirement for the FCC to use this as a factor in license renewals. Stricter regulations were implemented in 1997, requiring all stations to broadcast at least three hours of programming per-week that is designed to educate and inform viewers aged 16 and younger, and introducing requirements regarding on-air identification of these programs, and more stringent reporting requirements.

The E/I regulations had a major impact on U.S. television; the syndication market was bolstered by demand for compliant educational programming, while the Saturday morning cartoon blocks traditionally aired by major networks began to increase their focus on educational programming. This factor, however, alongside the growth of platforms not subject to the rules, such as cable channels (including Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon) and, later, streaming services, contributed to an overall decline in broadcast television airings of non-educational children's programming. In the 2010s, the major commercial networks began to use factual and reality-style programming—declared as targeting teenagers—to meet their E/I obligations, as they are not subject to the same restrictions on advertising as programs targeting children 12 and under.

The educational programming regulations have faced a mixed reception from the industry. There have historically been concerns over whether these mandates constitute a violation of broadcasters' rights to free speech. The FCC's initial regulations faced criticism for being too broad in its definition of children's educational programming, with stations attempting to classify various non-educational programs as containing educational elements. The amount of network television programming considered "highly educational" decreased after the implementation of the CTA, with the allowance for programming dealing with social issues (as opposed to programming dealing in traditional academic subjects) having been cited as a factor. The regulations were described by then-FCC commissioner Michael O'Rielly as "onerous" and outdated due to the cable and new media platforms that have emerged since their introduction,[2] which led to changes in 2019 to provide more flexibility in compliance.

Background edit

Concern over the impact that television had on children began when television was still a new entertainment medium. During the 1950s, many individuals, particularly parents, asked their legislators to do something about the potential effects of television viewing on young people. Academic research was initiated since this time to monitor, analyze and explain the relationships between television and children, although the impact of television on academic performance continues to be debated in scholarly research.[4] The first attempt to address these concerns were during Congressional hearings in 1952 that addressed violence. Besides Congress, there were government commissions that also pursued this agenda. Included in these discussions were the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission, and advocacy groups formed by concerned citizens. The FCC intended to change a number of policies regarding children's programming.[4]

Research demonstrated that young children had difficulty distinguishing between the program they were watching, and commercials broadcast during them. Most children had little or no understanding of the persuasive intent of commercials, and as such, were highly vulnerable to claims and appeals by advertisers.[5] Advertisers, especially those related to junk food, were interested in youth as consumers because of their spending power through their parents, their influence, and their brand awareness as adult consumers in the future.[6][7]

History edit

Newton Minow was one of the first federal officials to speak of the need for regulation of children's programming, openly denouncing cartoons as being unfit for the airwaves in his 1961 landmark speech "Television and the Public Interest." He did not take any direct action because he believed that improvements could be made without force and could be resolved by increasing competition through UHF television and expanding non-commercial educational options.[8]

In 1968, activist Peggy Charren established Action for Children's Television (ACT)—a lobbying group that campaigned for high-quality children's programming to be broadcast by television stations. ACT believed that the broadcasting of educational programming was part of broadcasters' obligations to serve the public interest.[9][10] In the early-1970's, ACT successfully pressured the major networks to remove "violent" superhero cartoons from their children's programming,[11] and in 1971, first proposed restrictions on airing any advertising during children's programs.[12]

In the early-1980's, ACT criticized the major networks for their decreasing commitments to educational programming, citing the cancellations of ABC's Animals, Animals, Animals and CBS's children's newsmagazine 30 Minutes as examples.[13] It also criticized the networks for airing cartoons that they considered to be promotional tie-ins for associated toylines rather than legitimate entertainment, such as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and My Little Pony.[9][10]

In 1982, Reagan administration FCC chairman Mark S. Fowler lamented upon CBS's decision to move its long-running children's series Captain Kangaroo from its historic weekday morning timeslot, to weekends, in order to accommodate an expanded morning newscast.[13] CBS had already shortened the program from a full hour to 30 minutes in 1981 for the same reason.[14] At the time, the big three networks scheduled the majority of their children's programming—including cartoons—during their Saturday morning lineups. They also aired occasional "after school specials"—anthologies of television films focusing on issues affecting youth—in late-afternoon timeslots. Captain Kangaroo had to compete not only with news-based morning shows such as ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today, but local and syndicated offerings also targeting children.[13]

Fowler was against mandating the broadcast of educational programming by commercial stations, arguing that it was within their First Amendment rights to choose the programming they wish to broadcast, and adding that "it's too bad Captain Kangaroo is gone, but the Government should not be issuing directives about what should be on the air."[13] Fowler suggested that, if the FCC felt there was not enough children's programming on television, it could mandate that commercial stations contribute funding to support the production of educational children's programming by public broadcasters.[13]

The idea was criticized by NBC's vice president as being a "tax" on commercial broadcasting, while ABC argued that commercial television (including networks and their affiliates) was doing a better job at serving children than public broadcasters.[13] Captain Kangaroo creator and host Bob Keeshan disagreed, arguing that children were "just too important to be left to the networks and their profit motives." Citing the recent New York v. Ferber decision, he told The New York Times that "despite the guarantee of free speech, our children are so precious that the free speech of the [child] pornographer had to give way to allow us to protect children from exploitation."[13]

Children's Television Act edit

Children's Television Act
 
Other short titlesChildren's Television Act of 1990
Long titleAn act to require the Federal Communications Commission to reinstate restrictions on advertising during children's television, to enforce the obligation of broadcasters to meet the educational and informational needs of the child audience, and for other purposes.
Enacted bythe 101st United States Congress
Citations
Public lawPub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 101–437
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House as H.R. 1677 by John Bryant (D-TX) on April 5, 1989
  • Passed the House on July 23, 1989 (Voice vote)
  • Passed the Senate on September 24, 1990 (Voice vote) with amendment
  • House agreed to Senate amendment on October 1, 1990 (Voice vote)
  • Left unsigned by President George H. W. Bush and became law on October 17, 1990

In October 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Children's Television Act (CTA), an Act of Congress ordering the FCC to implement regulations surrounding programming that serves the "educational and informational" (E/I) needs of children, as well as the amount of advertising broadcast during television programs aimed towards children.[4] This included that a station's commitment to airing and supporting educational children's programming had to become a factor in license renewals, and that limits had to be imposed on the amount of advertising that can be aired during television programs targeting children.[4] The CTA also called for the Secretary of Education to establish a National Endowment to help support the production of educational children's programming.[4]

The FCC implemented the CTA via new regulations that came into effect on October 1, 1991. Television stations and cable providers would be required to maintain and publish summaries of the children's educational programming that they broadcast, defined as "programming that furthers the positive development of children 16 years of age and under in any respect, including the child's intellectual/cognitive or social/emotional needs".[15] Commercial time during children's programming was limited to 12 minutes per hour on weekdays and 10.5 on weekends. The airing of advertising during children's programs for products associated with the program currently airing ("program-length commercials"), or containing "program talent or other identifiable program characteristics" ("host-selling"), was prohibited.[16]

The prohibition of "host-selling" was intended to prevent children's programs that were tie-ins with toy franchises (such as, for example, G.I. Joe) from airing ads for the toys themselves during their associated programs.[17][16] When airing children's programming, broadcasters were also encouraged to establish a clear separation between the program and advertising content so that younger viewers were able to distinguish between them.[18]

The CTA was passed despite objections by the Bush administration, who believed that requiring the broadcast of educational programming by all television stations was a violation of their rights to free speech. The restriction on "program-length commercials" was also considered to be too narrow; critics (such as Charren) had demanded that it apply to any program targeted towards children that was primarily designed to promote products associated with them, rather than only applying if advertising for said products were broadcast during the program.[17]

The 1990 regulations were considered ineffective; many stations failed to keep the required records or had any method for accurate recording. More than 25% of television stations in the U.S. failed to record the time, date, or length of programming considered to be educational in content. The FCC did little to regulate these logs up until 1993, but later on, came up with certain rules and regulations such as the safe harbor provision in order to regulate content for younger audiences. Due to the weak definition used in the regulation, many stations attempted to declare programs not specifically-designed to be educational—such as The Flintstones, G.I. Joe, Hard Copy, The Jetsons, and Leave It to Beaver—as educational programming, based on their discussion of social and moral issues.[18][19][20][21]

1996 regulations edit

 
Reed Hundt in 2008

In 1995, then-FCC commissioner Reed Hundt began campaigning for stricter children's educational programming regulations, arguing that broadcasters were not displaying a sufficient commitment to the 1990 regulations. His proposal included that stations be required to air a minimum of three hours of children's educational programming per-week. Jeff Bingaman issued a letter of support for the proposal, signed by 24 Democratic senators and 1 Republican.[22]

Fox Kids president Margaret Loesch denied Hundt's assessment that broadcasters were not following the rules, stating that most Fox affiliates already aired an average of four hours of children's educational programming per-week.[22][18] Edward O. Fritts, president of the National Association of Broadcasters, accused Hundt of being "obsessed" with the proposed quota. In regards to reports that Hundt was struggling to receive FCC majority support for the proposal and was repeatedly "stalling" a final vote, Fritts stated that Hundt was that "acting like a regulatory referee wanting to push the game into overtime even though the final score is lopsided.", and that he "made up his mind long ago that broadcasters were to be castigated on children’s TV, without reservation, and despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary."[22]

Following a push for support from Congress and the Clinton administration, the FCC adopted the Children's Programming Report and Order in August 1996. The new regulations were intended to provide clearer regulatory obligations for television stations, and promote public awareness of educational programming offered by television stations. The order and regulations defined core educational programming: a regularly-scheduled program, of at least 30 minutes in length, that is "specifically designed" to meet the educational and informative needs of children 16 years old and younger. The FCC ordered that by September 1997, all commercial television stations must broadcast at least three hours of core educational programming per-week, regularly scheduled between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Beginning January 2, 1997, television stations were required to use the branding "E/I" to promote these programs on-air and in programming information supplied to TV listings providers.[23][24][25]

Commercial stations are also required to compile, publish, and publicize a quarterly Children's Television Programming Report in their public file, detailing the children's educational programming aired during the past quarter, what programs it plans to air during the next, and providing a point of contact for viewer inquiries about the educational programs aired by a station. As they are not under the jurisdiction of the FCC, this regulation does not apply to cable channels.[23][24][25]

While non-commercial educational stations are also required to comply with the regulations, they are not subject to its monitoring and reporting rules. PBS member stations typically devote a large portion of their weekday, daytime lineup to children's educational programming under the PBS Kids brand.[1]

2006 changes edit

 
An example E/I "bug", which must be displayed on-screen during core educational programming.

