# KidsClick

KidsClick was a daily children's programming block distributed by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which premiered on July 1, 2017. The block, which primarily consisted of long-form animated series as well as some short-form content, was carried in the U.S. on terrestrial television network TBD, and on Sinclair-owned/operated television stations in several markets. At launch, the block was available in 75 million households. The block marked the return of traditional weekday cartoons and Saturday morning cartoons to terrestrial television, as well as the first children's programming block on U.S. free-to-air television not to comply with Children's Television Act regulations since the Saban Brands-produced Vortexx was discontinued on September 27, 2014.
The This TV iteration of the block accompanied an existing, unbranded lineup of educational programming on weekend mornings, which had aired on the network since November 1, 2013, after the discontinuation of Cookie Jar Toons (which coincided with original co-owner Weigel Broadcasting transferring its 50% interest in the network to Tribune Broadcasting, as well as the Cookie Jar Group's absorption into DHX Media [now WildBrain]); it also marked the first time that This TV had carried children's programming on Monday through Saturday mornings since Tribune (whom Sinclair later attempted and failed to acquire) assumed partial ownership of the network. On July 1, 2018, This TV discontinued carriage of KidsClick, which was transferred to Sinclair's TBD channel, which had been carrying the block on a transitional basis since May 7 of that year.
On March 29, 2019, shortly after closing sister site Circa News, KidsClick's Facebook page announced the block's discontinuation on March 31, 2019.

## History

On May 2, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it would launch a multi-platform children's programming block on linear television and online platforms. The company partnered with MGM Domestic Television Distribution to develop and distribute KidsClick, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Toon Goggles, which it planned to air nationally on This TV and select network affiliates (particularly those affiliated with The CW, and the MyNetworkTV programming service, as well as some Fox-affiliated stations that do not carry local morning newscasts in the block's designated timeslots) and independent stations owned or operated by Sinclair on July 1, 2017. Its content encompasses short- and long-form material and is distributed online, through web browsers and mobile apps in video-on-demand and live streaming formats. The network's distribution and website utilized Imagine Communications' cloud technology from Sinclair's Las Vegas studios for their market triopoly.
Sinclair returned to the children's television market with KidsClick several years after The Program Exchange was discontinued (a barter syndicator of programming which ended up as the last company providing non-educational children's content to television stations before its 2016 dissolution), an industry estimated to be worth $1 billion, which is currently largely split in advertising revenue between Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Speaking to the return of children's programming on American commercial broadcast television, Steven M. Marks, COO and EVP of Sinclair Television Group, said in an earnings report on May 3, 2017: "That's a $1 billion-plus spot business that we don't get a dime from. So again, it's an illustration of going back into the marketplace and fishing in ponds that we haven't fished in. So that's $1 billion that is pretty much split between [two] cable networks: Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network. Disney is a subscription network. 18 years ago, we were the kings of reaching kids every day. There's no reason in the world why we can't be successful in that space."
On March 29, 2019, KidsClick announced on Facebook that the block would shutdown on March 31. Sinclair also discontinued sister property Circa News three days prior to the announcement. Sinclair would later claim that the block was discontinued "for business reasons", but that its use of cloud technology was a successful testing ground to use the technology for its digital broadcast networks.
KidsClick ceased operations on March 31, 2019, with an airing of Oggy and the Cockroaches as its final program; all advertising made no mention of its shutdown, and the promotional spot at the end of the show mentioned it would return the next Saturday morning. For the vast majority of stations carrying it, temporary or permanent paid programming, religious programming, other syndicated content, or alternate E/I-complaint shows overlaid the former timeslot until more permanent programming was scheduled in the fall; this would turn out to be the national news service from Sinclair, The National Desk, for many Sinclair stations. Paid programming and some Internet-originated content series replaced it on TBD. Several days later, the block's website was taken down, with the domain redirected to the main Sinclair corporate page.
In 2022, three years after KidsClick's shutdown, nineteen stations, along with Sinclair itself and Nexstar Media Group, were proposed to be fined $3.4 million for a violation of children's ad guidelines, involving advertising for Mattel's Hot Wheels airing during episodes of Team Hot Wheels without being screened out, which under said guidelines, made the entire half-hour a program-length commercial.

