This blog was written over a year ago, but I still think that it's very relevant considering that TeeNick recently premiered their 1990s Nickelodeon late night block:
http://ifeelknifed.blogspot.com/2010/05/nickelodeon-has-lost-its-identity.html

I know I'm late to the party in noticing it, but Nickelodeon is now just "Disney Channel, Part 2" -- a channel filled with tween sitcoms starring glammed-out, gorgeous teen idols whom the network executives hope to turn into the next Hannah Montanas (complete with merchandising, record albums, music videos, and concerts).

All of these shows are heavy on the romance/relationship stuff as well as issues of popularity and status within the shows' settings (i.e.: high school, the fashion industry, the music industry, etc.). Implicitly they suggest that girls must dress in the latest fashion trends, style themselves with lots of makeup, and be overly concerned with fame and celebrity (i.e.: the characters on iCARLY have a web show; VICTORIOUS revolves around a young woman who wants to become a famous singer; TRUE JACKSON VP is focused on the fashion industry and clothing as image; BIG TIME RUSH is about a boy band that wants to make it big).

From watching these shows, one would think the life of a kid today should revolve around Internet celebrity, fashion, and the music industry (specifically the "teen idol" industry). These shows are often funny and entertaining but they don't reflect what it's like to be an ordinary kid. They give kids a superficial and image-obsessed fantasy version of adolescence that is probably very intoxicating for the kids watching these shows, but at what cost?

Once upon a time, Nickelodeon was for real, ordinary kids. Now it's for glamor girls and high-gloss celebrities. Compare and contrast the Nickelodeon kids of the golden age versus the "stars" of today:

Unfortunately, in chasing those Hannah Montana/Disney Channel dollars, Nick has ceded its unique identity for the love of the filthy lucre. In a way, Nick's success as a television channel has been its own undoing. As the channel has become more successful, more money is at stake, and with more money at stake, executives want to take fewer chances. Seeing the success of the teen idol formula on Disney, the Nick execs counter with their own teenybopper stars and soon all of the inventive, unusual, and offbeat stuff that Nickelodeon was known for falls by the wayside in favor of safe, bland, marketable teenage commodities.

Now without an unique brand identity of its own to carry the channel forward, the success of Nickelodeon the channel depends entirely on the success of its tween/teen stars. The channel doesn't have brand loyalty anymore; it has only star loyalty. Kids don't love Nickelodeon, they love Miranda Cosgrove or Victoria Justice. Nickelodeon doesn't mean anything as a brand or as a channel except as the channel that shows iCARLY and SPONGEBOB. Nick doesn't even have The Splat anymore, that iconic, shapeshifting logo that symbolized everything it meant to be a kid to a generation who grew up in the '80s and '90s. Now Nickelodeon is as generic as all the other kids channels out there, one in a sea of many, no different than the rest.

It's not just Nickelodeon, it's the whole Pay-TV Industry. :( During the same evening "Nick at Nite" will often show the exact same episodes as its supposed "Sister" Channel TVLand. Sometimes it seems you can watch the EXACT same Episode of a show 15 times in a single day, on just as many channels! What good are 150+ Channels when all they seem to show is the same thing? I gave up hope in 2006. :mad: :angryfire (Ironically it was after seeing a certain Commercial, the one that rips off an old Elvis Presley Tune on Nickelodeon, that I made my decision to "Cut the Cord".) :angryfire :mad: And what have I done since then? Take a look at my Signature below. All of them were purchased using the Money I formerly used to pay off my Subscription Fee. Eack week I watch about 25 DIFFERENT TV Shows as well as a Movie or two. There is no "Same Ol Same Ol" at my house. An added bonus is NOBODY Butts-in to try to sell something I do not wish to purchase. What happens after I watch a Show? That's the best part, I GET TO KEEP IT! :lol:

Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, and TV Land have all lost their way. I don't blame them for updating their programming because that just has to happen but they're so uncreative. Nickelodeon with its original programming and NAN/TV Land with its advertisements, stunts, etc. Those networks used to be the home for creative broadcasting ideas. Things like Nick in the Afternoon and SNICK on Nickelodeon, Block Party Summer and the many jingles on NAN, etc. It just isn't that way anymore. It's not fun anymore to watch these channels.

I agree Nick isn't as good as it once was, but iCarly and Spongebob are still great shows. Just not as great as Kenan and Kel, All That, Rugrats, etc.

An interesting article. Thanks for posting. Personally, I was already a tad long-in-the-tooth for that initial wave of Nickelodeon programming, so I can't really add much other than to say my memories of it do adhere to what the author is saying. But the bigger point being made is how all these new kid/teen series seem to obsessively revolve around the seeking of fame and celebrity. In a way, it's almost... warped. I don't know if it's a reflection of the culture, with all the "look at me!" reality shows, or perhaps more likely, the mindset of the current crop of writers/producers with their show-biz, celebrity-worship tunnelvision. But it would be nice if there were a return to the more relateable, down-to-earth characters and attitudes.

This is quite a point that this blog makes, I hadn't thought of it that way but it's true. The times have changed, as they have to, and I have sadly accepted this is the way things go. But I also agree with the other reply-in this day and age we just have to make our own fun-in between shows on DVD and ITunes, Hulu, and Netflix, we have to create our own rerun central in the style of the old days-certain shows not being available in any of these formats can certainly frustrate that at times though; I need Step By Step! But it is a great idea.