In September 2004, the FCC announced revisions to the regulations to account for the then-upcoming digital television transition. An additional half-hour of E/I programming must be broadcast for every increment of 28 hours of additional free video programming the station offers via digital subchannels. The regulations also stipulate that an "E/I" logo must be displayed on-screen throughout such a program, that a regularly-scheduled E/I program may only be rescheduled 10% of the time, and that if rescheduled or moved to a different multicast channel, the station must announce the new scheduling on-air.[26][27][28]

The FCC also instituted new rules for promoting websites during programs targeting children 12 and younger: they must offer "a substantial amount of bona fide program-related or other noncommercial content", and not contain any commercial or e-commerce content. Pages containing imagery of characters from the program must also be "sufficiently separated" from commercial areas of the site.[26][27][28] The rule would be enforcable by the FCC for broadcast TV, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for cable.[29]

The implementation of the advertising rules were deferred from February 2005 to January 2006, following concerns by broadcasters over the amount of time given to become compliant.[27][28] Disney, NBC Universal, and Viacom issued a joint filing to the FCC in September 2005 to urge against the "far-reaching, burdensome and expensive" advertising rules, with Disney also suing over the regulations as being a violation of freedom of speech.[30][31][32][33] On December 16, 2005, the FCC chose to delay the new regulation to March 6, 2006, in order to allow time for further discussion.[34] They were implemented in September 2006.[26]

2019 changes edit

FCC commissioner Michael O'Rielly has considered the educational programming regulations to be outdated. Citing the wider variety of platforms available (including cable networks and digital platforms), he stated that "with today's dynamic media marketplace there are very little, if any, additional benefits provided by the Kid Vid rules". O'Rielly also argued that the "onerous" nature of the regulations were also making stations reluctant to air other, more viable programs on Saturday mornings, such as newscasts and sports.[2][35]

In July 2018, the FCC issued proposals regarding changes to the rules, including removing the requirement that a program must be regularly scheduled and at least 30 minutes in length, providing the option for all of a station's E/I programming to air on a subchannel rather than the main signal, allowing stations to organize or sponsor "non-broadcast" initiatives in lieu of airing educational programming, and replacing the quarterly report with an annual report. O'Rielly felt that the 30-minute minimum length "killed off shorter, high-quality programs that were once popular and educational", and does not reflect current viewing habits.[2][35]

A group in favor of maintaining the existing policies, which included the Benton Foundation, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and Common Sense Kids Action, among others, issued a letter of opposition to the FCC. They disagreed with O'Rielly's assessment that non-broadcast platforms "provide significant educational programming for children", and argued that broadcast television was still widely viewed by children, and that not all families have access to non-broadcast media.[36]

On June 19, 2019, the FCC issued its proposed rule changes: while the basic minimum will remain intact, the earliest time allowed for E/I programming was moved up to 6:00 a.m. local time. Furthermore, a limited amount of public service announcements and short-form programming will be allowed to count as E/I, and stations will be allowed to schedule up to a third of the required programming on its digital subchannels. As a consequence of the latter aspect of the rule changes, the requirement to place E/I programming on every subchannel would be removed. Enforcement of the subchannel compliance with the E/I rules had resulted in incongruency of the required programming with the formats of many subchannels, particularly with the rise of niche multicast networks that rely on a specific genre of programming (e.g., classic television, movies, etc.) or focus on news, weather or sports (whether nationally distributed or locally originated) as few subchannel services target a general audience or children.[37] The rules were officially approved on July 10,[38][39] and went into effect on September 16.[40][41]

Effects on programming edit

Following the initial implementation of the regulations, many television stations began to cut locally produced children's programs due to budgetary concerns, and largely replaced them with educational programs acquired from the syndication market. Distributors such as Litton Entertainment benefited from the resulting demand.[42][43]

The Annenberg Foundation found that the number of network television shows deemed to be "highly educational" from 1990 to 1998 fell from 43% to 29%. A research report from Georgetown University said that one issue contributing to this was that what constituted "educational television" programming was defined too broadly, as programming that was only academic or that covered pro-social issues, for example, counted towards station requirements. Another issue was that traditional ideas of what should be taught to children, such as the alphabet or number systems, were lost. There was also a reported increase in the number of programs focusing on social issues. Writers for these programs wrote stories that often were not academically sound for young viewers, because they were not trained in writing for this audience. One show that was an exception to this rule is The Magic School Bus, as it combined effective writing and educational content for children.[21]

Networks picked up series more often when they were related to a well-known pop culture icon, or could be marketable as toys.[43] Owing to the success of PBS' Barney & Friends from both a critical and commercial standpoint, Disney and Nickelodeon had a greater interest in producing preschool programming that was engaging and had educational value. However, they also leveraged techniques designed to bolster the programs as a brand when merchandised, such as close-up "money shots" of key characters designed to encourage recognition of them by viewers.[44]

Saturday morning blocks edit

In the wake of the stricter regulations, the big three television networks retooled their Saturday morning lineups for the 1997–98 television season in order to include more core educational programming.[45][46]

ABC, which had recently been acquired by Disney, introduced One Saturday Morning for the 1997–98 season. It featured a mix of Disney animated series, educational interstitial segments (including a history-oriented segment starring comedian Robin Williams, reprising his role as the Genie from Aladdin), the educational series Science Court, and a flagship wraparound program (Disney's One Saturday Morning). ABC stated that four of the block's five hours would be branded as E/I programming. One Saturday Morning quickly became the top Saturday morning block in terms of viewership, until competition from Fox Kids and Kids' WB began to erode its audience.[45][47][46][48]

CBS relaunched its Saturday morning block for the 1997–98 season as Think CBS Kids, with a focus on live-action educational series such as The New Ghostwriter Mysteries, The Weird Al Show (which only unwillingly, and with great difficulty, complied with the E/I mandate as a condition of being picked up),[49] and Wheel 2000—a children's version of the game show Wheel of Fortune.[46] For the 1998–99 season, the block was relaunched again as the CBS Kidshow; it featured animated adaptations of children's books from Canadian studio Nelvana, which were co-commissioned with Scottish Television.[50][51][52]

NBC had already abandoned cartoons as Saturday morning programming in 1992 with the introduction of TNBC, a block that featured live-action teen sitcoms.[53][54][55] By 2001, TNBC's viewership had seen major declines in its core demographic, while the median age of its viewers was around 41.[56]

Outsourcing of programming edit

In the 2000s, multiple networks began to outsource their Saturday morning blocks to sister cable networks and third-parties. Following the network's acquisition by Viacom, CBS introduced Nick on CBS in 2000, which was programmed by its new sister Nickelodeon. The block primarily focused on preschool programming from the Nick Jr. brand, but from 2002 to 2004 the block targeted a broader youth audience (after 2004, the Nick on CBS block had returned to a preschool audience).[57][58] NBC partnered with cable network Discovery Kids to replace TNBC with Discovery Kids on NBC for the 2002–03 season, which featured factual entertainment programming and educational cartoons (including the first animated programs aired by NBC's Saturday morning lineup since the TNBC era).[59][53][54][55]

In 2001, Fox and its partner Saban Entertainment sold Fox Kids' assets—which included the Fox Family cable channel—to Disney; the network subsequently began to phase out the Fox Kids block, and gave its weekday daytime timeslot back to affiliates in 2002. Fox would continue to provide airings of The Magic School Bus for E/I compliance at the discretion of affiliates,[60] and entered into an agreement with 4Kids Entertainment to program a new Saturday morning block beginning in the 2002–03 season.[61] That season, ABC's One Saturday Morning was rebranded as ABC Kids, which drew from the programming of Disney's cable networks Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and the newly-rebranded ABC Family.[62]

In January 2006, after CBS and Viacom split into separate companies, CBS partnered with DIC Entertainment to program a new Saturday morning block beginning in the 2006–07 season. Initially branded as KOL Secret Slumber Party under a sponsorship with AOL, it consisted of E/I programming targeting a female youth audience, including original programming and DIC library programs.[63][64][65][66] The block was re-branded as KEWLopolis the following season as part of a new sponsorship with American Greetings,[67] and Cookie Jar TV in 2009 following the acquisition of DIC by Cookie Jar Group.[68][69]

Also in the 2006–07 season, NBC and its Spanish sister network Telemundo launched a new block known as Qubo, as a joint venture between NBC Universal, Ion Media Networks, Nelvana owner Corus Entertainment, Scholastic, and Classic Media. The brand included blocks on NBC, Telemundo, and Ion Television, and an Ion-operated Qubo channel on digital terrestrial television.[70][71]

