Thoughtnami Classics | Could Kids' WB's Death Be Cartoon Network's Rebirth?

Originally Posted 10/03/07 by Jeff Harris

I'm sure you've heard by now that 4Kids Entertainment, the WORST COMPANY IN THE WORLD (not to be confused with the MOST POORLY RAN ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY IN THE WORLD, which is still Time Warner), has a new knotch in its belt. Starting in the fall of 2008, 4Kids will program the Saturday morning block on The CW.

That's right, Kids' WB is about to go the way of Fox Kids, literally. And they're going to continue to program Fox's Saturday morning block at the same time which begs the question whether this is legal.

But something popped in my head a few moments ago, so excuse me if it's not totally coherent:

What if Time Warner is about to turn Cartoon Network into Kids' WB?

I mean, the Kids' WB name and brand, like the Cartoon Network name and brand, are valuable assets to Time Warner, and since the KWB name isn't going to be used on the Saturday morning block on The CW after next season, they, meaning the idiots at Time Warner, might attach the name to Cartoon Network, which is currently undergoing an identity crisis.

It wouldn't totally surprise me if that's indeed what they're doing. By "starting over," Kids' WB would be a 17-hour a day network dedicated to children's programming rather than just a five-hour weekly block. And at this rate, they wouldn't have to change a thing. Everything is intact, except the name. Everything, from Foster's and Billy and Mandy to Toonami and Adult Swim (which would continue untouched), will remain.

Now, that might be where the whole rumor of Cartoon Network shutting down may have started. Perhaps they, meaning the creators, knew in advance of the Kids' WB/4Kids deal and knew everything behind it. In essence, "Cartoon Network" would be shut down in favor of "Kids' WB" in the channel space. It'd likely remain as is (complete with Toonami on Saturday nights and Adult Swim after 11 PM Mondays through Saturdays and after 10 PM on Sundays [which makes sense in a way, Kids from 6 AM to 11 PM and Adult from 11 PM to 6 AM]).

The Cartoon Network name wouldn't go away either. It could live on either in Boomerang's space or a new network altogether. With Boomerang currently becoming a pseudo-Cartoon Network 2 in the first place, I think Boomerang (the brand) would become a casualty for now while Cartoon Network could be reborn as a 24-hour animation channel without the need to "compete" with Nick and Disney. Boomerang could be reborn later on as a true classic-animation network, but for now, Boomerang could become the new Cartoon Network, a 24-hour outlet with nothing but animation.

I'd be pissed, but I wouldn't be surprised. It almost makes sense. Then again Time Warner is still the Most Poorly Ran Entertainment Company in the World and hasn't made sense in almost a decade.