'We're not dead': Cartoon Network responds to viral post hinting it's closing down

Agencies |Washington

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

If you grew up in the 1990s or the 2000s, then you must have been fond of watching shows like ‘The Flintstones’, ‘The Jetsons’, ‘The Powerpuff Girls’, ‘Dexter’s Laboratory’, and ‘Scooby-Doo’, among a large variety of others, on Cartoon Network.

Watching cartoons for a few hours on TV after coming back from school used to be a common pastime for kids back then — in a world devoid of gadgets like mobile phones and laptops.

On Tuesday, Warner Bros. TV Group chairman Channing Dungey sent a memo to its employees, announcing 82 layoffs, as well as the fact that 43 already-vacant positions would not be filled either, according to a report from Vulture.

This elimination of 125 jobs amounts to a 26 per cent reduction in the company’s scripted, unscripted, and animation divisions.

The report added that the memo also announced the cancellation of incubator programs for new original talent, including Stage 13, the Warner Bros. Writers’ Workshop, and the Warner Bros. Directors’ Workshop, which now fall under the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit.

In this regard, as a part of their "strategic re-alignment", Cartoon Network Studio and Warner Bros. Animation merged. Sam Register, the WB Animation executive, is now the head of CN Studio as well.

The two studios will retain separate labels, but development & production teams will be consolidated, as per Deadline.

This change was misinterpreted by legions of loyal fans worldwide, leading to a number of memes and posts celebrating the beloved kids channel, and bidding it farewell.

Soon enough, Cartoon Network tweeted a humorous response, assuring fans that it was still very much alive.

While this assured some, others remained sceptical, knowing that their favourite kids channel would never be the same again.