Nickelodeon’s The-N.com created a blueprint for fandom in the early 2000s

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https://www.polygon.com/23005206/nic...atar-high-fans

Struggling to sustain their older audience, Viacom split Noggin’s schedule to appeal to their tween-aged crowd. On April 1, 2002 at 6 p.m ET, the Noggin logo faded out on screen for the first time and a hand appeared in its place, welcoming viewers to a brand-new programming block: The N. The new block felt like Noggin’s cooler older sibling, and from that day forward, the same channel would air Dora The Explorer during the day and Degrassi: The Next Generation after dark. Storylines on The N showed teens navigating real-life scenarios, such as pregnancy and substance abuse. Viewers saw themselves in programs like South of Nowhere, a groundbreaking friends-to-lovers series starring two queer young women.