"Disney" channel? I don't think so...

[Ian]

Out of curiosity though, what is your idea of adult-oriented Disney fare? Different than what you can find on the Travel Channel or Food Network?

Yeah, yeah I'm thinking like retro Disney stuff ... old MMC reruns, maybe some of the stuff they've released in the DVD sets, like the old Disneyland T.V. show ... some of the old theme park specials ... stuff like that.

Edited to add ...

I don't want to in any way come across like I'm being critical of the Disney Channel, by the way. I like it as-is, for the most part, and I know it's a huge success for Disney. Considering how badly it was foundering there for awhile, I'm very happy with its current condition.

[Altair]

You would think someone there in programming would say, "Hey look, here's thirty-three years worth of a show called 'The Wonderful World of Color' and it's hosted by some dude with the same name as our channel", and then find one hour out of the week and put in on the schedule.

[WDWFREAK101]

I do agree with you that Disney Channel keeps playing Zach and Cody and Hannah Montanna 80% of the day. I do like these shows (Except Hannah Montanna) and i do agree that they don't have enough shows relating to Disney. I do miss the WDW inside and out shows. Hopefully some other shows about Disney itself will come onto the broadcasting schedule

[PirateLover]

No one is suggesting that Disney Channel run horror films overnight or anything. But they could run more adult-oriented Disney fare. Seems to me they get better ratings. I gotta believe the number of Disney dweebs out there outnumbers the number of sick kids up at 2AM watching Hannah Montana reruns.

Exactly.

Just to clarify, my position is this thread istwo-fold.

When talking about the quality of the original programming, I do think it is lacking. I do not have a problem with wholesome children's programming and I think I gave plenty of examples earlier of programs I've enjoyed even when I was outside of the target audience. I am happy that all of your kids like these programs but I honestly think Disney can do better. Obviously they don't have to because they are selling product like crazy but that is my opinion.

Second, I do think there can be a few hours set aside for programming that would appeal to a wider audience. Starting at 10pm tonight we have That's So Raven, Life With Derek, Suite Life, Hannah Montana, Kim Possible, Emperor's New School. American Dragon... you get the picture.

Why wouldn't today's generation like Old Yeller, Davy Crockett, Five Mile Creek, Mickey Mouse Club, Zorro, Spin & Marty, Walt Disney World Inside Out, Dumbo's Circus, Pooh Corner, Disney's nature specials, etc? And how about playing some of the movies that you can't even purchase on DVD anymore because they are locked in the Vault?

Disney himself once said
"You’re dead if you aim only for kids."
I am not asking for an overhaul of the station but it wouldn't hurt them to throw on some classic programming every now and then...

ETA- Just wanted to say I doubt this change will take place because most of the classic stuff is available on DVD and I'm sure they figure us adults have money and will buy the sets so why should they show them on TV for free (well, basic cable) when they can get more revenue from sales.

[Ian]

When talking about the quality of the original programming, I do think it is lacking. I do not have a problem with wholesome children's programming and I think I gave plenty of examples earlier of programs I've enjoyed even when I was outside of the target audience. I am happy that all of your kids like these programs but I honestly think Disney can do better ... Why wouldn't today's generation like Old Yeller, Davy Crockett, Five Mile Creek, Mickey Mouse Club, Zorro, Spin & Marty, Walt Disney World Inside Out, Dumbo's Circus, Pooh Corner, Disney's nature specials, etc?

Hmmm ... I hate to say this ... but you may be suffering from that dreaded disease known as "getting older" ...

I feel that way sometimes too. Why don't kids today watch Bugs Bunny or Hong Kong Phooey or the Grape Ape??

Because ... they don't. Just like we had our own shows when we were kids (which you already mentioned) this generation has their own shows.

And just like when we were kids, our parents probably thought the shows from their generation were "much better" than ours. I think it's because you see shows differently as an adult than you do when you're a kid. Trust me ... my DD does not watch Suite Life through the same eyes you do. And your parents didn't watch Gummi Bears through the same eyes you did, either.

Personally, I'm very happy with the Disney Channel's programming for kids. It's pretty benign and I never really worry (for the most part) that DD will see something she shouldn't.

It could be worse ... they could be watching Nickleodeon ... home of Sponge Bob and the Naked Brothers Band.

[offwego]

I have to agree with many who say the programming is hitting it's target tween's with Zach & Cody, Raven, Hannah & Cody in the house etc. My DS loves this type of stuff (and even though ours in Canada is "family channel" I love the no commercials!) It can get repetitve but lets face that happened with cartoons in the time frame when I was a kid as well.

As to yesteryear faves being hits today. It's rare even things like transformers/powerrangers etc are "redone" so the appeal is still "fresh" (albeit not if you remember the first ones). I also like the diversity that you see in some of the newer programs that our old faves wouldn't always offer.

[alphamommy]

My problem with the Disney Channel is that there's nothing for kids the age of my daughter (almost 8). The Playhouse Disney shows are aimed at preschoolers, and the afternoon shows are a little old for her - the one time she watched "The Suite Life..." she got scared, which is really unusual.

