News
CW to Replace Kids' WB! Block with 4Kids on Saturdays (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
The CW network announced Tuesday that it will shut down Kids' WB!, the 13-year-old Saturday children's programming block that it inherited from the defunct WB network, and replace it with 4Kids Entertainment programming in a five-year deal that starts September 2008. 4Kids will move its Saturday block from the Fox Network. 4Kids currently shows Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and Sonic X, the only anime series that broadcast on an over-the-air network on Saturday mornings.
CW is the last over-the-air network to offer in-house Saturday children's programming where once all such networks did. KIDS' WB once showed such anime series as Astro Boy, Cardcaptors, Dragon Ball Z, MegaMan NT Warrior, Pokémon, Sailor Moon, and Viewtiful Joe.
Thank you to travl2002 for the news tip.
Update: In 4Kids Entertainment's press release, 4Kids Productions President Norman Grossfeld notes that "Fox recently exercised its option to extend the term of our deal with them through the end of the 2008-2009 broadcast season." This extension means that for the 2008-2009 broadcast season, 4Kids will be programming for both Fox's Saturday block and CW's Saturday block. Thanks, Nebs.
Source: Variety
Image © Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Dice/Shueisha, TV Tokyo, NAS
