Commercial-free digital network Noggin will undergo an April facelift that
will effectively split the network into two dayparts, targeting preschoolers and
tweens, respectively.
Much like Nickelodeon -- which stamps its late-night programming with the
Nick at Nite brand -- Noggin will call its tween-targeted 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. block
'The N.'
The network's expanded 12-hour preschool block, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., will
continue to carry the Noggin name, Noggin/The N general manager Tom Ascheim
said.
Both blocks will feature new, original programming, as well as separate Web
sites. And both will stay true to Noggin's educational bent while entertaining
and engaging viewers, Ascheim said.
The move broadens the target audience for the Nickelodeon- and Sesame
Workshop-owned Noggin from two- to 10-year-olds to include the burgeoning nine-
to 14-year-old tween demographic.
Other networks have also set their sights on tweens, including Disney
Channel, ABC Family and Nickelodeon. But none of those outlets provide
real-life, educational-based shows that talk directly to the audience, Ascheim
said.
