Networks In Contention For Children’s Ratings

Tue., March 31, 1998

Brian Lowry Los Angeles Times

In case you haven’t been paying attention, ABC’s “Doug” and “Recess” are beating Fox Kids Network’s “Goosebumps” and “Toonsylvania” in the ratings.

More than just frivolous jousting between Saturday morning cartoons, such matchups are at the heart of a heavyweight fight among global media giants for supremacy in children’s television.

After five years in which Fox dominated children’s ratings, former cellar-dweller ABC rapidly has caught up, armed with corporate parent Disney’s marketing machinery and a lineup of programming that invokes the studio’s identification with family fare.

It is, in large part, the only area where Disney’s perceived magic has rubbed off on ABC, whose Saturday morning ratings for kids age 2 to 11 - the principal age group sought during those hours - have shot upward by more than one-third. By contrast, Fox’s kids audience has declined 29 percent this season.

The two are virtually tied, each averaging a little more than 1.4 million children a week. ABC, however, appears to have momentum, winning the last five weeks.

“The swiftness of our success caught us by surprise,” acknowledged Jonathan Barzilay, ABC’s vice president of children’s programming.

As proof of the competition’s significance, News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch - who didn’t bother to attend the news conference announcing his company’s acquisition of the Los Angeles Dodgers - showed up when Fox presented next season’s Saturday morning lineup to advertisers.

That’s largely because children’s television spills over into so many other arenas. In addition to ABC, Disney (which produces all of the network’s new shows) operates the Disney Channel and soon will launch a spinoff cable network, Toon Disney, exploiting its vast TV animation library. Fox also has pushed into cable by acquiring the Family Channel, which is being transformed into a children’s service.

Time Warner holdings include the WB network and cable’s Cartoon Network, while Nickelodeon - still by far the pre-eminent force in children’s television - possesses the resources of Viacom.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.