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via Nickelodeon press release:

NICKELODEON TO LAUNCH “TEENick,” NEW SUNDAY-NIGHT DESTINATION FOR TWEENS

Number-One Basic Cable Network to Expand Core Demo for First Time with Weekly Programming Block Designed Primarily for Kids 9-14

New Hit Series Taina, Cable Television Debut of Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Music Videos and Online Content to Be Featured Elements of Nickelodeon’s New TEENick Block

New York, NY – Feb. 13, 2001 – Nickelodeon will launch a new Sunday-night destination created and designed for its tween viewership (kids 9-14) with TEENick [Teen Nick], a special two-and-one-half-hour programming block with music and interactive elements, beginning Sunday, March 4, at 6 p.m. (all times ET/PT). TEENick will feature live-action and animated Nickelodeon shows appealing to tweens, such as Taina, Caitlin’s Way and As Told By Ginger, as well as the cable television premiere of Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, the hit sitcom which had been a top-rated cornerstone of ABC’s now-cancelled “T.G.I.F.” block. In addition to programming content and an on-air graphics look exclusive to the block, TEENick will include a weekly countdown of viewers’ top music video picks; music concert specials; on-air tween testimonials; tween lifestyle information; and special online content, including on-screen message boards, in partnership with Nick.com.

“We’ve created TEENick to give tween viewers a night of television all their own, in the same way that we branded SNICK on Saturday nights for kids 2-11,” said Cyma Zarghami, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Nickelodeon. “Because tweens largely identify themselves as teenagers but are still part kids, TEENick will use Nickelodeon’s brand of comedy to explore some of the issues relevant to their lives, like peer pressure, fitting in and having more responsibility in and outside of the home.”

According to Nielsen Media Research, Nickelodeon has been number one with tweens for the past nine consecutive years, drawing more kids 9-14 during both its “Kids Day”* schedule and on a 24-hour basis than any other basic cable network. In 2000, the network averaged more tween viewers than ever before during the “Kids Day,” averaging a 2.5 rating/15 share (440,000 tween viewers). On a 24-hour basis last year, Nickelodeon also was number one with tweens with a 1.8 rating/13 share (330,000 tween viewers).

Elements of the TEENick block will include:

• “N.V.P.” [Nick Video Picks]: SNICK House’s Nick Cannon will host TEENick’s weekly countdown of the top five N.V.P.’s as tallied by Nick.com, with the number-one video played in its entirety.

• Music Concerts: Music specials and live concerts will premiere during the summer season in the TEENick block. In recent summers, Nickelodeon has featured exclusive concerts by popular music acts such as Mandy Moore, A-Teens, Aaron Carter and B*Witched.

• On-Air Testimonials and Lifestyle Information: TEENick will feature interstitial segments of real tweens talking about their lives and what’s important to them, giving viewers a fun forum for their own voices and opinions to be heard and reflected on air.

• Online Content: In partnership with Nick.com, TEENick will offer viewers on-screen information about music news, upcoming concerts and trivia about their favorite pop stars and Nickelodeon personalities. TEENick also will feature on-screen message boards allowing viewers to post and exchange information and news about their lives and interests.

TEENick’s programming elements will include:

• Kenan and Kel, airing at 6 p.m. and starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, follows the adventures of two best friends whose boundless curiosity and enthusiasm lead them into peculiar situations, with many laughs along the way.

• Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, airing at 6:30 p.m., will make its cable television debut on Nickelodeon (March 18) in the TEENick block. Filled with hilarious high-school student mayhem and roommate mishaps, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper stars comedian Mark Curry (Showtime at the Apollo) as Mark Cooper, a former college basketball superstar who is now a substitute teacher and shares a house with his best friend Robin (Dawn Lewis, A Different World) and her gorgeous roommate, Vanessa (Holly Robinson, 21 Jump Street). This hit sitcom also co-stars Nell Carter (Gimme’ A Break) and Raven Symone (The Cosby Show).

• Taina, airing at 7 p.m., is Nick’s newest hit series, mixing music and comedy in this story of Taina Morales, a sassy 15-year-old Latina who attends the Manhattan School of the Arts and pursues her dreams of being a star. Taina stars Christina Vidal in the title role and features 1980s pop singer Lisa Lisa as Taina’s mother, Gloria.

• As Told By Ginger, airing at 7:30 p.m., is an animated series about 12-year-old Ginger Foutley, a sixth grader with one foot in childhood and the other in the scary, but exciting, new realm of junior high school. Grammy Award nominee Macy Gray (I Try) lends her distinctive voice to As Told by Ginger in a newly recorded rendition of the Ginger theme song, premiering during the March 4 launch of TEENick.

• Caitlin’s Way, airing from 8-8:30 p.m., tells the story of 14-year-old loner Caitlin Seeger who, after being in and out of foster homes since her mother’s death, moves to a small town in rural Montana to live with her distant cousin’s family. Set in the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, Caitlin’s Way combines outdoor action/adventure with the comedy and drama of a teenaged girl’s coming of age.

Nickelodeon, now in its 22nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 79 million households, and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than five consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International inc.

*Nick’s Kids Day (all times ET/PT): M-Th: 6:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m./Fri: 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m./Sat: 6 a.m.-
10 p.m./Sun: 6 a.m.-9 p.m.