20 Years Ago - NBC kills Saturday Mornings and the Rise of the Animation Crusader!

Even though the 2012 Summer Olympics in London is on this year. Although I will watch it, if I have a chance, but that is not the reason for this blog.

20 years ago today, before, during and after the 1992 Summer Olympics at Barcelona, Spain, NBC did the unthinkable.  They cancelled the Saturday Morning cartoon block and after the games ended, they show the weekend edition of the news show, Today, that and added mostly teen shows.  Through the years that followed, I thought NBC was the only network would not show cartoons.  Boy, how wrong I was.  In the late 90s and into today, other networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, WB (now called the CW), and even those of the cable and satellite variety like USA, Sci Fi (now called SyFy (See-Fee)), Colours TV followed NBC's example and removed every single cartoon block, just to appease Soccer Moms, Watchdog groups, and Politicians who deemed animation, whether its American cartoons or Japanese anime, as too childish, violent and doesn't make a lot of ratings than reality t.v. and talk shows combined.  Since then, all regular t.v. is showing nothing but talk shows, court shows, the morning news, paid programming and reality t.v..  Look, I nothing we got cable, satellite and the internet to watch our favorite cartoons, I know, I got DISH Network, but what about those who can't afford the luxuries we got.  All they could see is nothing by Jerry Springer and Maury (by the way, what's the point of watching the same paternity and lie-detector shows anyway, they are as repetative as the later stages in a video game, no offense, TOM-Z).

TOM-Z: None taken.

Anyway, I say those networks have made a big mistake, removing those cartoon blocks that we watch not just saturday mornings, but also on weekday mornings and afternoons and sometimes on sundays.  And don't get me started on CW4Kids Toonzai! To this day, it is the only cartoon block on the air on regular t.v., showing nothing but Sonic X and Yu-Gi-Oh! reruns and not to mention the edit "edit" versions of Dragon Ball Z Kai, you know, the ones with a blue Mr. Popo, which the FCC made because they acted racist, which is stupid.  Sad part about this is that without competition, CW4Kids Toonzai is just boring.  Sad being alone on the top, huh?  But, there is one silver lining in this. Any other person would feel helpless and powerless to stop this sad change.  But not me.  I am different, I am exceptional.  Because of those corporations, it put me in the path that I am today.  Fighting for the rights for all animation and give every single Soccer Mom, Watchdog group and Politician a big, fat "SIT ON IT!". Animation does have a future, not just today, not just tomorrow but forever.

I may have not stop NBC when I was a kid.  But now that I am older and wiser, I am ready to make a difference.  I just hope when people read this, they will know this story and will pass it on for years to come. Until then, Stay Gold and Godspeed and...

SIT ON IT, NBC!!!

*Happy Days theme plays, then transitions to in the middle of the theme into Overture theme from Tron: Legacy*

Fade Out