When The WB merged with UPN in 2006 to form The CW, the merged network initially maintained Kids' WB;[72] by then the five-hour block only carried one hour of E/I programming at 7:00 a.m. ET, which was branded as the "Pillow Head Hour".[73][74] In October 2007, The CW reached a five-year agreement with 4Kids for it to program its Saturday morning block,[75] resulting in the replacement of Kids' WB with The CW4Kids (later branded as Toonzai) in the 2008–09 season.[76] The block initially co-exited with 4Kids' block for Fox, which was by then branded as 4Kids TV, and contained only a single half-hour of E/I programming.[77] After a legal dispute with the company over missed payments and insufficient national clearance, Fox reached a settlement to end its agreement with 4Kids at the end of 2008. As a result, 4Kids TV would be replaced by a national block of paid programming beginning in January 2009.[78][77][55]

Following Comcast's 2011 purchase of NBC Universal, it pulled out of the Qubo consortium and introduced the new NBC Kids and MiTelemundo blocks in July 2012, which were programmed by new sister network Sprout.[79][80][81][82] Ion continued to operate the Qubo channel until February 2021, when it was shut down as part of the merger of Ion's operations with new owner E. W. Scripps Company.[83]

In 2012, Saban Capital Group acquired some of 4Kids' assets as part of its chapter 11 bankruptcy, which included the company's contract to program The CW's Saturday morning lineup. Toonzai was subsequently re-launched by Saban as Vortexx in August 2012, with a mix of animated and live-action series (the latter including the Power Rangers franchise, and the WWE wrestling show Saturday Morning Slam).[84][85] The CW remained the last major U.S. network to still program non-educational children's programming on weekend mornings.[86][87][88]

Shift in demographics and content edit

The growing regulatory scrutiny, increasing competition from cable channels such as Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon,[62] as well as video on-demand and streaming services, brought changes to viewing habits that made non-educational Saturday morning programming less viable for networks.[55][89] Throughout the 2010s, the major networks began to change the manner in which they fulfilled their E/I obligations, by airing factual, documentary- and reality-style series aimed at a teen (13–16 years old) audience, rather than preschool or preteen audiences.[89] As they are not targeting viewers 12 and younger, these programs are not subject to the restrictions on advertising prescribed by the Children's Television Act.[89][90]

ABC (Litton's Weekend Adventure in 2011),[91][92] CBS (CBS Dream Team in 2013), The CW (One Magnificent Morning in 2014; The Washington Post wrote that its replacement of Vortexx signaled the "end" of Saturday morning cartoons),[93][55][89] NBC (The More You Know in 2016), and Telemundo (MiTelemundo in 2018) all leased their weekend morning blocks to Litton Entertainment to air such E/I programming. Fox entered into a similar arrangement with Steve Rotfeld Productions to produce the STEM-based block Xploration Station for its affiliates, which premiered in September 2014.[89][90][55] NBC argued that its The More You Know block was a better lead-out for Weekend Today's audience than the preschool programming it had aired before.[89]

Peggy Charren's daughter Claudia Moquin criticized Litton for contravening the spirit of the CTA by including product placement and host-selling from "underwriters" in some of their programs, such as Electronic Arts, Norwegian Cruise Line, and SeaWorld. Litton defended its practices, stating that its programming was designed to meet "child psychologist-developed standards that did not exist prior to 1990", and considered the brand placements in the programs to be "a far better alternative to the ads that have often previously aired during children's programming, whose sole purpose was to sell less than beneficial products to children".[89][90]

PBS member stations have been an exception to this trend, with the network's PBS Kids block continuing to largely air animated, educational series catered towards a broad range of children's audiences ranging from preschoolers to preteens; as a non-commercial educational network, it does not rely on advertising revenue in the traditional sense, and its underwriting spots are not directly tied to ratings.[1]

Notable violations of the E/I regulations edit

In 2007, Univision agreed to a record $24 million fine from the FCC for violations of the educational programming regulations across 24 of its stations. The fine acted upon complaints alleging that youth telenovelas claimed by Univision as E/I programming did not meet the requirements for core educational programming, citing their lack of actual educational content, and themes inappropriate for a youth audience.[94][95] The following year, Univision would introduce a more traditional E/I block, Planeta U.[96][97]

Airings of anime on Kids' WB induced notable violations of the program-length commercial restrictions. The network aired several commercials during the Pokémon anime for products with Pokémon-related tie-ins (such as Eggo waffles, Fruit by the Foot, and the Nintendo e-Reader accessory for the Game Boy Advance). The FCC fined individual affiliates of The WB and upheld the fines on appeal (despite WCIU-TV trying to defend itself by arguing that the references were "fleeting"), even though it was the network which transmitted the content.[26][98][99][100][101] In 2010, KSKN in Spokane, Washington was similarly fined $70,000 for having, on multiple occasions, aired an advertisement for a local collectibles shop during Yu-Gi-Oh! that contained references to its eponymous trading card game.[102]

In 2004, Disney and Viacom were respectively issued $1 million and $500,000 fines for violating the limits on advertising during children's programming on ABC Family and Nickelodeon. The fines were levied by the Federal Trade Commission, not the FCC, because the two channels were cable-exclusive and outside the FCC's purview.[29]