## Scheduling

The block was preferred to air every Monday-Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m., and Saturday and Sundays from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. local time, though scheduling variances existed in certain markets due to network programming obligations (such as One Magnificent Morning airing from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., which delayed or preempted the KidsClick Saturday Morning lineup on CW-affiliated stations that carried both blocks), existing contracts for other syndicated programming or with paid or religious programming providers, or a preference to air news and sports programming in those slots. It aired in a downscaled letterbox format via This TV, as that network had yet to upgrade to an HD master feed; it otherwise aired in HD or at least in widescreen on most of its affiliates and via the TBD network later on.
Because the programs featured on KidsClick did not meet educational content guidelines defined in the Children's Television Act by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), This TV continued to air a block of live-action travel and wildlife series from Steve Rotfeld Productions immediately after the weekend broadcasts of the KidsClick lineup to fulfill the mandate (accordingly, the network's E/I block switched from a singular, three-hour block aired only on Sunday mornings to two separate 90-minute-long blocks that will air on Saturdays and Sundays). Sinclair-operated independent stations that aired KidsClick also continue to provide E/I-compliant programs acquired from the syndication market through individual distributors, from Fox's Xploration Station block managed by Rotfeld, or via the Litton Entertainment-distributed Go Time block to meet the quotas.

## Programming
### Former programming
#### Original programming

Some of the following programming made their debut or some previous programming that premiered on other networks aired new episodes on KidsClick.
| Title | Premiere date | End date | Original network | Moved to |
| Scary Larry | July 1, 2017 | December 10, 2017 | Originally aired | |
| Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir | July 3, 2017 | March 29, 2019 | Nickelodeon | Disney Channel |
| Rocket Monkeys | July 3, 2017 | March 29, 2019 | Nickelodeon | |
| Super 4 | July 3, 2017 | August 24, 2018 | Netflix | Primo TV Netflix |
| Team Hot Wheels | September 16, 2017 | January 20, 2019 | Cartoon Network Netflix | |
| Zak Storm | September 30, 2017 | January 7, 2018 | Originally aired | Discovery Family |
| Mecard | June 16, 2018 | January 20, 2019 | Originally aired | |
| The Legendaries | June 16, 2018 | July 8, 2018 | Originally aired | Primo TV |
| Lego Friends: Girls on a Mission | December 10, 2018 | January 22, 2019 | Originally aired | Kabillion |

#### Acquired programming

| Title | Premiere date | End date | Original network | Moved to |
| RoboCop: Alpha Commando | July 1, 2017 | September 10, 2017 | Syndication | |
| Sonic X | July 1, 2017 | October 6, 2017 | 4Kids TV (Fox) The CW4Kids (The CW) | Kabillion |
| Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures | July 1, 2017 | March 31, 2019 | Disney XD | Discovery Family Primo TV |
| Pink Panther and Pals | July 1, 2017 | March 31, 2019 | Cartoon Network | |
| Max Steel | July 3, 2017 | June 15, 2018 | Disney XD Netflix | |
| Angry Birds | July 3, 2017 | March 31, 2019 | Toons.TV Netflix | Netflix |
| Winx Club | October 9, 2017 | March 2, 2018 | 4Kids TV (Fox) The CW4Kids (The CW) | Nickelodeon |
| Dinosaur King | February 5, 2018 | August 24, 2018 | 4Kids TV (Fox) The CW4Kids (The CW) | Primo TV |
| Oggy and the Cockroaches | June 18, 2018 | March 31, 2019 | Fox Kids (Fox) Nickelodeon | |
| Oddbods | August 27, 2018 | September 21, 2018 | Disney XD | |
| Transformers: Energon | August 27, 2018 | November 3, 2018 | Cartoon Network | |
| The Jungle Book | August 27, 2018 | March 29, 2019 | Disney XD | |
| Barbie Dreamtopia | September 24, 2018 | March 29, 2019 | Starz | Starz |
| Monster High: Adventures of the Ghoul Squad | September 24, 2018 | March 29, 2019 | Monster High YouTube channel | |
| Transformers: Cybertron | September 30, 2018 | March 31, 2019 | Cartoon Network Kids' WB! (The CW) | |

### Special programming

| Title | Initial broadcast date |
| A Monsterous Holiday | October 27, 2018 |
| Under Wraps | October 28, 2018 |
| Dear Dracula | October 29, 2018 |
| A Monster Christmas | November 22, 2018 |
| Frozen in Time | November 22, 2018 |
| The Naughty List | November 23, 2018 |

### Scrapped programming

| Title | Planned premiere date | Original network |
| G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero | July 1, 2017 | Syndication |
| Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers | July 1, 2017 | Fox Kids (Fox) ABC Kids (ABC) |
| Transformers: Prime | July 1, 2017 | Discovery Family |
| Transformers: Robots in Disguise | July 1, 2017 | Cartoon Network |

