Nickelodeon (TV channel)

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{{Infobox TV channel | name = Nickelodeon | logofile = Logo_nickelodeon.gif | logoalt = Nickelodeon | logosize = 200px | launch = April 1, 1979 | audience = Children | owner = MTV Networks (Viacom) | former names = Pinwheel (until 1981) | sister names = TV Land, Nick 2, Nick Games and Sports, Nicktoons Network, Noggin | web = Official Site | terr avail = Not Available | cable serv 1 = Available on most cable systems | cable chan 1 = | sat serv 1 = DirecTV | sat chan 1 = Channel 299 and 300 | sat serv 2 = Dish Network | sat chan 2 = Channel 170 and 171 | dummy parameter = "hiddenStructure" }} Nickelodeon (Nick for short, launched April 1, 1979 as The Pinwheel Network) is a cable TV network primarily for children and pre-teens, but also features shows for teenagers in TEENick. The first Nickelodeon channel was American, but there are now several channels in different countries such as South East Asia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and UK.

Nickelodeon has produced and aired many programs. The channel became known for its iconic green slime, originally used on the Canadian sketch-comedy show You Can't Do That on Television. It was then adopted by the station as a primary feature of many of its shows, a few gone off the channel.

Many adults know the service best for its Nick at Nite offerings of classic TV sitcoms in the prime-time and overnight hours.

Many of Nickelodeon's animated television series, or "Nicktoons," have gained a reputation for dark humor, surrealism, and unique commentary. Some examples of this include Ren and Stimpy, Invader Zim, and Rocko's Modern Life.

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History

The world's first cable channel devoted to programming for children and youth, Nickelodeon debuted in 1979 as Pinwheel (renamed to "Nickelodeon" in 1981). Originally it was commercial free, but accepted advertising commercial breaks and commercials beginning in Fall 1983. It was originally owned by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, a joint venture of American Express and Warner Communications; it is now part of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom.

In 1986, Nick held the Big Ballot, an award show voted on by kids that would later become the Kids' Choice Awards (created by Alan Goodman, Albie Hecht, and Fred Seibert). Each April, the Kids' Choice Awards show honors kids' favorites in movies, music, television, and sports, and features stereotypically juvenile elements like the Best Fart award and a celebrity burp-off.

Nickelodeon began producing original animated shows known as Nicktoons in 1991. The three original Nicktoons Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren and Stimpy Show debuted that year.

In May 1999, Nickelodeon introduced their most popular original show to date, SpongeBob SquarePants. The animated show would be embraced by both young and old alike worldwide, has sold millions of dollars in merchandise, and would become a pop culture icon. Nicktoons with similar appeal such as The Fairly OddParents and Invader Zim would soon follow. Invader Zim was cancelled less than a year after it's premiere, but gained a cult following. The Fairly OddParents (originally aired on Oh Yeah! Cartoons); however, has become one of the channel's most popular shows.

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Nick Jr.

Nick Jr. is a part of Nickelodeon that plays shows primarily made for children under age 6. Nick Jr. always played weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., which made this programming block perfect for young children's viewings while older kids were in school. It was first launched in the late 1980s. In 1994, the host of Nick Jr., Face debuted. The current host, Piper O'Possum began its tenure in 2005.

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Nick at Nite

Beginning in July 1985, the Nick at Nite programming block airs on Nickelodeon from prime time to early morning. The lineup consists of various sitcoms from the '80s and '90s (originally much older shows as well) such as The Cosby Show, Roseanne, Full House, Cheers, and Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and original programming such as Fatherhood (an animated show based on the book by Bill Cosby) and Hi-Jinks (a Punk'd-like series where parents play practical jokes on their children). This block is known as Nick Comedy on Nick Germany.

Nick-at-Nite was conceived and developed as the first 'oldies' television network by long time MTV Networks consultants Fred/Alan Inc. (Fred Seibert and Alan Goodman).

