Television networks preceding ABC Family
Encyclopedia
The cable television network ABC Family
has gone through several different owners during its history. Stipulations in sales terms for the network require that the network maintain the word "Family" in its name.
on April 29, 1977 as the CBN Satellite Service, an arm of his Christian Broadcasting Network
. It was the first satellite-launched basic-cable network. The network offered only Christian television programs when it first began. The offerings included The 700 Club
three times a day along with many well known and lesser-known television evangelists. As a result, a few teleevangelists
began making Monday-through-Friday programs. The CBN Satellite Service grew to 10.9 million homes by May 1981.
In September 1981, the network relaunched as CBN Cable Network, a "family-friendly" entertainment network. The network continued to offer religious shows about a third of the day. The entertainment shows included classic sitcoms from the 1950s, westerns, reruns of game shows, old movies, and some family drama shows, as well as a handful of Christian or family-friendly animation series (including some anime
, such as CBN's own co-productions with Tatsunoko Production
in Japan, Superbook
and The Flying House
). Under the new format, the CBN Cable Network grew from 28 million households in May 1985, to 35.8 million in May 1987.
On August 1, 1988, the word "Family
" was incorporated into the name to better reflect the format, becoming The CBN Family Channel. Commercials were changed as well, showing "Family Moments" such as a family playing checkers, a grandfather bonding with his grandson, and a woman hugging her husband on her wedding day.
By 1990, the network had grown too profitable to remain under the CBN banner without endangering CBN's non-profit status. CBN spun it off to a new company called International Family Entertainment Inc. (run by Robertson's son, Tim, and operated as a joint venture between the Robertson family and Denver-based cable television provider Tele-Communications Inc.
), and the name was changed to simply The Family Channel on September 15, 1990; as a stipulation of the sale to International Family Entertainment, the channel was required to continue to carry The 700 Club
(a stipulation that Pat Robertson also imposed when the channel was sold to News Corporation in 1998 and then to The Walt Disney Company in 2001). The network gained more visibility when, for several years in the mid-1990s, it was the primary sponsor of Ted Musgrave
's #16 Ford in the NASCAR
Winston Cup Series
. At that point, the 1950s sitcoms and westerns were scaled back for more recent drama shows as well as cartoons and (later) game shows (with a mix of both original programming, like Trivial Pursuit
and Shop 'til You Drop
and reruns of older programming like Jim Lange's Name That Tune
and Let's Make a Deal
).
In fact, the game show block consisted of the games listed above and also the later era of Split Second and other shows especially produced for the channel such as Shopping Spree
, Small Talk, Wait 'til You Have Kids
and a revival of It Takes Two
, hosted by Dick Clark.
By the early 1990s, it was seen in 47.6 million households. As The Family Channel, it attracted an older audience not sought by advertisers; only about one-third of homes watching the network included children or youth. In 1993, a UK version of the channel launched, eventually turning into a network dedicated to game show
s known as Challenge. In addition, The Family Channel attempted a spinoff called The Game Channel, an interactive game show-oriented channel which was set to launch that same year (International Family Entertainment launched another cable channel the following year with Cable Health Club
, later renamed FitTV). The logo was a blue ring with "The" written on the top and "Channel" at the bottom and on it is the word "Family" written in a script font and its color was a blending yellow and red color.
The Family Channel was sold to Fox Kids Worldwide Inc in July 1997, and Fox Kids Worldwide Inc was renamed Fox Family Worldwide Inc. The Family Channel was renamed to Fox Family Channel on August 15, 1998 at 12 p.m. at the same time MTM Enterprises
was sold to 20th Century Fox Film Corporation.
