Cable, the FCC and streaming killed Saturday morning cartoons

[newarkhiphop]

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but one of your fondest childhood traditions has kicked the bucket: Saturday morning cartoons are no more. The CW has aired its last batch of Vortexx programming, leaving American kids without any animated broadcast TV to start their weekends for the first time in decades. From here on out, young ones glued to the tube will mostly be watching educational shows.

As for why this longstanding television staple has vanished? It's a combination of regulation and technological progress. A 1996 FCC rule required that stations offer at least three hours of educational programming every week; to avoid interrupting affiliate programming, the networks scheduled most of that content on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, kids' viewing options have increased dramatically. On top of dedicated cable and satellite channels like the Cartoon Network, they can now watch plenty of animation on Hulu, Netflix and other streaming services. In that sense, today's children aren't missing out -- if anything, they're making your inner 8-year-old a little jealous.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/29/saturday-morning-cartoons-end/

 

[RhymesWell]

It's a shame but they have streaming now so it's not so bad I guess

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

Actually just cable did...

 

[FlyRy]

meh.

these young kids are too busy on their tablets to give a shyt

 

[???]

throw that trash in the bushes..

 

[STAN JONES]

Honestly, who cares

With Netflix,cartoon network, and the multiple Disney and Nickelodeon channels who the fukk was still watching Saturday morning cartoons on broadcast TV?

 

[Real]

shyt was dead looooooooooong before Netflix.

 

[DLo]

Most kids are watching their cartons on Netflix or 24/7 on Nick/CN/Disney.

 

[satam55]

Actually just cable did...

No it was that FCC ruling, I read an article about it a few years ago. Disney/CN/Nick all existed in the 90's, but cartoons on Network TV in the 90's still strived.