Bohbot Kids Network (more commonly referred to and on-screen as BKN, originally known as Amazin' Adventures until 1997) is a children's programming block operated by
Bohbot Entertainment
Bohbot Entertainment was an American advertising and marketing company specializing in the children's market founded in 1985, and had traded under various different names over the years. The company produced and distributed programming under thei ...
(later BKN, Inc.) that aired in syndicated television stations from September 13, 1992.
History
Amazin' Adventures
On September 13, 1992, Bohbot Entertainment launched ''Amazin' Adventures'', a syndicated action-oriented block that aired for two hours on Sundays. Byrne Enterprises sold barter for the block. During the 1996–1997 season, ''Amazin' Adventures'' also aired for an hour on weekdays.
BKN (Bohbot Kids Network)
''Amazin' Adventures'' was re-launched as Bohbot Kids Network (BKN) in September 1997.
[ By 1997, the network had signed up 104 stations reaching 75% of the US, with 65 stations airing BKN in pattern and 35 stations signing on for three years. Stations that aired the BKN block included ]BHC Communications
BHC Communications, Inc. was the holding company for the broadcast property of Chris-Craft Industries. BHC stands for "broadcasting holding company".
History
The firm was originally incorporated in 1977 as BHC, Incorporated by Chris-Craft I ...
stations, WCIU-TV
WCIU-TV (channel 26) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is the flagship television property of locally based Weigel Broadcasting, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sist ...
,[ ]WPGH-TV
WPGH-TV (channel 53) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate WPNT (channel 22). Both stations share studios on I ...
, and The WB 100+ Station Group
The WB 100+ Station Group (originally called The WeB from its developmental stages until March 1999) was a national programming service of The WB—owned by the Warner Bros. Entertainment division of Time Warner, the Tribune Company, and group fo ...
. During BKN's first season, its programs were split into three blocks: the "Extreme Block" ('' Extreme Dinosaurs'' and ''Extreme Ghostbusters
''Extreme Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series based on the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. It is a spin-off to the animated series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. The series originally aired on the syndicated Bohbot Kids Network's " ...
'') and the "Comedy Block" ('' The Mask: Animated Series'' and ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' is an animated series that was based on the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series produced by Sega of America, DIC Animation City, Bohbot Entertainment and the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A. in associa ...
'') on weekdays, and "Amazin’ Adventures" ('' Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys'') on weekends.
Bulldog TV
On July 16, 1999, BKN announced that their main syndicated service would be relaunched as "Bulldog TV" on August 29th. The service was named as such because the block's bumpers featured an animated bulldog. Bulldog TV focused on action cartoons taken from Bohbot's existing catalog and acquired shows mainly from DIC, broken up into two-hour-long blocks that aired on Weekdays and Sundays. Existing BKN shows ''Mummies Alive!
''Mummies Alive!'' is an animated series from DIC Productions L.P. and Northern Lights Entertainment. It originally aired for one season in 1997. The show was part of a general trend of "mummymania" in 1990s pop culture.
Plot
In ancient Egypt, ...
'', ''Double Dragon
is a beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technōs Japan and released as an arcade game in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals.
The original ...
'', ''Street Sharks
''Street Sharks'' is an American superhero animated series about the adventures of crime-fighting half-man/half-sharks. It was produced by DIC Productions, L.P. and Bohbot Entertainment, and aired from 1994 to 1997, originally as a part of Bohbot ...
'', ''Jumanji
''Jumanji'' is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain. Loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg's picture book of the same name, the film is the firs ...
'', '' Beakman's World'', and '' Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys'' made it to the rebranded service. Three new shows were also added: two new original shows '' Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends'' and '' Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles'' and DIC-acquired faire ''Sonic Underground
''Sonic Underground'' (French: ''Sonic Le Rebelle'') is an animated television series co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. and TF1. It is the third ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' animated series, and the last to be produced by ...
''.
Bulldog TV stopped airing on most stations in 2000, but The WB 100+ Station Group
The WB 100+ Station Group (originally called The WeB from its developmental stages until March 1999) was a national programming service of The WB—owned by the Warner Bros. Entertainment division of Time Warner, the Tribune Company, and group fo ...
continued to air reruns of BKN shows during the 2000–2001 season. During this time, BKN had their shows aired on the Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. L ...
on weekday mornings.
Programming
* '' Saban's Around the World in Eighty Dreams'' (1992–1993)
* '' Saban’s Gulliver’s Travels'' (1992–1993)
* '' King Arthur and the Knights of Justice'' (1992–1996)
* ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' is an animated series that was based on the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series produced by Sega of America, DIC Animation City, Bohbot Entertainment and the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A. in associa ...
'' (1993–1998)
* ''Double Dragon
is a beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technōs Japan and released as an arcade game in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals.
The original ...
'' (1993–1995, 1999–2000)
* ''Hurricanes
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm, storm system characterized by a Low-pressure area, low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, Beaufort scale, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms tha ...
'' (1993–1994)
* '' Mighty Max'' (1993–1995, 1998–1999)
* '' Turbocharged Thunderbirds'' (1994–1995)
* '' Highlander: The Animated Series'' (1994-1996)
* ''A.J.'s Time Travelers
''A.J.'s Time Travelers'' is a 1994 children's fantasy series that aired on the Fox television network. The series follows the adventures of teenager A.J. Malloy as he and his crew travel onboard the time-traveling ship Kyros, seeking knowledge ac ...