The 700 Club was scaled back to twice a day (though the sale agreement required the channel to air it three times daily, once each in the morning, late evening and overnight hours), with the evening broadcast being moved out of primetime, pushed an hour later to 11 p.m. ET from 10 p.m. Columbo was moved from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. More cartoons were added to the lineup, many of which were from the Fox Kids
library. The network was running about 8 hours of cartoons a day. However, Fox Family also became a cornerstone for syndicating foreign TV series, such as the popular British S Club 7 TV series, which became their flagship series for the channel until the new millennium. The channel also syndicated many Canadian
TV series, both animated and live action, including Angela Anaconda
, Big Wolf on Campus
, I Was a 6th Grade Alien
, Mega Babies
, and briefly, The Zack Files
. They even showed cartoons and anime based on video games, such as Donkey Kong Country
, Megaman
, and Monster Rancher
. Most of these were a part of the channel's morning line-up, which also included the original series, The Great Pretenders
. The company aired reruns of some of Fox Kids
's shows such as Bobby's World
, Eek! The Cat
, and Life with Louie
. They also added some recent family sitcoms as well, along with European shorts like Tom And Vicky, Animal Shelf
& 64 Zoo Lane
. When Fox bought the channel in 1997, programmers sought a new dual audience — kids in daytime, families at night.
In 1999, Fox tried to spin off two digital cable
networks from Fox Family, the Boyz Channel and the Girlz Channel, which both contained content focusing on each sex; both networks went off the air a year later due to lack of demand (they were carried in some 100,000 homes in an era when digital cable was new, obscure, and rare) and the controversy that developed over the sex-segregated channels. To a point, Disney is attempting to relaunch the concept somewhat in February 2009 with the conversion of Toon Disney
into the tween boy-targeting Disney XD, while continuing to push Disney Channel
towards an all-girls focus.
games, usually on Thursday or Saturday nights, alternating with sister network FX
. Starting with the 2001 season, the network also showed games from the first round of the playoffs, the Division Series
, which did not air on Fox
.
Among the games that aired on Fox Family was the San Francisco Giants
at Houston Astros
on October 4, 2001
. That night, Barry Bonds
hit his 70th home run
of the season, which tied the all-time single season record that Mark McGwire
had set only three years earlier
(Bonds broke the record the next night).
aired twice every weekday; live at 10 a.m. Eastern, then repeated at 11 p.m. Eastern. It also aired occasional weekend-long CBN telethons as part of the deal (and continues to do so in the ABC Family era).
, which was shown in its inauguration of the channel, and compiled the episodes from the Digimon TV series to create Digimon: The Movie
. For a more teen audience they created Ice Angel
, a TV movie about a hockey player reborn as a woman synchronized skater, as well as Don't Look Behind You
. Fox Family also aired they wide array of Saban made movies as well as airing many direct-to-video
20th Century Fox
films, including Richie Rich's Christmas Wish
, Casper: A Spirited Beginning
, and Like Father, Like Santa
.
In August 1999, the channel had the highest number of viewers at that point in its network history, with the TV movie Au Pair
.
and some new movies, like Casper Meets Wendy
. ABC changed the name to The 13 Nights of Halloween
in 2002. A few years later, the new live-action Scooby-Doo
film became part of its annual Halloween lineup. This continues to be one of the most successful programming blocks to date for the current channel, ABC Family.
In 2000, Fox Family adopted a new visual style in an attempt to attract an older audience and began to feature some original and acquired programming aimed at adults, but was still family-friendly. They bought the syndication rights to the CBS
TV series Early Edition
, two ABC
series: My So-Called Life
and Step by Step (which aired on ABC Family till March 2010). The channel also acquired the NBC
TV Series Freaks and Geeks
, including episodes that were unaired, and more "romantic comedy" themed original movies. Keeping kids and families in mind, they introduced the show State of Grace
and the Fox Family's Summer High School Countdown programming block for teens (which introduced the Swedish singing group Play). However, the idea was unsuccessful, as a year later, Fox Family was sold to Disney
, and State of Grace was only kept for one more season.
ratings
declined 35% in the past three years. It is also suggested that Fox hired more employees than they needed, and when Disney took over, as many as 500 were laid off (This was also a time when Disney itself was downsizing, with 400 others laid off from its failed Go Network) but Fox Family also used many freelancers for certain aspects of the channel, such as their short-lived "block jocks" and most of the monikers for the network were created by freelance artists. However, the Disney acquisition took the channel into a deeper demise in its early years.
for $
2.9 billion. The sale to Disney included Saban Entertainment. On October 24, 2001, the sale was completed. The remaining Fox Kids shows that Family aired were broadcast under the Jetix
action banner, but in November 2001 the Family name was changed to ABC Family (the visual style that Fox Family used in its' last days was modified for ABC Family in the meantime, including music, but programming and announcers were changed), and the Jetix action banner was present until their final airing on August 31, 2006 when they were moved to Toon Disney
, beginning September 2, 2006. ABC Family also inherited the Fox Family baseball playoff coverage with the telecasts being produced by sister network ESPN
, who took over the rights to the package beginning in 2001. However, ABC Family still airs The 700 Club every weekday (as the brand "Family" remains owned by CBN), with subsequent repeats at 11 p.m. ET, as a condition of the sale to Disney. The network now runs family movies, 1990s family sitcoms, teen shows, and some drama shows.