I would like to see something after school that's a little less grown up. Maybe I'm just overprotective, but I'm not ready for "Raven" and "Hannah Montana" yet.

[PirateLover]

Hmmm ... I hate to say this ... but you may be suffering from that dreaded disease known as "getting older" ...

I feel that way sometimes too. Why don't kids today watch Bugs Bunny or Hong Kong Phooey or the Grape Ape??

Because ... they don't. Just like we had our own shows when we were kids (which you already mentioned) this generation has their own shows.

I know every generation has their own shows. My mom wasn't particularly fond of Salute Your Shorts but she did like Clarissa Explains it all and Hey Dude (Nickelodeon shows). But many of the shows I listed were from the 50s/ 60s yet I still enjoyed them growing up in the late 80s/90s. I'm not asking them to play that stuff all day by any means. But they could throw on a couple of shows at night, that's all I'm saying. And as far as the cartoons you listed... They played them all the time on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon a decade ago and loved them as much as I'm sure your generation did. Heck I'm a huge Rocky and Bullwinkle fan. But somewhere along the line it all got phased out or they lost the rights or something. Oh well...

[caryrae]

Yes it good to have these nice shows on for kids and tweens but why 24 hours 7 days a week? I don't remember having a channel that had kids shows/cartoons on all day and night. I remember saturday morning was the big time for kids shows, then that was it, we actually had to play outside after they were done. The problem is there is to much for kids to watch and play in front of the TV these days. A few hours a night when all kids should be sleeping should be just fine. They don't need these kids shows on from 9pm to 6am. How many 4-16 year olds are up at that time compared to how many adults are up at that time? I don't know I just don't see the reasoning on have these youngs kids shows on in the middle of the night.

I think it's funny how my BIL and SIL know all the kids shows and almost memorized them. That just shows they are watching to much TV when they should be outside or doing something creative inside. It is just way to easy now to plop our kids infront of the tube to keep them quite and happy for a while.

[Disneyatic]

That just shows they are watching to much TV when they should be outside or doing something creative inside. It is just way to easy now to plop our kids infront of the tube to keep them quite and happy for a while.

I know that this quote was not directed to anyone in particular, but I have to comment...
I don't plop my daughter down in front of the TV to keep her quiet, she enjoys the shows and the downtime.
Today's environment is so different from even 15 years ago, it isn't as easy to play outside as it used to be. Also, IMO parents and families seem much busier now and kids don't get the downtime that they used to.
I do remember the days when I was a kid and we didn't have cable and we all waited for Saturday morning to FINALLY get to watch cartoons, but that was also a time when after school we could go outside by ourselves and play until it started getting dark and we heard the whistle and had to come back inside.
I can't even imagine letting my daughter do this today!
I think that the TV channels and show offerings have adapted to accomodate the shift in what kids can/enjoy doing.

[caryrae]

I know that this quote was not directed to anyone in particular, but I have to comment...
I don't plop my daughter down in front of the TV to keep her quiet, she enjoys the shows and the downtime.
Today's environment is so different from even 15 years ago, it isn't as easy to play outside as it used to be. Also, IMO parents and families seem much busier now and kids don't get the downtime that they used to.
I do remember the days when I was a kid and we didn't have cable and we all waited for Saturday morning to FINALLY get to watch cartoons, but that was also a time when after school we could go outside by ourselves and play until it started getting dark and we heard the whistle and had to come back inside.
I can't even imagine letting my daughter do this today!
I think that the TV channels and show offerings have adapted to accomodate the shift in what kids can/enjoy doing.

I do agree that it's not as safe to leave kids alone outside these days alot of places. I guess I said that because where I live kids run around all day without adults watching, it's pretty safe around here. Same with my DS & BIL there kids go and play with the kids in the neighborhood by themselves. I also know a few people who, when there kids are getting fussy, instead of playing with them or go outside with them, they will pop in a DVD to keep them entertained.

[Disneyatic]

We live in Fort Worth, TX and I think it is so sad that our children can't go out and play like we used to be able to. We don't even let our daughter go play in the backyard without one of us out there with her.
I think that because of this, kids get enrolled in so many extra activities, kickball, dance, piano, scouts, other sports that they are just constantly busy and sitting down to watch TV is their downtime.
The generational changes are very interesting (and sometimes scary!) and it will be interesting to see what our children's children are faced with.

Back to the original topic, isn't it amazing how long Scooby Doo has survived? You can almost always turn on the TV and find a Scooby Doo cartoon or movie somewhere! I much prefer this over Suite Life and thankfully DD likes Scooby so we can change up the routine occasionally!

I also saw Batman and Superman on Toon Disney last night and thought that was odd, aren't they Warner Bros?

[alphamommy]

Back to the original topic, isn't it amazing how long Scooby Doo has survived? You can almost always turn on the TV and find a Scooby Doo cartoon or movie somewhere! I much prefer this over Suite Life and thankfully DD likes Scooby so we can change up the routine occasionally!

DD is ADDICTED to Tom & Jerry. She also loves Scooby Doo. I wish someone (wouldn't be Disney) would show Bugs Bunny and co. on a regular basis. It seems that they are on Boomerang occassionally, but I wish it was more reliably scheduled. I think she's love that, too.