See also edit

Sources edit

  1. ^ a b c Jacobson, Adam (January 29, 2018). "Should The FCC Retire The 'Kid Vid' Requirements?". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Johnson, Ted (July 12, 2018). "FCC Takes First Step Toward Easing Children's TV Mandates on Broadcasters". Variety. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  3. ^ "Establishment of a Class A TV Service". Federal Register. May 10, 2000. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e Landrea Wells. "Children and Television". University of Florida. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  5. ^ Dale Kunkal; Donald Roberts (April 14, 2010). "Young Minds and Marketplace Values: Issues in Children's Television Advertising". Social Issues. 47 (1): 57–72. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.1991.tb01811.x.
  6. ^ Simone French; Mary Story (February 2004). "Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US". International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 1 (3): 3. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-1-3. PMC 416565. PMID 15171786.
  7. ^ Howard L. Taras (1995). "Advertised Foods on Children's Television". Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 149 (6): 649–652. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1995.02170190059010. PMID 7767420.
  8. ^ Newton N. Minow, "Television and the Public Interest", address to the National Association of Broadcasters, Washington, D.C., May 9, 1961.
  9. ^ a b Hollis, Tim (2001). Hi there, boys and girls! : America's local children's TV shows. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 20. ISBN 1578063965.
  10. ^ a b Lowry, Brian (January 23, 2015). "How Peggy Charren Outflanked the Children's TV Establishment". Variety. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  11. ^ Gent, George (January 13, 1972). "Networks Say They Eliminated Most Violent Children's Shows". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  12. ^ Gent, George (December 16, 1971). "Group Bids F.C.C. End Ads on Children's TV (Published 1971)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Holsendolph, Ernest (July 25, 1982). "Are children no longer in the programming picture?". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  14. ^ Rug, Norb (June 3, 2018). "The Captain was no Kangaroo". Artvoice. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  15. ^ "Policies and Rules Concerning Children's Television Programming, MM Docket No. 93-48". FCC. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Rostron, Allen (1996). "Return to Hot Wheels: The FCC, Program-Length Commercials, and the Children's Television Act of 1990". Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal. Rochester, NY. 19: 57–86. SSRN 1000194.
  17. ^ a b Andrews, Edmund L. (April 10, 1991). "F.C.C. Adopts Limits on TV Ads Aimed at Children". The Media Business. The New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  18. ^ a b c Hayes, Diane (March 1994). "The Children's Hour Revisited: The Children's Television Act of 1990". Federal Communications Law Journal. 46 (2): 293–328.
  19. ^ Andrews, Edmund L. (March 4, 1993). "'Flintstones' and Programs Like It Aren't Educational, F.C.C. Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  20. ^ O'Connor, John J. (March 8, 1993). "Review/Television; For Young Audiences, Reality in the Afternoon". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  21. ^ a b Calvert, Sandra; Kotler, Jennifer (2003). "The Children's Television Act: Can media policy make a difference?" (PDF). Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 24 (3): 375–380. doi:10.1016/S0193-3973(03)00066-2.
  22. ^ a b c Wharton, Dennis (October 30, 1995). "NAB, FCC square off over kidvid". Variety. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  23. ^ a b Lawrie Mifflin (August 9, 1996). "U.S. Mandates Educational TV for Children". The New York Times. p. 16. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  24. ^ a b "Quality Television for Children". Opinion. The New York Times. August 16, 1996. p. 32. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  25. ^ a b Mifflin, Lawrie (April 2, 1996). "F.C.C. Urged To Strengthen Children's TV". New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  26. ^ a b c d Lasar, Matthew (March 30, 2008). "FCC fends off 'fleeting Pokemon' waffle attack". Ars Technica. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  27. ^ a b c "FCC postpones URL rules for children's programming till next year". TV Technology. February 4, 2005. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  28. ^ a b c Eggerton, John (August 4, 2005). "FCC's E/I Bug Lands". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  29. ^ a b Kaplan, David (October 21, 2004). "FCC Fines Disney, Viacom: $1.5 Million In Children's TV Violations". MediaPost Publications. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  30. ^ Shields, Todd (October 10, 2005). "Viacom Battles FCC Children's Ad Rules". Adweek. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  31. ^ Mohammed, Arshad (October 6, 2005). "Kids' Television Rules Face Challenge". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  32. ^ "FCC addresses children's programming obligations of digital television broadcasters". TV Technology. September 21, 2004. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  33. ^ Shiver, Jube Jr. (October 12, 2005). "Disney Sues to Block Programming Rules". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  34. ^ Trotter, Andrew (January 10, 2006). "FCC Rule Boosts Education on Digital TV". Education Week. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  35. ^ a b Reardon, Marguerite (July 12, 2018). "FCC starts process to revamp 'kid vid' rules". CNET. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  36. ^ Eggerton, John (October 23, 2018). "KidVid Advocates to FCC: Rules Were Not Made to Be Broken". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  37. ^ Eggerton, John (June 19, 2019). "FCC Releases 'Modest' Kids TV Reforms Item". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  38. ^ Hayes, Dade (July 10, 2019). "FCC's Vote To Ease "Kid Vid" Rules Draws Pushback And Democrats' Dissent". Deadline. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  39. ^ Eggerton, John (July 10, 2019). "FCC Gives Broadcasters More KidVid Flexibility". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  40. ^ Oxenford, David (August 16, 2019). "Effective Date of Most of the Changes to the Children's Television Rules - September 16". Broadcast Law Blog. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  41. ^ "Here's The Date KidVid Rule 'Modernization' Arrives". Radio & Television Business Report. August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  42. ^ Darlington, Abigail (July 20, 2014). "Setting the stage: Litton Entertainment to build network of film industry professionals in Charleston". The Post and Courier. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  43. ^ a b Andy Levinsky (November–December 1999). "Unintended Consequences". The Humanist. 59 (6).
  44. ^ McGinn, Daniel (November 10, 2002). "Guilt Free TV". Newsweek. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  45. ^ a b Goldman, Michael (September 15, 1997). "ABC hopes for virtual success". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  46. ^ a b c Grove, Christopher (August 29, 1997). "Webs roll out season geared to kids". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  47. ^ Schneider, Michael (November 27, 2000). "ABC Disney kid block revamped". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  48. ^ Katz, Richard (May 8, 1998). "ABC kids block tops Fox on Saturday". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  49. ^ Gaines, Caseen (September 23, 2017). "'The Weird Al Show': The Complete Oral History". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  50. ^ Gaines, Caseen (September 13, 2017). "'The Weird Al Show': The Complete Oral History". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  51. ^ Virginia Robertson (September 1, 1998). "The CBS Kidshow". KidScreen. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  52. ^ Fry, Andy (April 1, 1998). "STE partners with Nelvana in CBS deal". Kidscreen. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  53. ^ a b Oei, Lily (August 24, 2003). "Nets face back to school blues". Variety. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  54. ^ a b Umstead, Thomas (December 7, 2001). "Discovery Gets NBC Kids' Block". Multichannel News. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  55. ^ a b c d e f Sullivan, Gail (September 30, 2014). "Saturday morning cartoons are no more". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  56. ^ Oei, Lily (February 23, 2003). "Adults 'Discover' kiddie programs". Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  57. ^ DelliColli, Lori; Marshall, Cindy (August 19, 2004). "CBS and Nicckelodeon Present: CBS's 2004-05 Children's Programming Schedule" (Press release). CBS Press Express. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  58. ^ Schneider, Michael (June 15, 2000). "CBS picks Nick mix". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  59. ^ Oei, Lily; McClintock, Pamela (November 6, 2003). "Kids mixed on new skeds". Variety. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  60. ^ Michael Schneider (November 7, 2001). "Fox outgrows kids programs". Variety. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  61. ^ Bernstein, Paula (January 19, 2002). "4Kids buys 4 hours from Fox Kids". Variety. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  62. ^ a b Bernstein, Paula (September 29, 2002). "Kid skeds tread on joint strategy". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  63. ^ Elizabeth Guider (January 19, 2006). "Synergy not kid-friendly at Eye web". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  64. ^ "DIC uses online platform to dive into fan base". Variety. October 1, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  65. ^ Stewart, Lianne (May 2006). "DIC's CBS block looks to reach girl viewers" (PDF). Kidscreen. p. 28. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  66. ^ "CBS AND COOKIE JAR ENTERTAINMENT PRESENT THE NEW CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE FOR "COOKIE JAR TV" PREMIERING SATURDAY, SEPT. 17". Cookie Jar Group. September 6, 2011. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  67. ^ Ball, Ryan (August 23, 2007). "CBS Blocks out KEWLopolis". Animation Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  68. ^ Brzoznowski, Kristin (September 4, 2009). . WorldScreen. Archived from the original on September 7, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
  69. ^ Calder, Kate (May 8, 2009). "Zeroing In". Kidscreen. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  70. ^ Andrew Hampp (August 24, 2006). "NBC Debuts Kids Programming Brand Qubo". Advertising Age. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  71. ^ Clemens, Luis (November 3, 2006). "Qubo's Rodriguez: Offering a 'Building Block' to Kids". Multichannel News. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  72. ^ Bill Carter (January 24, 2006). "UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network". The New York Times. from the original on October 17, 2015.
  73. ^ Staff (September 8, 2006). "KIDS' WB!'ON THE CW SETS SATURDAY SCHEDULE". TV News Check. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  74. ^ "KIDS' WB! ON THE CW ANNOUNCES 2006-2007 "TOO BIG FOR YOUR TV" SATURDAY MORNING PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE". ViacomCBS Press Express. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  75. ^ "CW turns to 4Kids on Saturdays". Variety. October 2, 2007. from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  76. ^ McLean, Thomas J. (August 18, 2010). "4Kids Reports Losses, Rebranding of CW Block". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  77. ^ a b Schneider, Michael (November 24, 2008). "Longform ads replace kid fare on Fox". Variety. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  78. ^ "4Kids Entertainment Reports Third Quarter 2008 Results and Settlement of Fox Litigation". QuoteMedia.com. November 10, 2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  79. ^ Jon Weisman (March 28, 2012). "NBC to launch Saturday kids block". Variety. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  80. ^ Lindsay Rubino (March 28, 2012). "NBC, With Assist From Sprout, to Launch Saturday Morning Preschool Block". Multichannel News. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  81. ^ Nellie Andreeva (March 28, 2012). "NBC Launches Preschool Saturday Block Programmed By Sprout". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  82. ^ "Telemundo anuncia nuevo bloque infantil "Mi Telemundo!"". Primera Hora. GFR Media LLC. October 24, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  83. ^ Micheli, Carolyn (January 14, 2021). "Scripps takes first steps to realize ION synergies with multicast networks move" (Press release). The E.W. Scripps Company. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  84. ^ "WWE to bow new series on Saban's Vortexx block". Kidscreen. August 10, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  85. ^ Steinberg, Brian (July 12, 2012). "'Power Rangers' Backer Saban to Reenter Kiddie TV". Advertising Age. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  86. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (July 2, 2012). "Jessica Borutski to rebuild CW toon block". Variety. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  87. ^ Marcucci, Carl (July 3, 2012). "The CW signs Jessica Borutski for kids block". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  88. ^ "Saban builds CW kids' block". C21Media. July 3, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  89. ^ a b c d e f g Robb, David (June 20, 2016). "Preteen Saturday Morning Kids Shows Abandoned By Broadcast Networks". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  90. ^ a b c Garber, Megan (September 16, 2014). "'The More You Know': There's More to Know". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  91. ^ . TVNewsCheck. May 24, 2011. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  92. ^ Albiniak, Paige (May 24, 2011). "ABC to Premiere ABC Weekend Adventure on Sept. 3". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  93. ^ "The CW Sets 5-Hour Saturday Morning Block". Deadline Hollywood. June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  94. ^ Stephen Labaton (February 24, 2007). "Record Fine Expected for Univision". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  95. ^ Puzzanghera, Jim (February 25, 2007). . Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  96. ^ "Univision hopes to block further problems". Radio-Television Business Report. Streamline-RBR, Inc. April 5, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  97. ^ Elizabeth SanjenÌs (April 5, 2008). . Univision PR (Press release). Univision Communications. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  98. ^ Eggerton, John (May 27, 2008). "Three More Stations Face FCC Fines". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  99. ^ Eggerton, John (October 14, 2008). "Pokemon Strikes Again". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  100. ^ Eggerton, John (August 31, 2007). "FCC Fines KHCW For Pokemon Ad". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  101. ^ Eggerton, John (July 13, 2007). "Pokemon Ad Bites WPIX". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  102. ^ "FCC Fines 7 For Kid's TV Ad Violations". TVNewsCheck. June 1, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2018.

References edit

  • A. Alexander & J. Owers. “The Economics of Children's Television”, in The Children's Television Community, ed. A. Bryant. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2007, pp. 57–74.
  • Barry G. Cole & Mal Oettinger. Reluctant Regulators: The FCC and the Broadcast Audience. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1978.
  • Dale Kunkel & B. Watkins. “Evolution of children's television regulatory policy”, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 31 (1987): 367–89.
  • Dale Kunkel. “Children's Television Policy in the United States: An Ongoing Legacy of Change”, Media International Australia 93, no. 1 (1999): 51–63.
  • Dale Kunkel. “Kids’ Media Policy Goes Digital: Current Developments in Children's Television Regulation”, in The Children's Television Community, ed. A. Bryant. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2007, pp. 203–28.
  • J. Lisosky. “‘For all Kids’ Sakes: Comparing Children's Television Policy-Making in Australia, Canada and the United States”, Media, Culture & Society 23, no. 6 (2001): 821–42.
  • R. Morrow. Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
  • Dorothy G. Singer & Jerome L. Singer, eds. Handbook of Children and the Media, 2nd edn. NY-London: SAGE, 2012.
    • Dale Kunkel & Brian L. Wilcox, “Children and Media Policy: Historical Perspectives and Current Practices”, ch. 28, pp. 569–93.
    • Karen Hill-Scott, “Television Broadcaster Practices: Compliance with the Children's Television Act”, ch. 29, pp. 595–613.