## Affiliate list

The following is a list of stations that carried KidsClick in syndication as of its March 31, 2019, discontinuation, which included the possibility that a TBD affiliate on a station owned by Sinclair or another owner would air the programming block in the same market near or at the same time:
| City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Owner |
| Albany–Schenectady–Troy, New York | WCWN | 45.1 | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Baltimore-Annapolis, Maryland | WUTB | 24.1 | MyNetworkTV | Deerfield Media (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Birmingham–Tuscaloosa–Anniston, Alabama | WABM | 68.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Bristol-Johnson City-Kingsport, Tennessee/ Bristol, Virginia | WEMT | 39.1 | Fox | Cunningham Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Buffalo, New York | WNYO | 49.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Cape Girardeau, Missouri/Paducah, Kentucky | WDKA | 49.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Cedar Rapids-Dubuque, Iowa | KFXA | 28.1 | Fox | Second Generation of Iowa, Ltd. (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Charleston, South Carolina | WCIV | 36.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Champaign-Danville-Springfield-Urbana, Illinois | WBUI | 23.1 | The CW | GOCOM Media, LLC (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Chattanooga, Tennessee | WFLI | 53.1 | The CW | MPS Media, LLC (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Chico-Redding, California | KZVU-LD KRVU-LD | 21.1 22.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Cincinnati, Ohio | WKRC-DT2 | 12.2 | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Columbus, Ohio | WWHO | 53.1 | The CW | Manham Media (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Corpus Christi, Texas | KTOV-LP (analog) KSCC-DT3 (digital) | 21 (analog) 38.3 (digital) | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Des Moines, Iowa | KDSM | 17.1 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| El Paso, Texas/Las Cruces, New Mexico | KDBC-DT2 | 4.2 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Eureka, California | KECA-LD2 | 29.2 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Flint-Saginaw, Michigan | WSMH | 66.1 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Florence–Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | WWMB | 21.1 | The CW | Howard Stirk Holdings (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Fresno–Visalia, California | KFRE | 59.1 | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Gainesville-Ocala, Florida | WGFL-DT2 | 28.2 | MyNetworkTV | New Age Media, LLC (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Grand Rapids, Michigan | WWMT-DT2 | 3.2 | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Green Bay–Fox Cities, Wisconsin | WCWF | 14.1 | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Greensboro-High Point-Winston-Salem, North Carolina | WMYV | 48.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Greenville-Jacksonville-New Bern, North Carolina | WYDO | 14.1 | Fox | Cunningham Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina/ Asheville, North Carolina | WMYA | 40.1 | MyNetworkTV | Cunningham Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, Pennsylvania | WHP-DT3 | 21.3 | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | KVCW-DT2 | 33.2 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Lexington-Frankfort, Kentucky | WDKY | 56.1 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Lincoln-Superior-Grand Island, Nebraska | KFXL | 51.1 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Madison, Wisconsin | WMSN | 47.1 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | WVTV | 18.1 | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota | WUCW | 23.1 | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Mobile, Alabama-Pensacola, Florida | WFGX | 35.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Nashville, Tennessee | WNAB | 58.1 | The CW | Tennessee Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News-Virginia Beach, Virginia | WTVZ | 33.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KOCB | 34.1 | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Omaha, Nebraska | KXVO | 15.1 | The CW | Mitts Telecasting Company (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | WPNT | 22.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Portland-Auburn-Augusta, Maine | WPFO | 23.1 | Fox | Cunningham Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville, North Carolina | WRDC | 28.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Richmond-Petersburg, Virginia | WRLH-DT2 | 35.2 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Rochester, New York | WHAM-DT2 | 13.2 | The CW | Deerfield Media (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Salt Lake City, Utah | KMYU | 12.1 | MyNetworkTV | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| San Antonio, Texas | KMYS | 35.1 | The CW | Deerfield Media (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Savannah, Georgia | WTGS | 28.1 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | WQMY | 53.1 | MyNetworkTV | New Age Media, LLC (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Sioux City, Iowa | KPTH | 44.1 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| South Bend, Indiana | WSBT-DT2 | 22.2 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Syracuse, New York | WSTQ-LP (analog) WSTM-DT2 (digital) | 14 (analog) 3.2 (digital) | The CW | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Tallahassee, Florida | WTWC-DT2 | 40.2 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Wheeling, West Virginia/Steubenville, Ohio | WTOV-DT2 | 9.2 | Fox | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Wichita, Kansas | KMTW | 36.1 | MyNetworkTV | Mercury Broadcasting Company, Inc. (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group) |