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
has gone through several different owners during its history. Stipulations in sales terms for the network require that the network maintain the word "Family" in its name.
CBN Cable (Network)
The network was founded by Pat RobertsonPat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
on April 29, 1977 as the CBN Satellite Service, an arm of his Christian Broadcasting Network
Christian Broadcasting Network
The Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, is a fundamentalist Christian television broadcasting network in the United States. Its headquarters and main studios are in Virginia Beach, Virginia.-Background:...
. It was the first satellite-launched basic-cable network. The network offered only Christian television programs when it first began. The offerings included The 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
three times a day along with many well known and lesser-known television evangelists. As a result, a few teleevangelists
Televangelism
Televangelism is the use of television to communicate the Christian faith. The word is a portmanteau of television and evangelism and was coined by Time magazine. A “televangelist” is a Christian minister who devotes a large portion of his ministry to television broadcasting...
began making Monday-through-Friday programs. The CBN Satellite Service grew to 10.9 million homes by May 1981.
In September 1981, the network relaunched as CBN Cable Network, a "family-friendly" entertainment network. The network continued to offer religious shows about a third of the day. The entertainment shows included classic sitcoms from the 1950s, westerns, reruns of game shows, old movies, and some family drama shows, as well as a handful of Christian or family-friendly animation series (including some anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, such as CBN's own co-productions with Tatsunoko Production
Tatsunoko Production
, often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. Founded in October 1962 by acclaimed anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida along with his brothers Kenji and Toyoharu...
in Japan, Superbook
Superbook
Superbook, also known as , is an anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Productions in Japan in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States....
and The Flying House
The Flying House
The Flying House, full title , is a 52 episodes anime series produced by Tatsunoko Productions broadcast between April 1982 and March 1983 on TV Tokyo, and distributed by the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States. In 2010, the Christian Broadcasting Network made the 52 episodes...
). Under the new format, the CBN Cable Network grew from 28 million households in May 1985, to 35.8 million in May 1987.
The Family Channel
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
" was incorporated into the name to better reflect the format, becoming The CBN Family Channel. Commercials were changed as well, showing "Family Moments" such as a family playing checkers, a grandfather bonding with his grandson, and a woman hugging her husband on her wedding day.
By 1990, the network had grown too profitable to remain under the CBN banner without endangering CBN's non-profit status. CBN spun it off to a new company called International Family Entertainment Inc. (run by Robertson's son, Tim, and operated as a joint venture between the Robertson family and Denver-based cable television provider Tele-Communications Inc.
Tele-Communications Inc.
Tele-Communications, Inc. or TCI was a cable television provider in the United States, for much of its history controlled by Bob Magness and John Malone....
), and the name was changed to simply The Family Channel on September 15, 1990; as a stipulation of the sale to International Family Entertainment, the channel was required to continue to carry The 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
(a stipulation that Pat Robertson also imposed when the channel was sold to News Corporation in 1998 and then to The Walt Disney Company in 2001). The network gained more visibility when, for several years in the mid-1990s, it was the primary sponsor of Ted Musgrave
Ted Musgrave
Theodore Musgrave is an American race car driver.-Pre-NASCAR:Musgrave's father, Elmer, was a famous short-track racer in the Midwest who raced for over 25 years at Soldier Field, O'Hare, Waukegan, and Wilmot, Wisconsin before moving into asphalt late models in the American Speed Association and...
's #16 Ford in the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Winston Cup Series
NEXTEL Cup
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing . The series was originally known as the Strictly Stock Series and Grand National Series . While leasing its naming rights to R. J...