January 13, 2024
regulations, children, television, programming, united, states, redirects, here, other, uses, disambiguation, broadcast, educational, children, programming, terrestrial, television, stations, united, states, mandated, federal, communications, commission, under. E I redirects here For other uses see EI disambiguation 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 1 2 Since 1997 all full power and Class A low power 3 broadcast television stations have been required to broadcast at least three hours or more if they operate digital subchannels 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 Early regulations on educational programming were implemented by the FCC in 1991 as ordered by the Children s Television Act an Act of Congress passed in 1990 They included a requirement for television stations to document their broadcasting of programs which further the positive development of children 16 years of age and under in any respect including the child s intellectual cognitive or social emotional needs and a requirement for the FCC to use this as a factor in license renewals Stricter regulations were implemented in 1997 requiring all stations to broadcast at least three hours of programming per week that is designed to educate and inform viewers aged 16 and younger and introducing requirements regarding on air identification of these programs and more stringent reporting requirements The E I regulations had a major impact on U S television the syndication market was bolstered by demand for compliant educational programming while the Saturday morning cartoon blocks traditionally aired by major networks began to increase their focus on educational programming This factor however alongside the growth of platforms not subject to the rules such as cable channels including Cartoon Network Disney Channel and Nickelodeon and later streaming services contributed to an overall decline in broadcast television airings of non educational children s programming In the 2010s the major commercial networks began to use factual and reality style programming declared as targeting teenagers to meet their E I obligations as they are not subject to the same restrictions on advertising as programs targeting children 12 and under The educational programming regulations have faced a mixed reception from the industry There have historically been concerns over whether these mandates constitute a violation of broadcasters rights to free speech The FCC s initial regulations faced criticism for being too broad in its definition of children s educational programming with stations attempting to classify various non educational programs as containing educational elements The amount of network television programming considered highly educational decreased after the implementation of the CTA with the allowance for programming dealing with social issues as opposed to programming dealing in traditional academic subjects having been cited as a factor The regulations were described by then FCC commissioner Michael O Rielly as onerous and outdated due to the cable and new media platforms that have emerged since their introduction 2 which led to changes in 2019 to provide more flexibility in compliance Contents 1 Background 2 History 2 1 Children s Television Act 2 2 1996 regulations 2 3 2006 changes 2 4 2019 changes 3 Effects on programming 3 1 Saturday morning blocks 3 1 1 Outsourcing of programming 3 1 2 Shift in demographics and content 4 Notable violations of the E I regulations 5 See also 6 Sources 7 ReferencesBackground editConcern over the impact that television had on children began when television was still a new entertainment medium During the 1950s many individuals particularly parents asked their legislators to do something about the potential effects of television viewing on young people Academic research was initiated since this time to monitor analyze and explain the relationships between television and children although the impact of television on academic performance continues to be debated in scholarly research 4 The first attempt to address these concerns were during Congressional hearings in 1952 that addressed violence Besides Congress there were government commissions that also pursued this agenda Included in these discussions were the Federal Communications Commission FCC the Federal Trade Commission and advocacy groups formed by concerned citizens The FCC intended to change a number of policies regarding children s programming 4 Research demonstrated that young children had difficulty distinguishing between the program they were watching and commercials broadcast during them Most children had little or no understanding of the persuasive intent of commercials and as such were highly vulnerable to claims and appeals by advertisers 5 Advertisers especially those related to junk food were interested in youth as consumers because of their spending power through their parents their influence and their brand awareness as adult consumers in the future 6 7 History editNewton Minow was one of the first federal officials to speak of the need for regulation of children s programming openly denouncing cartoons as being unfit for the airwaves in his 1961 landmark speech Television and the Public Interest He did not take any direct action because he believed that improvements could be made without force and could be resolved by increasing competition through UHF television and expanding non commercial educational options 8 In 1968 activist Peggy Charren established Action for Children s Television ACT a lobbying group that campaigned for high quality children s programming to be broadcast by television stations ACT believed that the broadcasting of educational programming was part of broadcasters obligations to serve the public interest 9 10 In the early 1970 s ACT successfully pressured the major networks to remove violent superhero cartoons from their children s programming 11 and in 1971 first proposed restrictions on airing any advertising during children s programs 12 In the early 1980 s ACT criticized the major networks for their decreasing commitments to educational programming citing the cancellations of ABC s Animals Animals Animals and CBS s children s newsmagazine 30 Minutes as examples 13 It also criticized the networks for airing cartoons that they considered to be promotional tie ins for associated toylines rather than legitimate entertainment such as He Man and the Masters of the Universe and My Little Pony 9 10 In 1982 Reagan administration FCC chairman Mark S Fowler lamented upon CBS s decision to move its long running children s series Captain Kangaroo from its historic weekday morning timeslot to weekends in order to accommodate an expanded morning newscast 13 CBS had already shortened the program from a full hour to 30 minutes in 1981 for the same reason 14 At the time the big three networks scheduled the majority of their children s programming including cartoons during their Saturday morning lineups They also aired occasional after school specials anthologies of television films focusing on issues affecting youth in late afternoon timeslots Captain Kangaroo had to compete not only with news based morning shows such as ABC s Good Morning America and NBC s Today but local and syndicated offerings also targeting children 13 Fowler was against mandating the broadcast of educational programming by commercial stations arguing that it was within their First Amendment rights to choose the programming they wish to broadcast and adding that it s too bad Captain Kangaroo is gone but the Government should not be issuing directives about what should be on the air 13 Fowler suggested that if the FCC felt there was not enough children s programming on television it could mandate that commercial stations contribute funding to support the production of educational children s programming by public broadcasters 13 The idea was criticized by NBC s vice president as being a tax on commercial broadcasting while ABC argued that commercial television including networks and their affiliates was doing a better job at serving children than public broadcasters 13 Captain Kangaroo creator and host Bob Keeshan disagreed arguing that children were just too important to be left to the networks and their profit motives Citing the recent New York v Ferber decision he told The New York Times that despite the guarantee of free speech our children are so precious that the free speech of the child pornographer had to give way to allow us to protect children from exploitation 13 Children s Television Act edit Children s Television Act nbsp Other short titlesChildren s Television Act of 1990Long titleAn act to require the Federal Communications Commission to reinstate restrictions on advertising during children s television to enforce the obligation of broadcasters to meet the educational and informational needs of the child audience and for other purposes Enacted bythe 101st United States CongressCitationsPublic lawPub L Tooltip Public Law United States 101 437Legislative historyIntroduced in the House as H R 1677 by John Bryant D TX on April 5 1989Passed the House on July 23 1989 Voice vote Passed the Senate on September 24 1990 Voice vote with amendmentHouse agreed to Senate amendment on October 1 1990 Voice vote Left unsigned by President George H W Bush and became law on October 17 1990In October 1990 President George H W Bush signed the Children s Television Act CTA an Act of Congress ordering the FCC to implement regulations surrounding programming that serves the educational and informational E I needs of children as well as the amount of advertising broadcast during television programs aimed towards children 4 This included that a station s commitment to airing and supporting educational children s programming had to become a factor in license renewals and that limits had to be imposed on the amount of advertising that can be aired during television programs targeting children 4 The CTA also called for the Secretary of Education to establish a National Endowment to help support the production of educational children s programming 4 The FCC implemented the CTA via new regulations that came into effect on October 1 1991 Television stations and cable providers would be required to maintain and publish summaries of the children s educational programming that they broadcast defined as programming that furthers the positive development of children 16 years of age and under in any respect including the child s intellectual cognitive or social emotional needs 15 Commercial time during children s programming was limited to 12 minutes per hour on weekdays and 10 5 on weekends The airing of advertising during children s programs for products associated with the program currently airing program length commercials or containing program talent or other identifiable program characteristics host selling was prohibited 16 The prohibition of host selling was intended to prevent children s programs that were tie ins with toy franchises such as for example G I Joe from airing ads for the toys themselves during their associated programs 17 16 When airing children s programming broadcasters were also encouraged to establish a clear separation between the program and advertising content so that younger viewers were able to distinguish between them 18 The CTA was passed despite objections by the Bush administration who believed that requiring the broadcast of educational programming by all television stations was a violation of their rights to free speech The restriction on program length commercials was also considered to be