ABC Kids' new Lineup to Premiere Saturday, September 9

[KyL416]

ABC KIDS' NEW LINEUP TO PREMIERE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK
 
Popular Disney Channel Series "Hannah Montana" And New Animated Series "The Replacements" Join Schedule
 
Disney Channel's hit series "Hannah Montana" and the animated comedy "The Replacements" will join ABC Kids' new Saturday morning lineup, premiering SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 (9:00am - 1:00pm ET / 8:00am - 12:00pm PT) on the ABC Television Network. Across basic cable, "Hannah Montana" is the No. 1 series of the year-to-date with Kids 6-11 and Tweens, and among all broadcast TV ranks No. 2 behind "American Idol" with Kids 6-11. "The Replacements," from Walt Disney Television Animation, will premiere Friday, September 8 on Disney Channel.

In addition to "Hannah Montana" and "The Replacements," an hour block of the hit Disney Channel Original Series "That's So Raven," with new-to-ABC Kids broadcast episodes, as well as the 14th edition of the popular Jetix action/adventure hit, "Power Rangers Mystic Force," will air on ABC Kids. Rounding out the Saturday morning schedule are "The Emperor's New School" and "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody."

The ABC Kids' new fall schedule is as follows (times may vary):
9:00am ET/8:00am PT "The Emperor's New School"
9:30am ET/8:30am PT "The Replacements"
10:00am ET/9:00am PT "That's So Raven"
10:30am ET/9:30am PT "That's So Raven"
11:00am ET/10:00am PT "Hannah Montana"
11:30am ET/10:30am PT "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody"
12:00pm ET/11:00am PT "Power Rangers Mystic Force"
12:30pm ET/11:30am PT "Power Rangers Mystic Force"

"The Emperor's New School" (9:00am ET/8:00am PT) follows the comedic antics of teenage Kuzco, a self-centered yet lovable wise guy. He's also first in line to be emperor, but before he can officially claim the throne, he must return and somehow graduate school. The stories are narrated by Kuzco, whose biggest obstacle is the evil Yzma and her dimwitted yet good-natured sidekick, Kronk, who are both determined to make Kuzco fail. While pursuing his diploma, Kuzco is banished from the royal palace and forced to live with commoner Pacha, his wife, Chica, and their family. Despite their sometimes turbulent relationship, Pacha is like a father to him, while Kuzco relies on his friend (and biggest crush), Malina, to help him navigate schoolwork.

"The Replacements" (9:30am ET/8:30am PT) revolves around the fun-loving antics of an unconventional family and the wish fulfillment of kids having the ability to change adults. It introduces sister and younger brother Riley and Todd, orphans until they answer an ad for Fleemco Replacement People and order themselves two "cool" parents. Soon their new "mom," Agent K, a British super-spy and their new "dad," renowned stuntman Dick Daring, arrive. These four, along with C.A.R.T.E.R., Agent K's super-intelligent, super-sarcastic talking spy car, form a crazy, loving family. However Riley and Todd aren't through with Fleemco -- the company has given them special cell phones that allow the kids to call in anytime and replace any adult they know! But there are consequences attached whenever they do. The voice cast includes Nancy Cartwright ("The Simpsons," "Kim Possible") as Todd, Grey Delisle ("Fairly Odd Parents") as older sister Riley, Kath Soucie ("Pooh's Heffalump Movie") as Agent K, Daran Norris as Dick Daring and David McCallum as CAR. The series was created by acclaimed children's author and illustrator Dan Santat ("The Guild of Geniuses"). The executive producer is Jack Thomas ("Fairly Odd Parents"), and Heather Martinez ("SpongeBob SquarePants," "Fairly Odd Parents") is the director. The series is a production of Walt Disney Television Animation.

"That's So Raven" (10:00am & 10:30am ET/9:00am & 9:30am PT) is a hit live-action situation comedy starring Raven-Symone ("The Cosby Show," "The Cheetah Girls") as Raven Baxter, a winsome teen whose ability to glimpse flashes of the future often gets her into hot water. Also starring are Orlando Brown, Anneliese van der Pol, Rondell Sheridan and Kyle Massey.

"Hannah Montana" (11:00am ET/10:00am PT) is a live-action comedy series that follows typical tween Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), who lives with her older brother and widowed dad, a songwriter (Billy Ray Cyrus). But unbeknownst to her friends and classmates, Miley has a secret double life - she is the world famous pop star Hannah Montana. Combining a stage persona with creative costuming, Miley discovers she can have the best of both worlds - the fame and fortune of a well-known singer and the fun of middle school with her best friends, Lilly (Emily Osment) and Oliver (Mitchel Musso), whom she has entrusted with her secret identity.

"The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" (11:30am ET/10:30am PT) stars identical twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse ("Big Daddy," "Friends"), Ashley Tisdale (Disney Channel's "High School Musical") and Brenda Song (Disney Channel's "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior"). The comedy centers on 12-year-old twins whose lives change when their single mom, Carey (Kim Rhodes), gets a job as the headlining singer at The Tipton, Boston's swankiest hotel, and as part of her contract, an upper floor suite in which they all now live.

"Power Rangers Mystic Force" (12:00pm & 12:30pm ET/11:00am & 11:30am PT) is set on present-day Earth, where five teenagers gifted with uniquely different powers, must lock forces to join two different worlds that have been ravaged by fear and ignorance. Together with a little bit of magic and sorcery, the Mystic Rangers must fight to save a scared city.

[jOHN Doe]

Is Power Rangers still doing well in ratings?  They've been in that same timeslot since like 2003.

[KyL416]

Yes, but ABC Kids is actually weeks behind the debut airings on Toon Disney, where it's the highest rated show on the channel, followed by the Kim Possible reruns at a close second. As for ABC Kids, the thing is since PR is not an E/I program, many affiliates time shift it to another time slot, (some don't air it at all including DC and Orlando) so it faces different competition in the markets that air it at a time that's different from the official network time slot so the ratings vary from market to market. The fact that its official time slot on the east coast only faces competition by Discovery Kids, also helps. This fall NBC's block will be focusing on pre-school programming, so it might give it a better rating since the block that had a similar target will no longer exist.

All stations are required to air at least 3 hours of E/I (Educational/Informational) programming a week. Kim Possible, which is no longer on the schedule, and Power Rangers don't qualify as E/I so they are at the end of the block for convenience to those stubborn affiliates who wish to drop it all together, or those who wish to put it at rediculous times like 2:00am Monday morning (*cough*WCVB*cough*).

Even TBS, which is actually WTBS/17 from Atlanta, has this rule, which is why you see countless reruns of Saved by the Bell in the mornings. (The original Saved by the Bell qualifies, but the College Years doesn't.)