Why Did ABC Afterschool Specials Get Cancelled After 25 Years?

On the afternoon of Oct. 4, 1972, ABC aired the first-ever ABC Afterschool Special and launched a children’s programming revolution. Called “The Last of the Curlews,” the animated special was based on a Fred Bodsworth novel, crafted by the legendary animation studio Hanna-Barbera and served as a sort of nature documentary for kids as it followed the tragic plight of a now-extinct bird species.