KT (TV channel)

KT (acronym for Kids Television) was a children's television channel in Kuboia, owned by TVVC. Originally launched as a block on Vision 1 on 7th September, 1998, the brand was eventually rolled out as a channel on 19th April, 1999. It was considered the flagship children's television channel in the country throughout the late nineties and noughties.

The KT brand was ceased on 16th November, 2008. The following day, the block was replaced with an unbranded block containing children's programming, whilst the channel was replaced with a one-hour timeshift of Nickelodeon Kuboia titled Nick Replay.

1998 to 1999; Launch as a block
KT was officially launched as a block on Vision 1 on 7th September, 1998. The block aired on weekday mornings from 5:00a.m. to 9:00a.m. and on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday mornings from 7:00a.m. to 12:00p.m.

From launch until February 2004, KT used very similar idents (and the same overture) that was used for the Saturday night children's strand Bumper's Block from 1991 to 1997.

1999 to 2004; Early years as a channel
On 19th April, 1999, KT was spun off into its own channel, causing the block to be dropped entirely. However, it would continue to broadcast simultaneously on Vision 1 on occasions. The channel aired everyday from 5:00a.m. to 8:00p.m.

2004 to 2007; Later years
On 16th February, 2004, KT changed its logo and idents, bringing an end to the iconic jingle for children's programming that had been used for almost thirteen years. During this time period, several of Nick Jr. Kuboia's older programmes were moved from there over to KT.

The idents were given a slight tweak in October 2006 - the music was slightly jazzed up and the idents had additional effects to make them look cleaner.

2007 to 2008; Final year and closure
On 31st December, 2007, it was announced by TVVC that KT would be closing down by the end of 2008, as it was considered dated, and having an unbranded children's programming block on Vision 1 would be cheaper. This decision was very controversial and was met with criticism, as KT was one of the most watched children's television channels at the time, and was considered the "flagship" children's channel in Kuboia.

On 1st September, 2008, the channel's official close date was revealed. After this was revealed, KT would frequently air reminders that it would be closing down on that date.

KT officially closed down on 16th November, 2008 at 8:00p.m. The last show to air on the channel was . This was followed by most of the channel's former and then-current presenters gathered together to say goodbye to the channel. The "Goodnight" theme song then played as usual, but was followed by another screen, with a message thanking the viewers for watching the channel for the past ten years. Nick Replay launched in its place the following day.

Post-closure
In 2019, eleven years after KT shut down, the executive of TVVC stated that closing down KT was "a terrible mistake", and admitted to strongly regretting the decision to do so.

Programming
KT featured a large selection of programmes from a variety of distributors in its lineup. As well as some original programming, the channel shows reruns of a few programmes aired on Bumper's Block in the 1990s, as well as international programming from a variety of different countries.

KT was aimed at all audiences, but was particularly aimed at children aged two to ten.

Original programming

 * Cindi and Friends (premiered 1999)
 * Tip's Nursery (premiered 1999)
 * Video Tape (premiered 1999)
 * Mr. Lister and Friends (premiered 2001)
 * Triangy's Planet (premiered 2002)
 * Oliver O (premiered 2003)
 * Centre Park (premiered 2004)
 * Tangle Jam (premiered 2004)
 * Melanie (premiered 2005)

Presentation
Much like CBBC and CBeebies in the United Kingdom, links between programmes on KT would often be presented through in-vision continuity. However, unlike CBBC and CBeebies, these were broadcast live.

According to Amy-Elizabeth Phillips, the presenters were given random lines whilst programmes were airing.

Presenters

 * Amy-Elizabeth Phillips (2006-2008)
 * Blade Holter (1998-2008)
 * Charlie Karma (1998-2008)
 * Cue Gilson (1998-2004)
 * Dan Guseo (2001-2008)
 * Ericka Streets (2001-2008)
 * Helen Duplooy (2002-2008)
 * Hugo Streets (2003-2007; presented on special occasions only)
 * Lottie Whilton (2000-2004)

Puppets
The show's puppets were stuffed toys that were made by Ericka Streets. Ms. Tulip and Orange were both played by at least three different voice actors each, who would take it in turns to voice them. Blocky meanwhile, was played by up to eight different actors at a time - unlike the other two, Blocky did not speak, but made a variety of sounds.
 * Blocky the Rock; debuted in 1999
 * Ms. Tulip; debuted in 2004
 * Orange the Owl; debuted in 2003

Along with the three main puppets, a variety of generic stuffed animal toys were seen during the in-vision continuity links. As time went on, a few of these were given names - the mole was typically referred to as Mr. Mole, whilst the panda was typically referred to as Spotty.

Sponsorship
In late 2005, TVVC made a deal with amusement park Sallow's Metropolis, where the park would be advertised between shows on KT, whilst posters advertising KT would be seen throughout Sallow's Metropolis. The deal came into effect in March 2006, but was seemingly dropped around late 2007.

KT website
The channel's official website, kt.co.kub, was launched in August 1999. Updated every Wednesday, it featured a TV guide (for the upcoming Friday to Thursday), competitions and fan mail. A page titled Viewers ' Choice featured a different child each week describing their favourite show on the channel, with information relating to what episode(s) would be airing that week.

Following the channel's closure, the website was discontinued in November 2008, and was replaced with a single page explaining the closure of the channel. As of 2020, the web address currently redirects to the TVVC website.

KT Weekly
The channel's official magazine, KT Weekly, was launched in February 2002, with new issues releasing every Friday. It mostly featured the same content as that of the website, but contained additional content, such as extra information on the Viewers' Choices and fan mail. The last issue was released on 7th November, 2008.

As of 2020, used issues are being sold on eBay for approximately €45.

Video releases
Several compilation VHS and DVD tapes were released throughout the 2000s featuring several of the shows that aired on the channel throughout its lifetime.

KT Summer Fete
KT Summer Fete was an annual event held in July every year from 2004 to 2007 (September in 2005), which featured live performances and giveaways.

Legacy
KT is often associated with Kuboian culture of the noughties.

In the late 2010s, it was reported in the media that, despite the channel no longer broadcasting, KT still maintains a significant cult following, with fans showing strong interest in its programming, presenters, puppet characters, idents and merchandising.

Criticism
KT was criticised by some sources for its unorganised shift between programming targeting younger and older children. An article on Open Eagle said, "You could be watching ' one minute then ' the next. What?"

The KT channel was frequently criticised due to the unprofessional behaviour of the presenters, particularly Ericka Streets. Since the presenters were recorded live, and had very little time to prepare what they were going to say, they would frequently make mistakes.

Some sources also criticised the lack of care KT supposedly had for its presenters, who would work fifteen-hour shifts at least three days a week and would be given little to no breaks. Blade Holter mentioned in a televisied interview in 2011 that "They would have made [them] work seven days a week if they could." The presenters have also mentioned several times that they were harshly told off for making any mistakes live on-air.

Years after the channel's closure in 2015, Dan Guseo mentioned that most of the presenters "never had time to do anything", as they also had work to do outside of presentation for KT. He also mentioned that he felt the high expectations and large amount of presenting hours contributed towards Ericka Streets suffering poor mental health.

United Kingdom
The Kuboian version of the channel was available in the United Kingdom on NTL, Telewest and Sky.

Varkia
A version of the channel was available in Varkia. It was launched a few years after the Kuboian channel.