. At that point, the 1950s sitcoms and westerns were scaled back for more recent drama shows as well as cartoons and (later) game shows (with a mix of both original programming, like Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit (game show)
Trivial Pursuit is an American game show that ran on The Family Channel from June 7, 1993 to December 30, 1994, with reruns continuing until July 21, 1995. loosely based on the board game of the same name. It was hosted by Wink Martindale with Randy West announcing.-Format:The show was played in...
and Shop 'til You Drop
Shop 'Til You Drop
Shop 'til You Drop is an American game show that aired on various broadcast television networks from 1991–2006. The series was hosted by Pat Finn from 1991–2002, followed by JD Roberto from 2003–2005. Co-hosts/announcers included Mark L...
and reruns of older programming like Jim Lange's Name That Tune
Name That Tune
Name That Tune is a television game show that put two contestants against each other to test their knowledge of songs. Premiering in the United States on NBC Radio in 1952, the show was created and produced by Harry Salter and his wife Roberta....
and Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
).
In fact, the game show block consisted of the games listed above and also the later era of Split Second and other shows especially produced for the channel such as Shopping Spree
Shopping Spree
Shopping Spree is a game show that aired on the Family Channel for two seasons from September 30, 1996 to August 14, 1998. It was hosted by Ron Pearson, announced by Burton Richardson and produced by Jay Wolpert Enterprises and MTM Enterprises.-Premise:...
, Small Talk, Wait 'til You Have Kids
Wait 'Til You Have Kids
Wait 'til You Have Kids!! was a game show on the Family Channel. It was hosted by Tom Parks and announced by Burton Richardson. The show, produced by Jay Wolpert, premiered on September 30, 1996 and lasted until January 31, 1997 with two cycles of shows airing.Three male/female couples matched...
and a revival of It Takes Two
It Takes Two (game show)
It Takes Two is a game show in which contestants gave numerical answers to questions . The original program was created and produced by Ralph Andrews and aired on NBC from March 31, 1969 to July 31, 1970 at 10:00 AM Eastern...
, hosted by Dick Clark.
By the early 1990s, it was seen in 47.6 million households. As The Family Channel, it attracted an older audience not sought by advertisers; only about one-third of homes watching the network included children or youth. In 1993, a UK version of the channel launched, eventually turning into a network dedicated to game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s known as Challenge. In addition, The Family Channel attempted a spinoff called The Game Channel, an interactive game show-oriented channel which was set to launch that same year (International Family Entertainment launched another cable channel the following year with Cable Health Club
Fit TV
Fit TV is a French television channel which is part of the AB Groupe. The channel was originally only shown on AB Sat, but is now available via a contract through certain cable channels and on digital television. The channel deals with fitness and staying in shape. It ceased broadcast on 15 October...
, later renamed FitTV). The logo was a blue ring with "The" written on the top and "Channel" at the bottom and on it is the word "Family" written in a script font and its color was a blending yellow and red color.
Early programming
MTM Enterprises
MTM Enterprises was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce The Mary Tyler Moore Show for CBS...
was sold to 20th Century Fox Film Corporation.
The 700 Club was scaled back to twice a day (though the sale agreement required the channel to air it three times daily, once each in the morning, late evening and overnight hours), with the evening broadcast being moved out of primetime, pushed an hour later to 11 p.m. ET from 10 p.m. Columbo was moved from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. More cartoons were added to the lineup, many of which were from the Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
library. The network was running about 8 hours of cartoons a day. However, Fox Family also became a cornerstone for syndicating foreign TV series, such as the popular British S Club 7 TV series, which became their flagship series for the channel until the new millennium. The channel also syndicated many Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
TV series, both animated and live action, including Angela Anaconda
Angela Anaconda
Angela Anaconda is a Canadian cutout animation television series that aired on the channels Teletoon and Fox Family. It centers on the adventures of an eight-year-old girl named Angela who lives in the fictional town of Tapwater Springs, has wacky brothers, weird friends, and hates a snobbish...
, Big Wolf on Campus
Big Wolf on Campus
Big Wolf on Campus is a Canadian television series created by Peter A. Knight and Christopher Briggs that ran from 1999 to 2002. In the lighthearted horror/teen drama tradition of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, it is about a teenage boy named Thomas "Tommy" P. Dawkins, who was bitten by a werewolf...