too narrow critics such as Charren had demanded that it apply to any program targeted towards children that was primarily designed to promote products associated with them rather than only applying if advertising for said products were broadcast during the program 17 The 1990 regulations were considered ineffective many stations failed to keep the required records or had any method for accurate recording More than 25 of television stations in the U S failed to record the time date or length of programming considered to be educational in content The FCC did little to regulate these logs up until 1993 but later on came up with certain rules and regulations such as the safe harbor provision in order to regulate content for younger audiences Due to the weak definition used in the regulation many stations attempted to declare programs not specifically designed to be educational such as The Flintstones G I Joe Hard Copy The Jetsons and Leave It to Beaver as educational programming based on their discussion of social and moral issues 18 19 20 21 1996 regulations edit nbsp Reed Hundt in 2008In 1995 then FCC commissioner Reed Hundt began campaigning for stricter children s educational programming regulations arguing that broadcasters were not displaying a sufficient commitment to the 1990 regulations His proposal included that stations be required to air a minimum of three hours of children s educational programming per week Jeff Bingaman issued a letter of support for the proposal signed by 24 Democratic senators and 1 Republican 22 Fox Kids president Margaret Loesch denied Hundt s assessment that broadcasters were not following the rules stating that most Fox affiliates already aired an average of four hours of children s educational programming per week 22 18 Edward O Fritts president of the National Association of Broadcasters accused Hundt of being obsessed with the proposed quota In regards to reports that Hundt was struggling to receive FCC majority support for the proposal and was repeatedly stalling a final vote Fritts stated that Hundt was that acting like a regulatory referee wanting to push the game into overtime even though the final score is lopsided and that he made up his mind long ago that broadcasters were to be castigated on children s TV without reservation and despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary 22 Following a push for support from Congress and the Clinton administration the FCC adopted the Children s Programming Report and Order in August 1996 The new regulations were intended to provide clearer regulatory obligations for television stations and promote public awareness of educational programming offered by television stations The order and regulations defined core educational programming a regularly scheduled program of at least 30 minutes in length that is specifically designed to meet the educational and informative needs of children 16 years old and younger The FCC ordered that by September 1997 all commercial television stations must broadcast at least three hours of core educational programming per week regularly scheduled between the hours of 7 00 a m and 10 00 p m Beginning January 2 1997 television stations were required to use the branding E I to promote these programs on air and in programming information supplied to TV listings providers 23 24 25 Commercial stations are also required to compile publish and publicize a quarterly Children s Television Programming Report in their public file detailing the children s educational programming aired during the past quarter what programs it plans to air during the next and providing a point of contact for viewer inquiries about the educational programs aired by a station As they are not under the jurisdiction of the FCC this regulation does not apply to cable channels 23 24 25 While non commercial educational stations are also required to comply with the regulations they are not subject to its monitoring and reporting rules PBS member stations typically devote a large portion of their weekday daytime lineup to children s educational programming under the PBS Kids brand 1 2006 changes edit nbsp An example E I bug which must be displayed on screen during core educational programming In September 2004 the FCC announced revisions to the regulations to account for the then upcoming digital television transition An additional half hour of E I programming must be broadcast for every increment of 28 hours of additional free video programming the station offers via digital subchannels The regulations also stipulate that an E I logo must be displayed on screen throughout such a program that a regularly scheduled E I program may only be rescheduled 10 of the time and that if rescheduled or moved to a different multicast channel the station must announce the new scheduling on air 26 27 28 The FCC also instituted new rules for promoting websites during programs targeting children 12 and younger they must offer a substantial amount of bona fide program related or other noncommercial content and not contain any commercial or e commerce content Pages containing imagery of characters from the program must also be sufficiently separated from commercial areas of the site 26 27 28 The rule would be enforcable by the FCC for broadcast TV and the Federal Trade Commission FTC for cable 29 The implementation of the advertising rules were deferred from February 2005 to January 2006 following concerns by broadcasters over the amount of time given to become compliant 27 28 Disney NBC Universal and Viacom issued a joint filing to the FCC in September 2005 to urge against the far reaching burdensome and expensive advertising rules with Disney also suing over the regulations as being a violation of freedom of speech 30 31 32 33 On December 16 2005 the FCC chose to delay the new regulation to March 6 2006 in order to allow time for further discussion 34 They were implemented in September 2006 26 2019 changes edit FCC commissioner Michael O Rielly has considered the educational programming regulations to be outdated Citing the wider variety of platforms available including cable networks and digital platforms he stated that with today s dynamic media marketplace there are very little if any additional benefits provided by the Kid Vid rules O Rielly also argued that the onerous nature of the regulations were also making stations reluctant to air other more viable programs on Saturday mornings such as newscasts and sports 2 35 In July 2018 the FCC issued proposals regarding changes to the rules including removing the requirement that a program must be regularly scheduled and at least 30 minutes in length providing the option for all of a station s E I programming to air on a subchannel rather than the main signal allowing stations to organize or sponsor non broadcast initiatives in lieu of airing educational programming and replacing the quarterly report with an annual report O Rielly felt that the 30 minute minimum length killed off shorter high quality programs that were once popular and educational and does not reflect current viewing habits 2 35 A group in favor of maintaining the existing policies which included the Benton Foundation Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood and Common Sense Kids Action among others issued a letter of opposition to the FCC They disagreed with O Rielly s assessment that non broadcast platforms provide significant educational programming for children and argued that broadcast television was still widely viewed by children and that not all families have access to non broadcast media 36 On June 19 2019 the FCC issued its proposed rule changes while the basic minimum will remain intact the earliest time allowed for E I programming was moved up to 6 00 a m local time Furthermore a limited amount of public service announcements and short form programming will be allowed to count as E I and stations will be allowed to schedule up to a third of the required programming on its digital subchannels As a consequence of the latter aspect of the rule changes the requirement to place E I programming on every subchannel would be removed Enforcement of the subchannel compliance with the E I rules had resulted in incongruency of the required programming with the formats of many subchannels particularly with the rise of niche multicast networks that rely on a specific genre of programming e g classic television movies etc or focus on news weather or sports whether nationally distributed or locally originated as few subchannel services target a general audience or children 37 The rules were officially approved on July 10 38 39 and went into effect on September 16 40 41 Effects on programming editFollowing the initial implementation of the regulations many television stations began to cut locally produced children s programs due to budgetary concerns and largely replaced them with educational programs acquired from the syndication market Distributors such as Litton Entertainment benefited from the resulting demand 42 43 The Annenberg Foundation found that the number of network television shows deemed to be highly educational from 1990 to 1998 fell from 43 to 29 A research report from Georgetown University said that one issue contributing to this was that what constituted educational television programming was defined too broadly as programming that was only academic or that covered pro social issues for example counted towards station requirements Another issue was that traditional ideas of what should be taught to children such as the alphabet or number systems were lost There was also a reported increase in the number of programs focusing on social issues Writers for these programs wrote stories that often were not academically sound for young viewers because they were not trained in writing for this audience One show that was an exception to this rule is The Magic School Bus as it combined effective writing and educational content for children 21 Networks picked up series more often when they were related to a well known pop culture icon or could be marketable as toys 43 Owing to the success of PBS Barney amp Friends from both a critical and commercial standpoint Disney and Nickelodeon had a greater interest in producing preschool programming that was engaging and had educational value However they also leveraged techniques designed to bolster the programs as a brand when merchandised such as close up money shots of key characters designed to encourage recognition of them by viewers 44 Saturday morning blocks edit In the wake of the stricter regulations the big three television networks retooled their Saturday morning lineups for the 1997 98 television season in order to include more core educational programming 45 46 ABC which had recently been acquired by Disney introduced One Saturday Morning for the 1997 98 season It featured a mix of Disney animated series educational interstitial segments including a history oriented segment starring comedian Robin Williams reprising his role as the Genie from Aladdin the educational series Science Court and a flagship wraparound program Disney s One Saturday Morning ABC stated that four of the block s five hours would be branded as E I programming One Saturday Morning quickly became the top Saturday morning block in terms of viewership until competition from Fox Kids and Kids WB began to erode its audience 45 47 46 48 CBS relaunched its Saturday morning block for the 1997 98 season as Think CBS Kids with a focus on live action educational series such as The New Ghostwriter Mysteries The Weird Al Show which only unwillingly and with great difficulty complied