WHy

[SkullRing]

Although it is coming back, Cartoon Network went into a bit of a slump in 04, and I just wanted to know what you think the editorial decisions that lead to that fall from grace were.

It's not my fault that I didn't read that much cartoon news back in '04.

[Daikun]

Although it is coming back, Cartoon Network went into a bit of a slump in 04

How is CN "coming back" from a slump? I wasn't aware they were doing so.

[Ahiru-kun]

They only have two good non-anime shows ever since they canceled all the Cartoon Cartoons pre-2002.

[SkullRing]

I was just asking what editorial decisions were behind this, seeing as I never read much news about the animation industry until recently.

[veemonjosh]

I personally think that this topic's title sums up my current feelings for the entire network in one word.

[J'onn J'onzz]

They got really ratings-obsessed, and started airing lame shows. That's why the network is so awful.

[SkullRing]

only 1 cartoon-cartoon lived from the "slump" in 2004, ed,edd,n eddy.
all the other shows that came in like my gym partner, or squirrel boy just screwed up the network

Why the hell did they kill them off? I want an explaination for why Time Squad and Duck Dodgers had to die!

And by the way, FOsters and Billy and Mandy don't suck.

[veemonjosh]

Why the hell did they kill them off? I want an explaination for why Time Squad and Duck Dodgers had to die!


Ratings.

[Lutochris]

They got really ratings-obsessed, and started airing lame shows. That's why the network is so awful.

Right, cause they never cared about ratings before.

[Ykwia]

only 1 cartoon-cartoon lived from the "slump" in 2004, ed,edd,n eddy.
all the other shows that came in like my gym partner, or squirrel boy just screwed up the network

You forgot one, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy.

[Kaoru]

TV networks are like politics. You mostly find people disagreeing with their policies, but somehow they manage to reel in the profit. I also don't like the way they're going (you don't see Nick or any other network dropping their originals as much). You gotta wonder why they're in the business if they don't care about the cartoons.

[SkullRing]

I have three questions
1. Arent all networks supposed to be obsessed with ratings? Be more specific about that.
2. Why weren't those originals doing well.
3. What can we do about it?


P.S. For three, I think that we need to be vocal and make our existence heard. We need to let them know that we are a viable viewing demographic for their shows. We need to scream about those great destroyed originals, until they bring them back (with the original writers and animators of course). But that's just my opinion.

[One Radical Dude]

TV networks are like politics. You mostly find people disagreeing with their policies, but somehow they manage to reel in the profit. I also don't like the way they're going (you don't see Nick or any other network dropping their originals as much). You gotta wonder why they're in the business if they don't care about the cartoons.

I'm not sure I agree with you there (in the bolded statement).

[Lutochris]

I'd just like to say, for the record, that my VCR is set to record about 10 hours of stuff per week, on average, and about 8 of that comes from Cartoon Network. I watch one show on Nick (Avatar), and zero on Disney and Jetix. Fox Sunday night and South Park is the only other animation I watch.

Now obviously my tastes are my own, but if I had to argue the quality of CN vs the other animation networks, I'd say CN pretty much kills everyone else, even if the ratings don't reflect that (now to be fair I'm including Toonami, Miguzi, and Adult Swim all under CN). I haven't liked a single thing on Nick other than Avatar since 1997 (Spongebob was okay but it's old), and I've never seen a new cartoon on any Disney-related network that I've liked since Digimon ended. KidsWB has nothing now that Pokemon and Yugioh are gone. And 4Kids, well they had good stuff, unfortunately they ruined most of it.

While I agree that CN isn't as good as it was in it's "Golden Age" (1997-2002, I think that's what people say), it's still got a lot of stuff that I really enjoy, it's the only decent source of anime on (widely available) TV, and it's still the only network that even comes close to disregarding the ratings to do stuff that they just WANT to do ([as] does this quite frequently).

[J'onn J'onzz]

I'd just like to say, for the record, that my VCR is set to record about 10 hours of stuff per week, on average, and about 8 of that comes from Cartoon Network. I watch one show on Nick (Avatar), and zero on Disney and Jetix. Fox Sunday night and South Park is the only other animation I watch.

Now obviously my tastes are my own, but if I had to argue the quality of CN vs the other animation networks, I'd say CN pretty much kills everyone else, even if the ratings don't reflect that (now to be fair I'm including Toonami, Miguzi, and Adult Swim all under CN). I haven't liked a single thing on Nick other than Avatar since 1997 (Spongebob was okay but it's old), and I've never seen a new cartoon on any Disney-related network that I've liked since Digimon ended. KidsWB has nothing now that Pokemon and Yugioh are gone. And 4Kids, well they had good stuff, unfortunately they ruined most of it.

While I agree that CN isn't as good as it was in it's "Golden Age" (1997-2002, I think that's what people say), it's still got a lot of stuff that I really enjoy, it's the only decent source of anime on (widely available) TV, and it's still the only network that even comes close to disregarding the ratings to do stuff that they just WANT to do ([as] does this quite frequently).

AS isn't a part of Cartoon Network officially

[CookieS]

AS isn't a part of Cartoon Network officially

You know, I'm tired of you saying that. Yes, the ratings information is collected separately for advertising purposes, but they are the same network. I wouldn't say Nickelodeon and Nite at Nite are not part of each other. Its the same channel! Lutochris was trying to illustrate a point that didn't need this clarification.

Now as far as Cartoon Network's "slump"...I think that's mostly due to changes in the people behind the network and on specific shows. Every network goes through a phase of change that most viewers consider the dark ages of programming. Its obvious that CN has more original content now than it ever has. While some people might not like these programs, its fair to say there is a decent following for much of it. Overall, a perception of a slump is more a reflection of your personal views than reality. I don't like it when people try to use an umbrella term to categorize years worth of programming.

Rather than focusing on the past, I like to look into the present. I'm excited about the live-action/animated series "Reanimated" as well as some of the great CN movies that have recently played.

I view the network like an art gallery. Much art work passes through it, and NOTHING stays forever. Its an area to view art for a limited time...its not a museum!

[Dr.Pepper]

I never quite understood why Nick and Disney play shows that are 5+ years old on decent times of the day. On CN the only shows that fit that requirement are Ed Edd n Eddy and Billy & Mandy in a way even though the former is an oddity now.:sad:

[SkullRing]

What about my idea for all us fans of the old shows to use the invisible hand of the free market to tell them that we are a major part of their demographic and that we want a change from the crap that they have been spewing out lately?