, I Was a 6th Grade Alien
I Was a Sixth Grade Alien
I Was a Sixth Grade Alien was a live-action/comedy television show following the chronicles of Pleskit, a purple skinned, blue haired alien with an antenna positioned on his head. He tries to fit in and make some friends but due to his strange appearance he doesn't succeed very well...
, Mega Babies
Mega Babies
Mega Babies is a Canadian cartoon created by the Tremblay brothers, Christian and Yvon, and produced by CinéGroupe and Landmark Entertainment Group in association with Sony Wonder....
, and briefly, The Zack Files
The Zack Files
The Zack Files is a science fiction television program that revolves around a young boy, played by Robert Clark, who is a magnet for paranormal activity and attends Horace White High School for Boys along with his three friends Cam, Gwen, and Spencer. Zack manages to get himself into trouble with...
. They even showed cartoons and anime based on video games, such as Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country (TV series)
Donkey Kong Country is a French/Canadian computer-generated animated television series. It is based on the Nintendo franchise Donkey Kong as portrayed in the Donkey Kong Country video game series by Rare. Created by France 2 and Nelvana, it was originally titled La Planète de Donkey Kong...
, Megaman
Mega Man (TV series)
Mega Man, known in Japan as , is a Japanese-American animated television series multi-produced by Capcom Productions, Ruby-Spears Productions, Ashi Productions and Ocean Group and is based on the game series of the same name. The TV series began in 1994 and ended in 1995, and was aired on many...
, and Monster Rancher
Monster Rancher (anime)
Monster Rancher, known in Japan as , is a 73-episode anime series based on the Monster Rancher series of video games made by Tecmo. It originally aired on Japanese television on TBS from April 17, 1999 to September 30, 2000...
. Most of these were a part of the channel's morning line-up, which also included the original series, The Great Pretenders
Great Pretenders
Great Pretenders is an American half-hour television music game show on Fox Family that ran for about four seasons beginning in 1999. It is hosted by former pop trio Wild Orchid. On the show, teenagers lip sync and dance to their favorite songs for the chance to win prizes...
. The company aired reruns of some of Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
's shows such as Bobby's World
Bobby's World
Bobby's World is an American animated television series, which ran from 1990 to 1998, on FOX Kids. It was about the daily life of Bobby Generic and his very overactive imagination on how he sees the world. The show was created by Canadian actor-comedian Howie Mandel...
, Eek! The Cat
Eek! The Cat
Eek! The Cat is an American and Canadian animated series, created by Savage Steve Holland and Bill Kopp and produced by Fox Kids and Savage Studios with animation by Nelvana, that ran from September 11, 1992, to August 1, 1997.-Premise:Eek! the Cat is about a purple cat named Eek whose motto is...
, and Life with Louie
Life with Louie
Life with Louie is an American animated series. The show is based on the childhood of stand-up comedian Louie Anderson, growing up with his family in Wisconsin.The first two episodes aired in primetime on Fox....
. They also added some recent family sitcoms as well, along with European shorts like Tom And Vicky, Animal Shelf
Animal Shelf
Animal Shelf is a children's model animation series that airs on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia, and Kidzone on TVNZ 6 in New Zealand. It used to air on Playhouse Disney , now on CITV there...
& 64 Zoo Lane
64 Zoo Lane
-Synopsis:It features a 7 year-old girl named Lucy who lives at 64 Zoo Lane, next door to a Zoo. Each night she is told a story by the animals present there. Characters include Georgina the Giraffe, Nelson the Elephant, Tickles and Giggles the Monkeys, Boris the Bear, and Molly the Hippopotamus....
. When Fox bought the channel in 1997, programmers sought a new dual audience — kids in daytime, families at night.
In 1999, Fox tried to spin off two digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
networks from Fox Family, the Boyz Channel and the Girlz Channel, which both contained content focusing on each sex; both networks went off the air a year later due to lack of demand (they were carried in some 100,000 homes in an era when digital cable was new, obscure, and rare) and the controversy that developed over the sex-segregated channels. To a point, Disney is attempting to relaunch the concept somewhat in February 2009 with the conversion of Toon Disney
Toon Disney
Toon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
into the tween boy-targeting Disney XD, while continuing to push Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
towards an all-girls focus.