with the E I mandate as a condition of being picked up 49 and Wheel 2000 a children s version of the game show Wheel of Fortune 46 For the 1998 99 season the block was relaunched again as the CBS Kidshow it featured animated adaptations of children s books from Canadian studio Nelvana which were co commissioned with Scottish Television 50 51 52 NBC had already abandoned cartoons as Saturday morning programming in 1992 with the introduction of TNBC a block that featured live action teen sitcoms 53 54 55 By 2001 TNBC s viewership had seen major declines in its core demographic while the median age of its viewers was around 41 56 Outsourcing of programming edit In the 2000s multiple networks began to outsource their Saturday morning blocks to sister cable networks and third parties Following the network s acquisition by Viacom CBS introduced Nick on CBS in 2000 which was programmed by its new sister Nickelodeon The block primarily focused on preschool programming from the Nick Jr brand but from 2002 to 2004 the block targeted a broader youth audience after 2004 the Nick on CBS block had returned to a preschool audience 57 58 NBC partnered with cable network Discovery Kids to replace TNBC with Discovery Kids on NBC for the 2002 03 season which featured factual entertainment programming and educational cartoons including the first animated programs aired by NBC s Saturday morning lineup since the TNBC era 59 53 54 55 In 2001 Fox and its partner Saban Entertainment sold Fox Kids assets which included the Fox Family cable channel to Disney the network subsequently began to phase out the Fox Kids block and gave its weekday daytime timeslot back to affiliates in 2002 Fox would continue to provide airings of The Magic School Bus for E I compliance at the discretion of affiliates 60 and entered into an agreement with 4Kids Entertainment to program a new Saturday morning block beginning in the 2002 03 season 61 That season ABC s One Saturday Morning was rebranded as ABC Kids which drew from the programming of Disney s cable networks Disney Channel Toon Disney and the newly rebranded ABC Family 62 In January 2006 after CBS and Viacom split into separate companies CBS partnered with DIC Entertainment to program a new Saturday morning block beginning in the 2006 07 season Initially branded as KOL Secret Slumber Party under a sponsorship with AOL it consisted of E I programming targeting a female youth audience including original programming and DIC library programs 63 64 65 66 The block was re branded as KEWLopolis the following season as part of a new sponsorship with American Greetings 67 and Cookie Jar TV in 2009 following the acquisition of DIC by Cookie Jar Group 68 69 Also in the 2006 07 season NBC and its Spanish sister network Telemundo launched a new block known as Qubo as a joint venture between NBC Universal Ion Media Networks Nelvana owner Corus Entertainment Scholastic and Classic Media The brand included blocks on NBC Telemundo and Ion Television and an Ion operated Qubo channel on digital terrestrial television 70 71 When The WB merged with UPN in 2006 to form The CW the merged network initially maintained Kids WB 72 by then the five hour block only carried one hour of E I programming at 7 00 a m ET which was branded as the Pillow Head Hour 73 74 In October 2007 The CW reached a five year agreement with 4Kids for it to program its Saturday morning block 75 resulting in the replacement of Kids WB with The CW4Kids later branded as Toonzai in the 2008 09 season 76 The block initially co exited with 4Kids block for Fox which was by then branded as 4Kids TV and contained only a single half hour of E I programming 77 After a legal dispute with the company over missed payments and insufficient national clearance Fox reached a settlement to end its agreement with 4Kids at the end of 2008 As a result 4Kids TV would be replaced by a national block of paid programming beginning in January 2009 78 77 55 Following Comcast s 2011 purchase of NBC Universal it pulled out of the Qubo consortium and introduced the new NBC Kids and MiTelemundo blocks in July 2012 which were programmed by new sister network Sprout 79 80 81 82 Ion continued to operate the Qubo channel until February 2021 when it was shut down as part of the merger of Ion s operations with new owner E W Scripps Company 83 In 2012 Saban Capital Group acquired some of 4Kids assets as part of its chapter 11 bankruptcy which included the company s contract to program The CW s Saturday morning lineup Toonzai was subsequently re launched by Saban as Vortexx in August 2012 with a mix of animated and live action series the latter including the Power Rangers franchise and the WWE wrestling show Saturday Morning Slam 84 85 The CW remained the last major U S network to still program non educational children s programming on weekend mornings 86 87 88 Shift in demographics and content edit The growing regulatory scrutiny increasing competition from cable channels such as Cartoon Network Disney Channel and Nickelodeon 62 as well as video on demand and streaming services brought changes to viewing habits that made non educational Saturday morning programming less viable for networks 55 89 Throughout the 2010s the major networks began to change the manner in which they fulfilled their E I obligations by airing factual documentary and reality style series aimed at a teen 13 16 years old audience rather than preschool or preteen audiences 89 As they are not targeting viewers 12 and younger these programs are not subject to the restrictions on advertising prescribed by the Children s Television Act 89 90 ABC Litton s Weekend Adventure in 2011 91 92 CBS CBS Dream Team in 2013 The CW One Magnificent Morning in 2014 The Washington Post wrote that its replacement of Vortexx signaled the end of Saturday morning cartoons 93 55 89 NBC The More You Know in 2016 and Telemundo MiTelemundo in 2018 all leased their weekend morning blocks to Litton Entertainment to air such E I programming Fox entered into a similar arrangement with Steve Rotfeld Productions to produce the STEM based block Xploration Station for its affiliates which premiered in September 2014 89 90 55 NBC argued that its The More You Know block was a better lead out for Weekend Today s audience than the preschool programming it had aired before 89 Peggy Charren s daughter Claudia Moquin criticized Litton for contravening the spirit of the CTA by including product placement and host selling from underwriters in some of their programs such as Electronic Arts Norwegian Cruise Line and SeaWorld Litton defended its practices stating that its programming was designed to meet child psychologist developed standards that did not exist prior to 1990 and considered the brand placements in the programs to be a far better alternative to the ads that have often previously aired during children s programming whose sole purpose was to sell less than beneficial products to children 89 90 PBS member stations have been an exception to this trend with the network s PBS Kids block continuing to largely air animated educational series catered towards a broad range of children s audiences ranging from preschoolers to preteens as a non commercial educational network it does not rely on advertising revenue in the traditional sense and its underwriting spots are not directly tied to ratings 1 Notable violations of the E I regulations editIn 2007 Univision agreed to a record 24 million fine from the FCC for violations of the educational programming regulations across 24 of its stations The fine acted upon complaints alleging that youth telenovelas claimed by Univision as E I programming did not meet the requirements for core educational programming citing their lack of actual educational content and themes inappropriate for a youth audience 94 95 The following year Univision would introduce a more traditional E I block Planeta U 96 97 Airings of anime on Kids WB induced notable violations of the program length commercial restrictions The network aired several commercials during the Pokemon anime for products with Pokemon related tie ins such as Eggo waffles Fruit by the Foot and the Nintendo e Reader accessory for the Game Boy Advance The FCC fined individual affiliates of The WB and upheld the fines on appeal despite WCIU TV trying to defend itself by arguing that the references were fleeting even though it was the network which transmitted the content 26 98 99 100 101 In 2010 KSKN in Spokane Washington was similarly fined 70 000 for having on multiple occasions aired an advertisement for a local collectibles shop during Yu Gi Oh that contained references to its eponymous trading card game 102 In 2004 Disney and Viacom were respectively issued 1 million and 500 000 fines for violating the limits on advertising during children s programming on ABC Family and Nickelodeon The fines were levied by the Federal Trade Commission not the FCC because the two channels were cable exclusive and outside the FCC s purview 29 See also edit nbsp Television portalTelecommunications Act of 1996Sources edit a b c Jacobson Adam January 29 2018 Should The FCC Retire The Kid Vid Requirements Radio amp Television Business Report Retrieved July 14 2018 a b c d Johnson Ted July 12 2018 FCC Takes First Step Toward Easing Children s TV Mandates on Broadcasters Variety Retrieved July 13 2018 Establishment of a Class A TV Service Federal Register May 10 2000 Retrieved July 15 2018 a b c d e Landrea Wells Children and Television University of Florida Retrieved April 11 2011 Dale Kunkal Donald Roberts April 14 2010 Young Minds and Marketplace Values Issues in Children s Television Advertising Social Issues 47 1 57 72 doi 10 1111 j 1540 4560 1991 tb01811 x Simone French Mary Story February 2004 Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 1 3 3 doi 10 1186 1479 5868 1 3 PMC 416565 PMID 15171786 Howard L Taras 1995 Advertised Foods on Children s Television Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 149 6 649 652 doi 10 1001 archpedi 1995 02170190059010 PMID 7767420 Newton N Minow Television and the Public Interest address to the National Association of Broadcasters Washington D C May 9 1961 a b Hollis Tim 2001 Hi there boys and girls America s local children s TV shows Jackson University Press of Mississippi p 20 ISBN 1578063965 a b Lowry Brian January 23 2015 How Peggy Charren Outflanked the Children s TV Establishment Variety Retrieved July 15 2018 Gent George January 13 1972 Networks Say They Eliminated Most Violent Children s Shows The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved August 24 2022 Gent George December 16 1971 Group Bids F C C End Ads on Children s TV Published 1971 The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 9 2021 a b c d e f g Holsendolph Ernest July 25 1982 Are children no longer in the programming picture The New York Times Retrieved July 15 2018 Rug Norb June 3 2018 The Captain was no Kangaroo Artvoice Retrieved July 22 2019 Policies and Rules Concerning Children s Television Programming MM Docket No 93 48 FCC Retrieved July 13 2018 a b Rostron Allen 1996 Return to Hot Wheels The FCC Program Length Commercials and the Children s Television Act of 1990 Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal Rochester NY 19 57 86 SSRN 1000194 a b Andrews Edmund L April 10 1991 F C C Adopts Limits on TV Ads Aimed at Children The Media Business The New York Times Retrieved July 13 2018 a b c Hayes Diane March 1994 The Children s Hour Revisited The Children s Television Act of 1990 Federal Communications Law Journal 46 2 293 328 Andrews Edmund L March 4 1993 Flintstones and Programs Like It Aren t Educational