Kids' TV builds a better foundation

Some parents say all the choices make their job both easier and harder. "I think some parents are actually stricter today because there's so much to watch," says Tod Feuerman of Sherman Oaks, Calif., father of two boys, 11 and 9. But when it comes time to watch, there's something for everyone. "I've got one son who will watch any kind of cartoon, any time. And the other likes to watch the Discovery Channel and nature shows," he adds.

Pressures to compete are behind NBC's decision to fulfill its FCC mandate by partnering with the Discovery cable channel (broadcast networks are required by a 1990 FCC mandate to provide three hours of children's programming per week).

"Cable absolutely has changed the landscape forever," says Lee Gaither, vice president for Saturday morning programs at NBC Entertainment. He defends the decision to lease out the TV real estate, pointing to the vertical integration of the other major broadcast networks several years ago when the decision was made. ABC could tap the Disney Channel's programs; CBS could tap Viacom channels such as Nickelodeon. At the time, NBC wasn't as large a conglomerate. "We looked at our business and said, 'You know, we aren't in a place where we can compete on a real level, so let's find a partner who can.' "

A new study from the Oakland, Calif., advocacy group Children Now, "Big Media, Little Kids," gives the current state of children's programming a mixed report card. On the one hand, it's content has become richer, says Christy Glaubke, principal associate of Children Now.

"I've seen a big increase in diversity," she says. "We've seen a lot more shows that star female characters, a lot more shows that have characters of different races and ethnicities." She rates Nickelodeon's "Dora, the Explorer" high on her list of shows that do a good job balancing entertainment with social values. "One of the things we've been really pleased with is the rate at which children's programmers and producers are embracing the need for diversity," she says.

But the same study also focused on the impact of media consolidation and found that, as companies consolidate, they tend to duplicate the same programs on various channels, thus reducing the number of original shows being produced: 100 percent of the children's programming on KCBS in L.A. is also broadcast on the CBS-owned Nickelodeon. Another downside is the rise in violent programming aimed at kids, because action and violence translate more easily to foreign markets. Prime examples include animé imports "Pokémon" and "Yu-Gi-Oh!" Even Wood admits that "Boohbah," will be easier to sell internationally because it's high on action and low on dialogue.

The growing power of fewer companies is bad for everyone, says Robby London, executive vice president at DIC Entertaiment, an independent production company. "I worry about the narrowing of choices and tastes that are making the ultimate decisions," he says. "The number of gatekeepers is getting smaller."

While more potential outlets may exist, the need to establish a global brand limits the types of programs being put on the air.

"The narrowing focus of each of these brands means that if you have, say, a serious live-action show, you won't even try to sell it to Nickelodeon, because that's not their brand," says Scholastic's Forte. "As producers, you are forced to go to fewer people with a project because there are only a certain amount of buyers who are even going to entertain certain kinds of programming."

Wood says she is less worried about the outright bad programming then she is about corporate mentality.

"What you get when you have a world of corporate profits at stake, and lots of risk-averse people, is a rising tide of mediocrity," she says. "You have this sameness creeping in everywhere."

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