UPN Kids


UPN Kids is a former American children's programming block that aired on UPN from September 10, 1995 to September 5, 1999. Airing on Sunday through Friday mornings, the block aired for two hours each day.

History

UPN Kids launched on September 10, 1995 with a one-hour block of cartoons ; unlike NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and The WB, UPN ran its weekend morning children's programs on Sundays instead of Saturdays. This was likely due to several UPN affiliates in large markets also dually carrying the Fox Kids block for newer Fox stations on Saturday mornings, who refused to carry Fox Kids in order to instead expand Saturday morning newscasts or retain other local programming. This eventually proved to be a conflict for UPN, as the more well-known Fox Kids block was given primacy in advertising and promotions by those affiliates over UPN's unproven children's programming.
As early as the 1996–1997 season, Saban Entertainment was programming the block with four new programs that season. In 1997, UPN incorporated live-action series aimed at teenagers, alongside the animated shows targeted at a younger audience, with the addition of reruns of the syndicated dramedy series Sweet Valley High and a new comedy series, Breaker High.
In January 1998, UPN began discussions with The Walt Disney Company to have the company program a daily two-hour children's block for the network; however attempts to reach a time-lease agreement deal with Disney were called off one week later due to a dispute between Disney and UPN over how the block would be branded and the amount of programming compliant with the Federal Communications Commission's educational programming regulations that Disney would provide for the block. UPN then entered into discussions with then-corporate sister Nickelodeon. UPN had an agreement with Saban Entertainment – the distributor of Sweet Valley High and Breaker High – to program the Sunday morning block for at least one year shows such as The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Spider-Man and Beetleborgs soon joined the schedule.
In March 1998, UPN resumed discussions with Disney and the following month, The Walt Disney Company agreed to develop a weekday and Sunday morning children's block for the network. The new lineup, which was developed as a companion block to Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC, was originally announced under the name "Whomptastic", before being renamed Disney's One Too. UPN Kids aired for the last time on September 5, 1999, and was replaced by Disney's One Too the following day.

Programming

Former programming

Animated series