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One of the problems in television is that children may watch any program at any hour of the day including those programs aimed exclusively at adults. There is evidence that far more children than many people realize are watching television at 9:00 or even 10:00 at night. Even though this is probably true, because of the lateness of the hours, broadcast networks have some right to consider them primarily the province of adults.
This section deals with the television that is created especially for children: Saturday morning. In the earliest days of television, a tradition establishing Saturday morning for kids and Sunday morning for religion began. Just as many kids get up early on Sunday morning, but that television time was generally reserved for religious programs.
The earliest hours of Saturday morning television belong to the youngest children. The shows that begin around 7:00 a.m. appeal to 4-6 year olds. Around 9:00, the schedule changes to accommodate the youngest viewer's older brothers and sisters. This is when the more action- oriented shows are broadcast. In the last year, NBC devoted its Saturday morning schedule (after news) to live-action programming for teenagers, as did Fox at 11:30.
Children's television has long been controversial. To combat what she felt was over- commercialization and poor programming aimed at children, Peggy Charren formed Action for Children's Television (ACT). Her goal was never to take anything off the television airwaves, but to offer more good shows. Heeding the challenge, public television filled what it saw as a vacuum in the area of children's programming, particularly programming for very young children. Sesame Street, The Electric Company and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood became staples of many children's daily morning routine.
In 1990, Congress passed the Children's Television Act, which promised to ensure that there would be quality programming for children. The act's passage prompted Charren to pass her mantle to The Center for Media Education, which continues to advocate for children. Unfortunately, many stations interpreted educational programming differently than the sponsors of the legislation, and today, children's television is as controversial as ever.
In 1995, Saturday morning children's television is dominated by the new player, The Fox Network. Entering children's programming in 1990, the ratings of The Fox Children's Network exceed that of all the other networks combined. NBC has gone out of the business of creating Saturday programming for young children. It runs The Today Show followed by the teen- oriented, live-action programs Saved By the Bell and California Dreams. ABC has arranged for the new studio, Dreamworks SKG (Founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen) to supply future Saturday programming.
There has also been much discussion in the 1990s about the effects of Saturday programming on children. While the attention focuses on everything from sex and gender roles to commercialization, the most vocal concern has been about the effect of violence in children's programming. One show in particular, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, has been singled out by some as an example of violent children's programming that kids emulate. Although Fox argues that the Rangers are no different than other Saturday morning program, they have become a lightning rod for much attention and criticism.
We monitored children's television programs exactly the same way we examined prime time television. Every show was watched a minimum of four times. Children's television, far more quickly than prime time fare, fits into a formula. Many prime time shows are more variable in their content, sometimes interweaving comedy, drama and violence. These shows have to be monitored a large number of times to get a handle on them. Children's programs, on the other hand, tend to repeat the same themes and patterns each week. Children seem to be more comfortable with and desirous of repetition, familiarity and predictability. Many parents note their children can watch the same animated movie on video tape over and over again.
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