Disney has given up the Power Rangers franchise, which they never full integrated into the Disney family due to focus group results showing that moms disliked the violence in the shows. Now, of course, Nickelodeon has picked up the rights to all things Power Rangers. Surely Nick will get the brand name up and at 'em again, and I will be very surprised if there isn't a theatrical release in the not to distant future.
The thing that stands out to me in the New York Times article about the Saban/Viacom deal, though, is they report that "Cyma Zarghami, Nickelodeon's president, said the violence was a 'non-issue,' calling the show 'more martial artsy and campy than anything else.'" Now, her statement about the "campy" nature of the show is true, but it sounds bad to say, knowing that mom focus groups have clearly indicated the violence is an issue for moms, that it is a non-issue. Aren't moms generally the ones who decide what is and isn't an issue in children's TV programs?
Power Rangers is less violent than some other Nick kids' shows that have enjoyed immense popularity, so I am sure that no one at Nick is worried that Power Rangers will not take off. Also, Nick may get different results with any mom focus groups they might do than Disney did with theirs (who knows when they were done or how they chose moms to participate), so I am not saying that Power Rangers is a bad show for kids. Also, I realize that Cyma's statement may have been taken out of context and was probably not meant to sound undermining or disrespectful to moms. But, it presents a good opportunity to bring up the point that it's the parents who decide which shows are good for kids and which are not. Providers of kids' entertainment need to remember and respect that fact, and we as parents need to take that responsibility seriously and, if and when we do have concerns about kids' programming, let our opinions be known through the ratings if nothing else.
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