I agree with those who would love a Disney Classics channel. I miss WWofC/D!

[Ian]

I do agree that it's not as safe to leave kids alone outside these days alot of places.

We live in Fort Worth, TX and I think it is so sad that our children can't go out and play like we used to be able to. We don't even let our daughter go play in the backyard without one of us out there with her.

I'm curious as to why you both feel this way? Statistics conclusively prove that children are at no greater risk today for abduction or any other type of crime than they were in past generations.

In fact, when you consider the increased focus and seriousness with which these crimes are treated and reported, the stats show that they're actually more likely decreasing.

I find it troublesome that so many parents seem to feel like their kids are under siege. It's a myth ... it only feels that way, because we have such a hyper-active media these days. I routinely open my front door and shoo my DD out to play and I don't worry about a thing.

I've lived in my general area for almost 35 years, to the best of my knowledge, we haven't had one single crime committed against a child (by a stranger) in that entire time period.

Read Last Child in the Woods ....

I wish someone (wouldn't be Disney) would show Bugs Bunny and co. on a regular basis.

Bugs's problem is that he's been shoved into a closet by the PC crowd, because so many of his cartoons are violent or possibly could be considered "insensitive" to certain groups.

I was actually shocked they released them un-edited on DVD.

[Disneyatic]

I agree that the sensationalized media probably has a large part in the fear that we as parents have with letting our children play alone.
Regardless of that, I still don't and won't ever feel safe letting her play outdoors without adult supervision. It makes me sad that she won't be able to get the same experiences that we did as kids when we would go out in the moring and play all day until we had to come in, but it keeps us active because we are always outside with her. I respect the statistics, but I can think of at least 3 high profile child abduction cases in recent years in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I never pegged myself for an overprotective parent, but maybe I am!?

[Disney Babe]

On the subject of the lack of variety on the Disney Channel, I have noticed similar threads from time to time. Most often people agree that, while the current programming is good for tweens, Disney has so much more to offer and the viewers are being cheated. Does anyone know if corporate has actually paid attention to this issue? You would think they would be aware that on Disney discussion boards this is a common complaint. Do they just ignore what people want? Or do we need to do more than just discuss these things on-line? For example, if as adults we are not satisfied with what is offered shouldn't we write to the folks at the Disney Channel? I know it can kind of seem like a situation of "Why would they care?" But wouldn't it make sense to complain to the source of the problem? I think it would be fantastic if fans could actually change something like this.

[NotaGeek]

On the subject of the lack of variety on the Disney Channel, I have noticed similar threads from time to time. Most often people agree that, while the current programming is good for tweens, Disney has so much more to offer and the viewers are being cheated. Does anyone know if corporate has actually paid attention to this issue? You would think they would be aware that on Disney discussion boards this is a common complaint. Do they just ignore what people want? Or do we need to do more than just discuss these things on-line? For example, if as adults we are not satisfied with what is offered shouldn't we write to the folks at the Disney Channel? I know it can kind of seem like a situation of "Why would they care?" But wouldn't it make sense to complain to the source of the problem? I think it would be fantastic if fans could actually change something like this.

I think that Disney makes LOTS of money on the 'tweens. For instance ... Hannah Montana sold out all her concerts in 15 seconds. I think that there is always the option to write Disney and let them know that older folk would love to visit memory land with the old-school Disney stuff, but I doubt that will bring much money to the network/company. When the Disney Channel first started out isn't that what they had? I know we didn't get it because my parents wouldn't pay the extra money it cost as a premium channel.

[drummerboy]

I have DVDs of old Disney cartoons like Rescue Rangers, DuckTales, Darkwing Duck... I remember watching MMC, Kids Incorporated, Under the Umbrella Tree, Flash Forward. I even liked Bug Juice, Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens and they were at popularity height when I was in high school, definitely out of the target age.

Just like we had things that were "Disney" to us when we were younger, the network as it stands today is "Disney" to this generation. Adults are not in the demographic.

Out of curiosity though, what is your idea of adult-oriented Disney fare? Different than what you can find on the Travel Channel or Food Network?

My guess is that he's referring to the "classic" Disney you mentioned earlier, Mel. In the meantime, this old boy is laughing at the description of Rescue Rangers, Duck Tales, and the like being "old" Disney. I can remember watching the original black and white Mickey Mouse Club shows when they first came out.

[tennantsrwe]

I LOVE the gummi bear quote, hadn't thought of that in for ever! It does seem like tween programing has taken over. But then again, that is the demographic Disney is after. So I guess their marketing and promotion department is happy. I have a 10 year old DD who loves all of it. I'm actually thankful there are still some wholesome shows on TV for the tweens to watch! I'd much rather indure Hannah Montana for the 100 time than her watching Britney and Kevin CHAOTIC, lol. Guess it's the sacrifice we make, huh?

[caryrae]

What I still don't understand, why do they need the same kids shows on from like 9pm to 6 or 7am. I can't imagine there are many if any kids up in the middle of the night unless maybe they are sick. Can't they make late evening tailored more to adults with some classic shows/movies?

I guess my big question is why do they need the same shows on 24 hours a day?