Also, I do think if one can afford it, some of the newer cable channels are slightly better as far as the old Nick at Nite style of programming. Channels like Centric, NuvoTV, and American Life are, at least for now, showing some of the good old shows that have gotten phased out from the older cable channels.

Nickelodeon Latin America is showing some current and old shows that America's Nick at Nite aired in the past. That is sad. Well, if you know Spanish, you should have no problem. LOL.

Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, and TV Land have all lost their way. I don't blame them for updating their programming because that just has to happen but they're so uncreative. Nickelodeon with its original programming and NAN/TV Land with its advertisements, stunts, etc. Those networks used to be the home for creative broadcasting ideas. Things like Nick in the Afternoon and SNICK on Nickelodeon, Block Party Summer and the many jingles on NAN, etc. It just isn't that way anymore. It's not fun anymore to watch these channels.

You can argue that Nickelodeon has phoned it (and played it safe) in recently whether its their approach to live-action shows, scheduling (I swear to god, they must air iCarly and SpongeBob at least eight hours a day) or promos.

Disney and Nick have really become interchangable as of late. If you look at the Disney Channel, ever noticed that you hardly ever see Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck (just like how Nick as seemed to forget about their roots, as illustrated in that blog) and company now. I honestly think what really set things in motion towards where Disney is at now is Hilary Duff and Lizzie Maguire. She can be considered the "patron saint" of the whole "lets manufacture a teen singing idol" trend (which would escalate with Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, etc.).

I haven't seen Nick for quite a while. Do they still have green slime???

Really, the only problem with Nickelodeon is a lack of variety. The shows they have are good, IMO, but there just isn't enough of them. Back in the day, they had a ton of original shows on their regular schedule, either first-run or in reruns, and it ran the gamut from comedy to drama to sci-fi to action/adventure to cartoons to game shows, etc. In the early 00s, they focused HEAVILY on cartoons, and that lead to a massive downfall (allowing Disney to come in with more original live action programming and take over). Nick is closer now to what it was in its heyday than it was a few years ago, but they still have a way to go. If they were to add more shows (definitely some about "regular" kids), they could develop a good identity.

What TV Stations SHOULD do is to keep the old stuff while showing the new stuff...that or have a TV Station for that, like NickRewind.

Now Nickelodeon has this little ***** named Justin Beiber which is even worse than what The "Disney" Channel is kept to shame.

iCarly is the best show on Nickelodeon IMO and Victorious is pretty good too. While I do think Nickelodeon and Disney are pretty similar, Nick hasn't totally lost its uniqueness. Shows like iCarly and Victorious are still weird and quirky, while still being funny. That's kind of what Nick has been known for. iCarly in particular really reminds me of Nick's older shows of the past. They need to continue to make shows with writing along the lines of iCarly and less along the lines of Bucket and Skinner (gag). The whole, "I'm a regular kid, but also a talented singer and dancer" story line is really getting old. Disney has done this to death, but for the most part, Nick has stayed away from it (save Victorious; however the writing on this show has still managed to stay very Nick).

iCarly is the best show on Nickelodeon IMO and Victorious is pretty good too. While I do think Nickelodeon and Disney are pretty similar, Nick hasn't totally lost its uniqueness. Shows like iCarly and Victorious are still weird and quirky, while still being funny. That's kind of what Nick has been known for. iCarly in particular really reminds me of Nick's older shows of the past. They need to continue to make shows with writing along the lines of iCarly and less along the lines of Bucket and Skinner (gag). The whole, "I'm a regular kid, but also a talented singer and dancer" story line is really getting old. Disney has done this to death, but for the most part, Nick has stayed away from it (save Victorious; however the writing on this show has still managed to stay very Nick).
Yeah, I totally agree. I don't think B&E is that bad, but it definitely has more of a Disney vibe than a Nick vibe. Even BTR, which is purposely silly/cartoonish, still fits well within the Nick fold. I'd love it if Scott Fellows could create/produce another show for them. He's always been good at balancing out the Dan Schneider shows.

Yes it has along with

The History Channel
Biography Channel
MTV
Game Show Network
AMC

What TV Stations SHOULD do is to keep the old stuff while showing the new stuff...that or have a TV Station for that, like NickRewind.

Now Nickelodeon has this little ***** named Justin Beiber which is even worse than what The "Disney" Channel is kept to shame.
Nick has Justin Bieber? Uhhhh, since when?

Really, the only problem with Nickelodeon is a lack of variety. The shows they have are good, IMO, but there just isn't enough of them. Back in the day, they had a ton of original shows on their regular schedule, either first-run or in reruns, and it ran the gamut from comedy to drama to sci-fi to action/adventure to cartoons to game shows, etc. In the early 00s, they focused HEAVILY on cartoons, and that lead to a massive downfall (allowing Disney to come in with more original live action programming and take over). Nick is closer now to what it was in its heyday than it was a few years ago, but they still have a way to go. If they were to add more shows (definitely some about "regular" kids), they could develop a good identity.

My best guess for why Nick focused heavily on animation during the early 2000s is when the first Rugrats (which was the top Nicktoon prior to SpongeBob) movie made $100 million (which at the time, was still unusual for something not coming from Disney), and thus increased the load so to speak.