F C C Says The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved March 27 2022 O Connor John J March 8 1993 Review Television For Young Audiences Reality in the Afternoon The New York Times Retrieved May 1 2010 a b Calvert Sandra Kotler Jennifer 2003 The Children s Television Act Can media policy make a difference PDF Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 24 3 375 380 doi 10 1016 S0193 3973 03 00066 2 a b c Wharton Dennis October 30 1995 NAB FCC square off over kidvid Variety Retrieved July 13 2018 a b Lawrie Mifflin August 9 1996 U S Mandates Educational TV for Children The New York Times p 16 Retrieved March 14 2010 a b Quality Television for Children Opinion The New York Times August 16 1996 p 32 Retrieved March 14 2010 a b Mifflin Lawrie April 2 1996 F C C Urged To Strengthen Children s TV New York Times Retrieved July 13 2018 a b c d Lasar Matthew March 30 2008 FCC fends off fleeting Pokemon waffle attack Ars Technica Retrieved July 14 2018 a b c FCC postpones URL rules for children s programming till next year TV Technology February 4 2005 Retrieved July 14 2018 a b c Eggerton John August 4 2005 FCC s E I Bug Lands Broadcasting amp Cable Retrieved July 14 2018 a b Kaplan David October 21 2004 FCC Fines Disney Viacom 1 5 Million In Children s TV Violations MediaPost Publications Retrieved July 15 2018 Shields Todd October 10 2005 Viacom Battles FCC Children s Ad Rules Adweek Retrieved July 14 2018 Mohammed Arshad October 6 2005 Kids Television Rules Face Challenge Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved July 14 2018 FCC addresses children s programming obligations of digital television broadcasters TV Technology September 21 2004 Retrieved July 14 2018 Shiver Jube Jr October 12 2005 Disney Sues to Block Programming Rules Los Angeles Times ISSN 0458 3035 Retrieved July 14 2018 Trotter Andrew January 10 2006 FCC Rule Boosts Education on Digital TV Education Week Retrieved July 14 2018 a b Reardon Marguerite July 12 2018 FCC starts process to revamp kid vid rules CNET Retrieved February 26 2019 Eggerton John October 23 2018 KidVid Advocates to FCC Rules Were Not Made to Be Broken Broadcasting amp Cable Retrieved June 18 2019 Eggerton John June 19 2019 FCC Releases Modest Kids TV Reforms Item Broadcasting amp Cable Retrieved June 26 2019 Hayes Dade July 10 2019 FCC s Vote To Ease Kid Vid Rules Draws Pushback And Democrats Dissent Deadline Retrieved July 10 2019 Eggerton John July 10 2019 FCC Gives Broadcasters More KidVid Flexibility Broadcasting amp Cable Retrieved July 10 2019 Oxenford David August 16 2019 Effective Date of Most of the Changes to the Children s Television Rules September 16 Broadcast Law Blog Retrieved August 16 2019 Here s The Date KidVid Rule Modernization Arrives Radio amp Television Business Report August 16 2019 Retrieved August 17 2019 Darlington Abigail July 20 2014 Setting the stage Litton Entertainment to build network of film industry professionals in Charleston The Post and Courier Retrieved March 8 2016 a b Andy Levinsky November December 1999 Unintended Consequences The Humanist 59 6 McGinn Daniel November 10 2002 Guilt Free TV Newsweek Retrieved July 15 2018 a b Goldman Michael September 15 1997 ABC hopes for virtual success Variety Retrieved July 14 2018 a b c Grove Christopher August 29 1997 Webs roll out season geared to kids Variety Retrieved July 14 2018 Schneider Michael November 27 2000 ABC Disney kid block revamped Variety Retrieved July 14 2018 Katz Richard May 8 1998 ABC kids block tops Fox on Saturday Variety Retrieved July 14 2018 Gaines Caseen September 23 2017 The Weird Al Show The Complete Oral History Rolling Stone Retrieved November 15 2017 Gaines Caseen September 13 2017 The Weird Al Show The Complete Oral History Rolling Stone Retrieved July 14 2018 Virginia Robertson September 1 1998 The CBS Kidshow KidScreen Retrieved November 21 2010 Fry Andy April 1 1998 STE partners with Nelvana in CBS deal Kidscreen Retrieved August 24 2016 a b Oei Lily August 24 2003 Nets face back to school blues Variety Retrieved September 23 2014 a b Umstead Thomas December 7 2001 Discovery Gets NBC Kids Block Multichannel News Retrieved September 23 2014 a b c d e f Sullivan Gail September 30 2014 Saturday morning cartoons are no more The Washington Post Retrieved October 11 2014 Oei Lily February 23 2003 Adults Discover kiddie programs Variety Retrieved November 19 2021 DelliColli Lori Marshall Cindy August 19 2004 CBS and Nicckelodeon Present CBS s 2004 05 Children s Programming Schedule Press release CBS Press Express Retrieved November 16 2018 Schneider Michael June 15 2000 CBS picks Nick mix Variety Retrieved July 14 2018 Oei Lily McClintock Pamela November 6 2003 Kids mixed on new skeds Variety Retrieved September 23 2014 Michael Schneider November 7 2001 Fox outgrows kids programs Variety Retrieved August 13 2009 Bernstein Paula January 19 2002 4Kids buys 4 hours from Fox Kids Variety Retrieved October 3 2021 a b Bernstein Paula September 29 2002 Kid skeds tread on joint strategy Variety Retrieved July 14 2018 Elizabeth Guider January 19 2006 Synergy not kid friendly at Eye web Variety Reed Business Information Retrieved August 13 2009 DIC uses online platform to dive into fan base Variety October 1 2006 Retrieved July 14 2018 Stewart Lianne May 2006 DIC s CBS block looks to reach girl viewers PDF Kidscreen p 28 Retrieved August 22 2017 CBS AND COOKIE JAR ENTERTAINMENT PRESENT THE NEW CHILDREN S EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE FOR COOKIE JAR TV PREMIERING SATURDAY SEPT 17 Cookie Jar Group September 6 2011 Archived from the original on July 30 2012 Retrieved September 18 2011 Ball Ryan August 23 2007 CBS Blocks out KEWLopolis Animation Magazine Retrieved July 17 2018 Brzoznowski Kristin September 4 2009 CBS Sets Lineup for Cookie Jar Block WorldScreen Archived from the original on September 7 2009 Retrieved September 10 2009 Calder Kate May 8 2009 Zeroing In Kidscreen Retrieved July 14 2009 Andrew Hampp August 24 2006 NBC Debuts Kids Programming Brand Qubo Advertising Age Retrieved February 14 2014 Clemens Luis November 3 2006 Qubo s Rodriguez Offering a Building Block to Kids Multichannel News Retrieved September 23 2014 Bill Carter January 24 2006 UPN and WB to Combine Forming New TV Network The New York Times Archived from the original on October 17 2015 Staff September 8 2006 KIDS WB ON THE CW SETS SATURDAY SCHEDULE TV News Check Retrieved October 6 2021 KIDS WB ON THE CW ANNOUNCES 2006 2007 TOO BIG FOR YOUR TV SATURDAY MORNING PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE ViacomCBS Press Express Retrieved October 6 2021 CW turns to 4Kids on Saturdays Variety October 2 2007 Archived from the original on February 27 2021 Retrieved June 21 2019 McLean Thomas J August 18 2010 4Kids Reports Losses Rebranding of CW Block Animation Magazine Retrieved October 20 2012 a b Schneider Michael November 24 2008 Longform ads replace kid fare on Fox Variety Retrieved November 16 2018 4Kids Entertainment Reports Third Quarter 2008 Results and Settlement of Fox Litigation QuoteMedia com November 10 2008 Archived from the original on February 27 2009 Retrieved December 16 2015 Jon Weisman March 28 2012 NBC to launch Saturday kids block Variety Retrieved March 29 2012 Lindsay Rubino March 28 2012 NBC With Assist From Sprout to Launch Saturday Morning Preschool Block Multichannel News Retrieved March 29 2012 Nellie Andreeva March 28 2012 NBC Launches Preschool Saturday Block Programmed By Sprout Deadline Hollywood Retrieved March 29 2012 Telemundo anuncia nuevo bloque infantil Mi Telemundo Primera Hora GFR Media LLC October 24 2012 Retrieved November 8 2015 Micheli Carolyn January 14 2021 Scripps takes first steps to realize ION synergies with multicast networks move Press release The E W Scripps Company Retrieved January 14 2021 WWE to bow new series on Saban s Vortexx block Kidscreen August 10 2012 Retrieved June 11 2022 Steinberg Brian July 12 2012 Power Rangers Backer Saban to Reenter Kiddie TV Advertising Age Retrieved July 12 2012 Wallenstein Andrew July 2 2012 Jessica Borutski to rebuild CW toon block Variety Retrieved July 7 2012 Marcucci Carl July 3 2012 The CW signs Jessica Borutski for kids block Radio amp Television Business Report Retrieved July 7 2012 Saban builds CW kids block C21Media July 3 2012 Retrieved July 7 2012 a b c d e f g Robb David June 20 2016 Preteen Saturday Morning Kids Shows Abandoned By Broadcast Networks Deadline Hollywood Retrieved June 26 2016 a b c Garber Megan September 16 2014 The More You Know There s More to Know The Atlantic Retrieved February 25 2016 ABC Orders Saturday Kids Block From Litton TVNewsCheck May 24 2011 Archived from the original on December 4 2013 Retrieved May 24 2011 Albiniak Paige May 24 2011 ABC to Premiere ABC Weekend Adventure on Sept 3 Broadcasting amp Cable Retrieved May 24 2011 The CW Sets 5 Hour Saturday Morning Block Deadline Hollywood June 6 2014 Retrieved June 6 2014 Stephen Labaton February 24 2007 Record Fine Expected for Univision The New York Times Retrieved November 7 2015 Puzzanghera Jim February 25 2007 FCC to fine Univision 24 million Los Angeles Times ISSN 0458 3035 Archived from the original on February 19 2011 Retrieved July 15 2018 Univision hopes to block further problems Radio Television Business Report Streamline RBR Inc April 5 2008 Retrieved November 7 2015 Elizabeth SanjenIs April 5 2008 Univision Launches New Children s Programming Block Planeta U Univision PR Press release Univision Communications Archived from the original on November 17 2015 Retrieved November 7 2015 Eggerton John May 27 2008 Three More Stations Face FCC Fines Broadcasting amp Cable Retrieved March 24 2015 Eggerton John October 14 2008 Pokemon Strikes Again Broadcasting amp Cable Retrieved March 24 2015 Eggerton John August 31 2007 FCC Fines KHCW For Pokemon Ad Broadcasting amp Cable Retrieved March 24 2015 Eggerton John July 13 2007 Pokemon Ad Bites WPIX Broadcasting amp Cable Retrieved March 24 2015 FCC Fines 7 For Kid s TV Ad Violations TVNewsCheck June 1 2010 Retrieved July 15 2018 References editA Alexander amp J Owers The Economics of Children s Television in The Children s Television Community ed A Bryant Mahwah NJ Lawrence Erlbaum 2007 pp 57 74 Barry G Cole amp Mal Oettinger Reluctant Regulators The FCC and the Broadcast Audience Reading Mass Addison Wesley 1978 Dale Kunkel amp B Watkins Evolution of children s television regulatory policy Journal of Broadcasting amp Electronic Media 31 1987 367 89 Dale Kunkel Children s Television Policy in the United States An Ongoing Legacy of Change Media International Australia 93 no 1 1999 51 63 Dale Kunkel Kids Media Policy Goes Digital Current Developments in Children s Television Regulation in The Children s Television Community ed A Bryant Mahwah NJ Lawrence Erlbaum 2007 pp 203 28 J Lisosky For all Kids Sakes Comparing Children s Television Policy Making in Australia Canada and the United States Media Culture amp Society 23 no 6 2001 821 42 R Morrow Sesame Street and the Reform of Children s Television Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 2006 Dorothy G Singer amp Jerome L Singer eds Handbook of Children and the Media 2nd edn NY London SAGE 2012 Dale Kunkel amp Brian L Wilcox Children and Media Policy Historical Perspectives and Current Practices ch 28 pp 569 93 Karen Hill Scott Television Broadcaster Practices Compliance with the Children s Television Act ch 29 pp 595 613 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Regulations on children 27s television programming in the United States amp oldid 1194106795, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.