Major League Baseball
In the late 1990s, Fox Family aired Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
games, usually on Thursday or Saturday nights, alternating with sister network FX
FX Networks
FX is the name of a number of related pay television channels owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group...
. Starting with the 2001 season, the network also showed games from the first round of the playoffs, the Division Series
Division Series
In baseball, the Division Series is the official name for the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Currently, a total of four series are played in this opening round, two each for both the American League and the National League.-1981 season:...
, which did not air on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
Among the games that aired on Fox Family was the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
at Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
on October 4, 2001
2001 Major League Baseball season
The Major League Baseball season finished with the Arizona Diamondbacks defeating the New York Yankees in a Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. The attacks of September 11 pushed the end of the regular-season from September 30 to October 7. Because of that, the World Series was not completed until...
. That night, Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
hit his 70th home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
of the season, which tied the all-time single season record that Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
had set only three years earlier
1998 Major League Baseball season
*American League Championship Series MVP: David Wells**American League Division Series:*National League Championship Series MVP: Sterling Hitchcock**National League Division Series*All-Star Game, July 7 at Coors Field: American League, 13-8; Roberto Alomar, MVP...
(Bonds broke the record the next night).
The 700 Club
As part of the agreement when International Family Entertainment sold the network to Fox, The 700 ClubThe 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
aired twice every weekday; live at 10 a.m. Eastern, then repeated at 11 p.m. Eastern. It also aired occasional weekend-long CBN telethons as part of the deal (and continues to do so in the ABC Family era).
Fox Family Films
Fox created a films division for the channel, Fox Family Films, which created films aimed towards different age groups, mainly children, including The Addams Family ReunionAddams Family Reunion
Addams Family Reunion is a film released straight-to-video in 1998. It was also distributed to television by Fox Family. It is unrelated to the two Paramount films from 1991 and 1993. So far, the film is only available on VHS and has not had a DVD release. It was shot in Los Angeles, California...
, which was shown in its inauguration of the channel, and compiled the episodes from the Digimon TV series to create Digimon: The Movie
Digimon: The Movie
Digimon: The Movie is a 2000 American film adaptation of the first three Japanese Digimon films distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film used footage from the films Digimon Adventure , Our War Game!! , and Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals .In comparison to...
. For a more teen audience they created Ice Angel
Ice Angel
Ice Angel is a 2000 fantasy film from Fox Family. It is also known as "On Thin Ice: Going For The Gold."-Plot:The film tells the story of a male hockey player who dies in a game and comes back to life as a female figure skater due to an accident made by an angel that caused the hockey player to...
, a TV movie about a hockey player reborn as a woman synchronized skater, as well as Don't Look Behind You
Don't Look Behind You
Don't Look Behind You is a 1990 young adult thriller novel by Lois Duncan.-Plot summary:Because of April's father's work in the Federal Investigation Bureau, a hitman in a black camaro is after her family so they have to be put under the Federal Witness Protection Program...
. Fox Family also aired they wide array of Saban made movies as well as airing many direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
films, including Richie Rich's Christmas Wish
Richie Rich's Christmas Wish
Richie Rich'$ Christmas Wish is a 1998 direct-to-video sequel to the 1994 film Ri¢hie Ri¢h, released by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, Harvey Home Entertainment and Saban Entertainment and starring David Gallagher as the titular character.-Plot:It is Christmas Eve and Richie Rich, the world's...
, Casper: A Spirited Beginning
Casper: A Spirited Beginning
Casper: A Spirited Beginning is a direct-to-video spin-off prequel to the 1995 film Casper, produced by Harvey Comics and Saban Entertainment and released by 20th Century Fox on September 9, 1997...
, and Like Father, Like Santa
Like Father, Like Santa
Like Father, Like Santa is a TV movie starring Harry Hamlin and William Hootkins. It premiered on Fox Family in 1998 on their 25 Days of Christmas programming block....
.
In August 1999, the channel had the highest number of viewers at that point in its network history, with the TV movie Au Pair
Au Pair (film)
Au Pair is a 1999 telefilm starring Gregory Harrison and Heidi Noelle Lenhart.-Plot:Jennifer Morgan is an MBA looking for a job as an executive at Oliver Caldwell’s company...
