57 Channels and Nothing On

A local radio station (93.9) is changing formats, it was a retro (80's) station, which I liked. It is changing formats on Friday but until then it is giving us TV Heads a treat, 24 hour, commercial free TV Theme Songs. From the dawn of TV to the current season, nothing is taboo.

Driving into work today I listened to it for the entire 30 minute drive. I heard all sorts of songs from my past, many I had forgotten and others still banging around in my head today. I knew the words (if there were some) to everyone I heard. No and not the easies like Addamms Family and Mr. Ed but I am talking Greatest American Hero, Sigmund the Sea Monster, and WonderBug.

As I was listening I began to think about what my son has to watch on Saturday mornings, and that is pretty much NOTHING!!! What has happened to the Saturday Morning Cartoon??? I remember the networks gearing up for our viewership, comic books carried ads for the new Cartoon Season, TV guide did a cover story and the school yard was filled with anticipation for the newest cartoon to hit Saturday. Would WWF Superstars payoff, can the Smurfs continue to dominate the airwaves, are we old enough to start getting the HR Puffnstuff jokes???? Today my kid has Japanese Imports to watch and some Discovery Channel kid shows. Are cereal sales and toy product placement not important to advertisers anymore. When my son talks to his boy about his Saturday mornings as a kid will he half remember some Pokemon cartoon and Survivor Kids????? Land of the Lost, Underdog, The Invincibles, Scooby-Doo, Mr. T and the T Team, The Hair Bears, Johnny Quest, Godzilla, Speed Buggy, The Kroft Super Show, The Far Out Space Nuts, Wonder Bug and The Laff-A-Lympics. Sure not all cartoons, but Saturday morning fair all the way. Wake up at 6am, grab the first bowl of Cereal and flop onto your bean bag chair (we just called them Bean Bags) and actually get up to change the channel. Now THAT is Saturday Morning.

When I got into work and told my co-workers about the radio station they groaned. We didn't know what was sadder, that I listened to it the whole way down or that I knew every song. God bless you, brain cells I didn't kill with beer!!!!