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Boomerang | |
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Launched |
April 1, 2000 |
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Parent Company |
Turner Broadcasting Systems & Time Warner |
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Sister Networks |
TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim |
Boomerang is a 24-hour American cable television channel owned by Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting division. Boomerang specializes in re-runs of animated programming from Time Warner's exclusive archives (including pre-1986 MGM, Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros). The announcer for most promos for the channel is actor and former Family Feud host John O'Hurley. The channel debuted on April 1, 2000.
History[]
Boomerang was originally a programming block on Cartoon Network aimed toward the generation of baby boomers. It originally aired for four hours every weekend. The block's start time jumped frequently, with the Saturday block moving to Saturday afternoons, then back to the early morning, and the Sunday block moving to Sunday evenings. Eventually, Boomerang was shortened by an hour, making the total airing time 3 hours each weekend instead of the original four hours. Boomerang (both the programming block and the original spinoff channel that launched on April 1, 2000) followed a unique programming format—every week, cartoons produced during a certain year (and cartoons produced during years prior to that year) would be showcased. For example, if Boomerang was showcasing the year 1969, the viewer would more than likely see an episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! or Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines.
Once the Boomerang channel was launched in 2000, promos for the channel aired at the end of every broadcasted show during the block in attempt to gain popularity for Boomerang. Also, all of the older programming on Cartoon Network, including Looney Tunes and shows from Hanna-Barbera migrated to Boomerang. The Boomerang channel initially carried a weekly looping programming format. Notably, Boomerang does not carry product commercials. The only advertising on the channel is for Boomerang or Cartoon Network programming.
During its looping format, which lasted through January 17, 2005, program days began at 8 a.m. Eastern time (5 a.m. Pacific time). The looping format had 8 hours of programming repeated three times a day. Monday through Thursdays were just normal programming days, with a variety of half-hour and hour-long cartoon programs shown. On Fridays, "monthly feature" cartoons were shown for the entire day; one cartoon was featured for each Friday of a given month for 24 hours straight. As of January 22, 2005, this banner became known as "monthly character of the month", and is now shown on weekends from 2 to 4 p.m. eastern and as of March 2007 it's known as "Boomeroyalty". On Saturdays, a calendar year was featured with the cartoons of that year (ranging from approximately 1960 to 1996, one year per week in sequence). Sundays carried the "Boomeraction" theme, with animation featuring action and adventure such as Valley of the Dinosaurs, Super Friends, Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, and Battle of the Planets. In recent years, Boomerang began airing shows from more recent times, such as Batman: The Animated Series, What's New, Scooby-Doo?, The Addams Family and Pokemon. The first two Cartoon Network originals to air on Boomerang were Dexter's Laboratory & Mike, Lu & Og.
Boomerang's promotional slogan, Boomerang: It's All Coming Back To You, used until late 2005 on Boomerang itself, was one of nostalgia that accurately reflected its programming of the time. This slogan is still used on promos airing on sister channel Cartoon Network, however Boomerang got a new slogan in 2006 that airs during its programming breaks. The slogan is Boomerang: Right Back At'cha.
Cartoon Network announced that all of Cartoon Network's original shows will be moved on to CNXtra! in January 1, 2015, and Boomerang will air almost-entirely classic cartoons that are from MGM, Warner Bros. & Hanna-Barbera libraries (including such shows from the Steven Spielberg-era Warner Bros. Animation output of the 1990s as Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, HIsteria, Road Rovers, Freakazoid!, and Pinky and the Brain).