By Cynthia Littleton
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Cartoons are coming back to CBS' Saturday-morning schedule next fall after the network's live-action programs failed to catch ratings fire.
CBS plans a complete overhaul of its struggling children's programming lineup next fall, bringing in six new animated half-hour series.
Gone as of September are the rookie series Wheel of Fortune 2000, The New Ghostwriter Mysteries, The Sports Illustrated for Kids Show, Fudge and The Weird Al Show. Also retiring at the end of this season, after a five-year run on the network, is the much-praised Beakman's World.
"As well-produced as these shows are, the kids aren't watching them," said Lucy Johnson, CBS' senior VP of daytime-children's programming and special projects. "We have to stay competitive, and we're committed to being competitive in this daypart."
CBS dropped out of the Saturday-morning cartoon race last year in a bid to counterprogram the long-dominant Fox Kids Network and stand out amid competition from UPN and the WB and cable networks like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.
At the same time, the Federal Communications Commission approved a new mandate requiring commercial TV stations to offer at least three hours per week of educational programming for kids. CBS had hoped to blend education with entertainment with shows like Wheel of Fortune 2000 and Sports Illustrated For Kids.
For the season thus far, however, CBS has slipped further behind its broadcast competitors, while ABC has seen its ratings rebound on the strength of Disney-produced animation and the studio's marketing prowess.
CBS is averaging a 0.6 rating and 3 share in the key Saturday-morning demographic of kids 2-11. Fox, by comparison, is averaging a 3.7/16 and ABC is right behind with a 3.5/16. The fledgling Kids' WB! lineup has proven to be a formidable competitor to the established networks, averaging a 2.2/9 in kids 2-11 this season. NBC long ago traded cartoons for teen-oriented sitcoms like Saved by the Bell on Saturday mornings.
Among the new series in the works for CBS -- all from Canadian producer Nelvana -- are two series based on best-selling Scholastic Books titles: The Dumb Bunnies and Guardians of the Legend. In keeping with the FCC mandate, all of CBS' new children's shows will have a solid educational foundation, Johnson said.
The other new shows in the works are:
- Franklin, following the adventures of a turtle.
- Anatole, centering on a Parisian mouse and his six offspring.
- Birdz, revolving around a family of birds and their budding filmmaker son.
- From the Files of Flying Rhinoceros, focusing on a high school computer nerd with the ability to travel through time and transform his school environment.
Reuters/Variety