'' (1994-1995)
* '' Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders'' (1995–1997)
* ''Ultraforce
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in American comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel. The purpose of the group was to protect the public and keep other "Ultras" (superheroes) from becoming unruly. The group ...
'' (1995–1996)
* '' Skysurfer Strike Force'' (1995–1997)
* ''Street Sharks
''Street Sharks'' is an American superhero animated series about the adventures of crime-fighting half-man/half-sharks. It was produced by DIC Productions, L.P. and Bohbot Entertainment, and aired from 1994 to 1997, originally as a part of Bohbot ...
'' (1995–1997, 1999–2000)
* ''Action Man
Action Man is an action figure launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "movable fighting man", G.I. Joe.
Action Man was originally produced and sold in the United Kingdom and Australia by Palitoy Ltd of ...
'' (1995-1996)
* ''Gadget Boy and Heather
''Gadget Boy & Heather'' is an animated television series co-produced between DIC Productions, L.P., France Animation, and M6. The series originally debuted in September 1995 in first-run syndication in the United States on Bohbot Entertainment ...
'' (1995-1996)
* '' Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys'' (1996–1998)
* '' The Mask: Animated Series'' (1996–1998)
* ''The Wacky World of Tex Avery
''The Wacky World of Tex Avery'' (French: ''Le Monde Fou de Tex Avery'') is a short-lived animated television series created by Robby London and co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex SARL, Milimetros, M6 and Telcima.
Both the ...
'' (1997-1998)
* '' Extreme Dinosaurs'' (1997–1998)
* ''Extreme Ghostbusters
''Extreme Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series based on the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. It is a spin-off to the animated series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. The series originally aired on the syndicated Bohbot Kids Network's " ...
'' (1997–2000)
* ''Jumanji
''Jumanji'' is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain. Loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg's picture book of the same name, the film is the firs ...
'' (1998–1999)
* '' Pocket Dragon Adventures'' (1998–1999)
* ''Mummies Alive!
''Mummies Alive!'' is an animated series from DIC Productions L.P. and Northern Lights Entertainment. It originally aired for one season in 1997. The show was part of a general trend of "mummymania" in 1990s pop culture.
Plot
In ancient Egypt, ...
'' (1998–2000)
* ''Sonic Underground
''Sonic Underground'' (French: ''Sonic Le Rebelle'') is an animated television series co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. and TF1. It is the third ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' animated series, and the last to be produced by ...
'' (1999-2000)
* '' Monster Rancher'' (1999–2001)
* '' Rambo: The Force of Freedom'' (1999–2000)
* '' Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles'' (1999–2000)
* '' Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends'' (1999–2000)
BKN Kids II
BKN Kids II (branded as BKN on-air) is a children's programming block operated by Bohbot Entertainment that aired in syndication from August 29, 1999 to October 20, 2000.
History
With multiple offers in top 50 markets for the Bohbot Kids Network, Bohbot Entertainment scheduled the launch of a second syndication network, BKN Kids II, for September 1998 to meet the demand. BE also looked for shows from other syndicators to include in BKN Kids II.[ With financial setbacks that had happened in the past, a consortium of banks gave Bohbot $100 million in new financing in September 1998. Two new blocks were announced at the same time as well as the new chairman/CEO of Bohbot Kids Network, Rick Ungar. BKN also indicated that long-term network affiliation agreements were under close to being finalized with Chris-Craft/United Television, ]Tribune Broadcasting
Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC was an American media company which operated as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owned and operated television and radio stations throughout the United S ...
, Paramount Stations Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (SBG) is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb of Cockeysville, Maryland, ...
and the WB network's WeB fill-in cable network. Station groups affiliating with BKN 2 at launch included Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (SBG) is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb of Cockeysville, Maryland, ...
, Tribune Broadcasting
Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC was an American media company which operated as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owned and operated television and radio stations throughout the United S ...
, Clear Channel Communications
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
and ACME Communications.
The block's launch was postponed to August 29, 1999, coinsiding with the main BKN service's rebranding as the action-focused Bulldog TV. Because both services could not initially share programming in order to grant Syndex protection,[Issue 3.2. ] BKN Kids II functioned as a more mainstream block focusing on a broader audience encompassing both boys and girls 2-11. Much of the programming formerly seen on the main service was moved to Kids II, with shows such as '' Mighty Max'', '' Highlander: The Animated Series'', ''The Mask: The Animated Series'', and ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' filling out the schedule.[
As with Bulldog TV, BKN Kids II ceased broadcast on October 20, 2000.
]
Programming
* ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' is an animated series that was based on the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series produced by Sega of America, DIC Animation City, Bohbot Entertainment and the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A. in associa ...
''
* '' Beakman's World''
* '' Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys''
* '' Extreme Dinosaurs''
* '' Highlander: The Animated Series''
* ''Jumanji
''Jumanji'' is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain. Loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg's picture book of the same name, the film is the firs ...
''
* '' King Arthur and the Knights of Justice''
* '' Mighty Max''
* '' Pocket Dragon Adventures''
* '' Skysurfer Strike Force''
* ''Sonic Underground
''Sonic Underground'' (French: ''Sonic Le Rebelle'') is an animated television series co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. and TF1. It is the third ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' animated series, and the last to be produced by ...
''
References
{{Animated television series created for syndication
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Television programming blocks in the United States