A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM DISNEY ABC KIDS NETWORKS

CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis: Kids!

02/07/06

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, February 7, 2006 and this is your first early morning Kids! briefing.

Citadel Broadcasting has acquired ABC Radio from The Walt Disney Company for a price tag valued at about $2.7 billion.  Under the agreement Citadel will acquire most of Disney’s Radio holdings including 22 radio stations and the ABC Radio Networks.  Carved out of the agreement are ESPN Radio and Radio Disney which will remain part of Disney.  The new company will be named Citadel Communications and Citadel’s CEO, Farid Suleman serve as its CEO.  Expected to be completed by years end, the deal will make Citadel the third largest radio group in the US, with 177 FM stations and 66 AM stations in major markets, in addition to the ABC Radio Networks.  According to the terms of the deal, 14 FM and 8 AM radio stations in nine major markets, including NY, LA, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas, will join Citadel Communications.

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Bardel Entertainment and TV Ontario have joined together to develop Anton’s World (26 x 22 min), an animated comedy series and based on Bardel’s Christmas special, The Christmas Orange.  Targeted to K6-9 Anton’s World revolves around a smart kid with lots of ideas and plans, who is surprised when the world doesn’t see things as he does.  Both Anton’s World and The Christmas Orange were inspired by Don Gilmour book The Christmas Orange, which features illustrations by Marie-Louise Gay.

As part of its quarterly earnings report yesterday, Disney revealed that Toy Story 3 is indeed not off, per Bloomberg News.  Robert Iger reportedly said that Disney plans to release two Pixar feature films annually and that Pixar will assume production of Toy Story 3.

MORE KIDS STUFF

Teen Kids News celebrates Black History Month this February with special reports including those on The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and school, Baseball’s Negro League, a Slavery Exhibit in NYC, and African Art.  Check local listings.

BBC Magazines will launch CBeebies Weekly, a new preschool magazine with the first edition available March 22, 2006.  CBeebies Weekly joins the ranks of nine other preschool magazine titles from BBC Worldwide’s BBC Magazine.

In the meantime Disney Worldwide Publishing launches Wondertime, a new magazine targeted to parents of infants up to age 6. The edition launches next week and will be a quarterly title; with plans to increase to 6 editions next year, and more thereafter.  Wondertime will aim to break away from the content of other parenting magazines and instead focus on providing parents with educational information about how kids learn and see the world, as well as ways to incorporate learning activities (e.g. sorting, counting, colors etc) into daily chores, social interactions etc.  No doubt parenting styles and differences (read discipline) will be a topic that will be ongoing, given the nature of education-minded parents. Wondertime follows the recent launch of Cookie Magazine, Fairchild Publishing’s new parenting magazine, targeted to upscale, fashion-minded parents 25-45 yrs-old.

Adding to the myriad iPod accessories out there is a slightly different offering from Corgi. Next fall Corgi will introduce its iCar, featuring a speaker, flashing colored lights and it bounces up and down to the music when an iPod, or any MP3 or CD player, stereo or PC are connected.  The iCar will be available in one of two scale replicas – either the Cadillac Escalade or Nissan 240SX.  Each model has its own set of adaptable accessories including spinner wheels, graphics and chrome accessories etc.  And for the consumer who just wants to listen to music without all of the bells and whistles, so to speak, there is a mode for that option too.

MARKETING/LICENSING

BBC Worldwide has a raft of news for its series Charlie and Lola, Little Robots and the Teletubbies:

• BBC Worldwide will grow Tiger Aspect‘s preschool series Charlie and Lola in the US through a range of new licensees and products.  Penguin Young Readers Group has released series-based books, with a full line rolling out from July 2006, on the Dial or Grosset & Dunlap imprints.  BBC Video‘s two DVD titles will be distributed by Warner Home Video in North America/August 2006.  The Wildflower Group, the licensing agent for the series has inked deals with: Roger la Borde-greeting cards, stationery/spring 2006; Worldwide Dreams LLC-backpacks, handbags & luggage/fall 2006; Dan River Inc.-bedding & bath products/spring 2007.  Based on Lauren Child’s books, Charlie & Lola airs in the US on Playhouse Disney.
• BBC Worldwide and Fox Home Entertainment entered into a partnership under which Fox will serve as the DVD/VHS distributor for the animated Little Robots series in the US and Canada.  The first two Little Robots titles will be released in late 2006.  Little Robots debuted on Tickle U (M-F 9-11a), Cartoon Network’s preschool programming block, as short form programming (52 x 10 min) and was recently reconfigured to air as a 30 min series on Tickle U as of January 17.
• Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the Teletubbies.  Celebratory plans in advance for 2007:  BBC Worldwide has renewed Tomy‘s master toy licence for Europe for another three years, ending December 2008, which includes distribution in the UK, Ireland, France and Belgium and global manufacturing rights (excepting in North America) for plush and pre-school plastics toys; the Teletubbies are also getting a make-over to reflect fashion trends; a trade marketing campaign is being planned for 2007.

Big plans for the Shortcake in 2006 – Strawberry Shortcake that is – with the release of several DVD/VHS titles from Fox Home Entertainment including the World of Friends title available beginning today.  Also slated to bow this year is a TV premiere and a feature film titled Sweet Dreams as well as Playmates Toys new line of Strawberry Shortcake dolls and toys beginning this spring.  Finally a series of branded merchandise will be available at retail this year from master apparel licensee Children’s Apparel Network and others.  Since its re-introduction the brand’s total retail sales are some $1m (2003-2005).  DIC Entertainment is the worldwide licensing agent for the Strawberry Shortcake brand, which is owned by American Greetings.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

BBC announced new appointments in the leadership of Children’s BBC’s programming, including naming Richard Deverell as the new Controller.  Richard joined the company last year as COO/CBBC and recently has been acting as Controller/Children’s; previously he was Head/Interactive News for the BBC.  Anne Gilchrist has been named to the newly created role of Creative Director/CBBC.  She will be responsible for all content for the CBBC channel, overseeing editorial for CBBC online site and responsibility for kid’s programming on BBC One and BBC Two.  She was Executive Editor Independents & Events/CBBC, and previously served as Head of Entertainment/CBBC.  Gilchrist will report to Deverell.

Tanya Haider has been upped to SVP/Nickelodeon & Viacom International Consumer Products.  Prior to this Haider was VP/Nickelodeon & Viacom International Consumer Products.  Haider is credited with establishing merchandising operations in China and Japan.

RATINGS

Kids Cable Network Averages in thousands (000) for Friday, February 3, 2006, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:            K2-11 1248; K6-11   554; TWEENS 9-14 369
DISNEY CHANNEL:       K2-11   908; K6-11   564; TWEENS 9-14 446
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   716; K6-11   433; TWEENS 9-14 312
TOON DISNEY:              K2-11   126; K6-11     64; TWEENS 9-14   47
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Answer to Yesterday’s trivia question: This ’70s children show focused on a  rock-n-roll band with bug wings, who lived in a magical forest and always on the run from Benita Bizarre. What Show was this?  BUGALOOS  Kudos to: Anne Groben-Tic Toc/Dallas; Dan Whitford-RPA/Chicago
 
Today’s Trivia Question: Who was required to memorize the KAOS code?( click here with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: Only the second four correct answers from each time zone will be mentioned; and once you’ve been mentioned in any of the Cynopsis editions, you can’t be mentioned again that calendar week.)

Later — Gwen
Gwen Billings for Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis Kids!
02.07.06 – 3:43a
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