.
The 13 Days of Halloween
In 1998, Fox Family introduced one of their most successful ideas, The 13 Days of Halloween Special, which was what introduced the television series, The New Addams FamilyThe New Addams Family
The New Addams Family is an American/Canadian sitcom that aired from October 1998 to August 1999 and aired on YTV in Canada and Fox Family in the United States. It was produced by Shavick Entertainment and Saban Entertainment as a new version of the 1960s series The Addams Family.-Synopsis:The new...
and some new movies, like Casper Meets Wendy
Casper Meets Wendy
Casper Meets Wendy is a direct-to-video and second spin-off to the 1995 film Casper. It was released by 20th Century Fox in 1998. The film is a sequel to Casper: A Spirited Beginning...
. ABC changed the name to The 13 Nights of Halloween
13 Nights Of Halloween
"13 Nights Of Halloween" , is a programming special on ABC Family, which originally began airing in 1998 after The Family Channel became Fox Family, a couple of years after their "25 Days of Christmas" special premiered. The "13 Nights of Halloween" special was created mainly due to the success of...
in 2002. A few years later, the new live-action Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo (film)
Scooby-Doo is a 2002 American comedy film based on the Hanna-Barbera television cartoon series Scooby-Doo about a group of young detectives and their talking dog. It is the first installment in the Scooby-Doo live action film series...
film became part of its annual Halloween lineup. This continues to be one of the most successful programming blocks to date for the current channel, ABC Family.
Change in visual style
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
TV series Early Edition
Early Edition
Early Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
, two ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series: My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...
and Step by Step (which aired on ABC Family till March 2010). The channel also acquired the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
TV Series Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season...
, including episodes that were unaired, and more "romantic comedy" themed original movies. Keeping kids and families in mind, they introduced the show State of Grace
State of Grace
State of Grace is an American comedy-drama series that ran for two seasons on the Fox Network's Fox Family channel during 2001 and 2002.-Plot:...
and the Fox Family's Summer High School Countdown programming block for teens (which introduced the Swedish singing group Play). However, the idea was unsuccessful, as a year later, Fox Family was sold to Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, and State of Grace was only kept for one more season.
Declining ratings
Under Fox's ownership, Fox Family saw its ranking slide from 10th to 17th place as a result of an increasingly competitive race for younger viewers and the bickering over ownership between News Corp. and Haim Saban. Some observers believe that it chased away some of the older viewers and never really replaced the core audience. As a result, prime timePrime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
declined 35% in the past three years. It is also suggested that Fox hired more employees than they needed, and when Disney took over, as many as 500 were laid off (This was also a time when Disney itself was downsizing, with 400 others laid off from its failed Go Network) but Fox Family also used many freelancers for certain aspects of the channel, such as their short-lived "block jocks" and most of the monikers for the network were created by freelance artists. However, the Disney acquisition took the channel into a deeper demise in its early years.
Change to Family and then to ABC Family
On July 23, 2001, it was announced that Fox Family Worldwide Inc would be sold to DisneyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2.9 billion. The sale to Disney included Saban Entertainment. On October 24, 2001, the sale was completed. The remaining Fox Kids shows that Family aired were broadcast under the Jetix
Jetix
Jetix was a worldwide children's television programming brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The Jetix brand was used for blocks and channels featuring action-related and adventure-related live-action and animated programming. It was also what Disney eventually turned Fox Kids into...
action banner, but in November 2001 the Family name was changed to ABC Family (the visual style that Fox Family used in its' last days was modified for ABC Family in the meantime, including music, but programming and announcers were changed), and the Jetix action banner was present until their final airing on August 31, 2006 when they were moved to Toon Disney
Toon Disney
Toon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
, beginning September 2, 2006. ABC Family also inherited the Fox Family baseball playoff coverage with the telecasts being produced by sister network ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, who took over the rights to the package beginning in 2001. However, ABC Family still airs The 700 Club every weekday (as the brand "Family" remains owned by CBN), with subsequent repeats at 11 p.m. ET, as a condition of the sale to Disney. The network now runs family movies, 1990s family sitcoms, teen shows, and some drama shows.
See also
- Family (similar Canadian service unrelated to ABC Family or its predecessors)