Yes. This is more like the breaking off of some important part, hastening TV's slide into irrelevance.
When I checked the TV Guide listings, the only stations I saw who aired cartoons were Cartoon Network (obviously) and CW. When I checked next week's listings, they were gone (except CN). The big networks (NBC/CBS/ABC) just had paid programming/talk. PBS still has preschool-age programming, but they've had that a while.
According to this, it still exists. I catch it with Li'l Z sometimes because it has some of his Sprout shows on. It used to be called Qubo or something. Granted, it's on after NBC's Today weekend show, but last I saw it was still there. Again, I could be wrong since it's been a few weeks since I've seen it.
Yes, the TV Guide listings were actually "local programming." I just said "paid programming" because I assume the local stations will fill their local time with informercials and the like rather than trying to do anything responsible with it.
Sorry, it was NBC, but it's a deal they made with PBS/Sprout, not their own original programming. Shame that it's only the NY/NJ area.
IIRC, it had nothing to do with education and everything to do with advertising. Saturday morning cartoons were there to be advertisements, or hold kids' attention for the commercials of the program's sponsors. With the rise of cable and 24 hr. children-centric networks, advertisers no longer wanted to shell out the big bucks for cartoons with no guaranteed captive audience, so the major networks dropped them. Traditional-style cartoons aren't cheap to make and without the advertiser's sponsorship, networks would lose money airing them.
There we go, now it's how I remember it.
Eh, my parents divorced before I was 2. So by the time I was watching cartoons and able to form and retain memories, mom had found somebody else who was a better fit/could put up with her crazy shit better.