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Other Nickelodeon channels

In 1996, Nick at Nite spun off the channel TV Land, which currently airs a variety of older shows, primarily sitcoms from 1951 to 1992.

Nickelodeon has spun off other cable networks: Nick 2 (Nick on a three hour delay -- its west coast feed repackaged for east coast viewers), Nick Games and Sports (Nick GAS), Nicktoons Network, and Noggin/The-N (originally a joint venture with Sesame Workshop). It also operates language- or culture-specific Nickelodeon channels for various markets in different parts of the world, and has licensed translated versions of some of its cartoons and other content to TV and cable stations such as Kinderkanal and Super RTL of Germany, YTV of Canada, Canal J of France, and Alpha Kids from Greece.

Outside of the U.S., Nickelodeon appears in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Gozo, India, Ireland, Israel, Indonesia, Japan, Malta, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Venezuela. See also: List of programs broadcast by Nickelodeon.

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Other Nickelodeon projects

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Nick.com

Nick's website launched in 1995. The website features many sections and services:

  • The "myNick" service allows regular visitors to the website to get personalized information, post on internet forums, and collect e-Collectibles, akin to trading cards (the very first collection commemorated the 10th anniversary of Rugrats in 2001).
  • The "All Nick" section features description of Nickelodeon's television shows and movies, the current programming schedule, specials, and information on their magazine, Nickelodeon Magazine.
  • The "Games" section features games of various sorts (many based on Nick programs) and information on popular video games.
  • The "Music" section is devoted to popular music, featuring news on various artists and music videos.
  • The "Web Lab" section features has web exclusives, like Shockwave Flash-animated games featuring Agent Pixel and Tony Simiano, among others; shorts featuring the Crimson Chin from The Fairly Oddparents; and e-Cards.
  • The "Blab" section features message boards for each Nickelodeon show, and from time to time, celebrities chat in the "Blab-a-torium" chat room.
  • The "Your World" section features the Nick GAS (Games and Sports) subsection, sections devoted to entertainment news, e-calendar, weather, horoscopes, jokes, weird news, and "Nick Talk."
  • The "TurboNick" section, introduced in 2005, allows visitors to view streaming episodes of shows over the internet. (This section limited to U.S. viewers and only compatible with Windows XP and Windows 2000).
  • Members of the myNick service choose a nickname and a password which enables them to make a nickpage which is a special page with a theme usually relating to a Nick TV Show, a holiday, or another theme like music or jurassic.
  • The "Shop" section features products having to do with characters in various T.V. programs. However, some believe it contains spyware program, ShopAtHome Select (also known as ShopAtHome, or SAHAgent).
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Nickelodeon Magazine

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Nickelodeon also publishes Nickelodeon magazine. The current magazine was launched in 1993, following a short-lived effort from 1990. It contains informative non-fiction pieces, humor, interviews, pranks, recipes (such as green slime cake), and a big comic book section in the center that features original comics by leading underground cartoonists as well as strips about popular Nicktoons.

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Nickelodeon Hotel

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Nickelodeon Family Suites is a Nickelodeon-themed Holiday Inn hotel in Orlando, Florida, located near Universal Studios theme park and 2 miles from Walt Disney World. The property includes Nick-themed suites and entertainment. Although mainly geared toward children, the hotel also has Nick at Nite suites for adults.

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Nickelodeon Movies

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Nickelodeon Movies is the motion picture production arm of Nickelodeon. It has produced films based on Nickelodeon programs, as well as other adaptations and original projects. Its films are released by fellow Viacom division Paramount Pictures.

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Nickelodeon Studios

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Nickelodeon Studios was an attraction at Universal Orlando that opened up in June of 1990, and housed production for many Nickelodeon programs. It closed down on April 30, 2005, after all of Nickelodeon's production had re-located to Burbank, California. The Slime Geyser was removed from the front of the facility in May of 2005.

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See also

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External links

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