Nickelodeon on CBS

Nick on CBS
Nickelodeon on CBS

Network	CBS
Launched	September 16, 2000 (2000-09-16)
Closed	September 9, 2006 (2006-09-09)
Country of origin	United States
Formerly known as	Nick Jr. on CBS (September 16, 2000 – September 7, 2002, September 18, 2004 – September 8, 2006) Nick on CBS (September 14, 2002 – September 11, 2004)
Format	Saturday morning children's program block
Running time	3 hours
Original language(s)	English

Nick on CBS (also known as Nickelodeon on CBS) is a defunct American Saturday morning children's programming block that ran on CBS from September 16, 2000 to September 9, 2006. The block featured programming from Nickelodeon, which was a sister cable television property to CBS under Viacom for the majority of the block's run.

History

On June 15, 2000, a few months after Viacom (which CBS founded in 1952 as television syndication distributor CBS Films, Inc., and later spun off in 1971 after the then-recently implemented Financial Interest and Syndication Rules barred networks from holding financial interest in syndicated programming content) completed its $37 billion merger with CBS Corporation (which was the original Westinghouse Electric Corporation), CBS reached an agreement with new corporate cousin Nickelodeon to air programming from its Nick Jr. television block beginning that September.

On September 16, 2000, the new three-hour block, Nick Jr. on CBS, premiered, replacing CBS Kidshow, produced by Canada-based animation studio Nelvana. The block ended its run the week prior on September 9. For the first two years of the Viacom agreement, the block exclusively aired preschool-oriented programming from Nick Jr., including interstitials from the Nickelodeon block's animated mascot, Face, and other Nick Jr. interstitials. Nick Jr. on CBS did not air commercials aside from some Nick and CBS-related commercials and PSAs until early 2001. On September 22, 2001, the block received a rebrand based on the Nickelodeon block's new branding, adding Oswald and Bob the Builder. On September 14, 2002, the block was rebranded from Nick Jr. on CBS to simply Nick on CBS; at that time, its programming content expanded to animated Nickelodeon series aimed at children between the ages of 2 to 12, in addition to two Nick Jr. series. The rebranding also introduced a new logo with three circles with different colors (orange for Nick, green for the word "On", and blue for CBS) alongside bumpers animated by Primal Screen with the circles zipping and zooming all over the place.

As with the predecessor Think CBS Kids and CBS Kidshow blocks, all of the programs within the block complied with educational programming (E/I) requirements defined by the Children's Television Act, although the educational content in some of the programs was tenuous in nature. It was partly for this reason why some of Nickelodeon's most popular programs (most notably, SpongeBob SquarePants – at the time the cable channel's most popular series) were mainly not included as part of the CBS block, especially during the more open-formatted Nick on CBS era. However, Rugrats aired briefly in 2003, when it was added as a short-lived regular series within the block. Sometime in early 2004, the block had a relaunch, making additions like live-action shows, such as The Brothers García.

The older-skewing Nickelodeon series were discontinued from the block and the revival of Nick Jr. on CBS premiered on September 18, 2004, refocusing the block back exclusively toward preschool-oriented series. On September 17, 2005, the block added Go, Diego, Go! and began incorporating interstitial hosted segments featuring Piper O'Possum. On December 31, 2005, Viacom formally split under the shared control of National Amusements (owned by Sumner Redstone), with CBS and all related broadcasting, television production and distribution properties as well as some non-production entities becoming part of the standalone company CBS Corporation, while Nickelodeon and its parent subsidiary MTV Networks became part of a new company under the Viacom name.

Less than a month later on January 19, 2006, CBS announced that it would enter into a three-year programming partnership with DIC Entertainment (now WildBrain) to produce a new children's program block for the three-hour Saturday morning timeslot featuring new and older series from its program library, to begin airing in Fall 2006. On September 9, 2006, Nick Jr. on CBS ended its run and was replaced with a new block the following weekend called KOL Secret Slumber Party.

Following the announcement of the second merger between CBS Corporation and Viacom, former CBS Corporation CEO Joseph Ianniello was receptive to the possibility of the return of Nickelodeon children's programming to CBS. However, CBS is currently under contract with Litton Entertainment to carry the CBS Dream Team E/I programming block until the end of the 2022-23 television season, and any return of Nickelodeon programming would have to comply with the FCC's E/I requirements (as the network's affiliates use the block for most of their E/I compliance).

Programming

All of the programs aired within the block featured content compliant with educational programming requirements as mandated by the Federal Communications Commission via the Children's Television Act. Though the block was intended to air on Saturday mornings, some CBS affiliates deferred certain programs aired within the block to Sunday mornings, or (in the case of affiliates in the Western United States) Saturday afternoons due to breaking news or severe weather coverage, or regional or select national sports broadcasts (especially in the case of college football and basketball tournaments) scheduled in earlier Saturday timeslots as makegoods to comply with the E/I regulations. Some stations also tape delayed the entire block in order to accommodate local weekend morning newscasts, the Saturday edition of The Early Show or other programs of local interest (such as real estate or lifestyle programs).

Former programming

Programming from Nickelodeon

Title	Premiere date	End date	Secondary network	Source(s)
Animated ("Nicktoons")
Hey Arnold!	September 14, 2002	September 11, 2004	TeenNick (part of the NickRewind block)
The Wild Thornberrys		March 6, 2004
As Told by Ginger		November 23, 2002
Rugrats	February 1, 2003	July 26, 2003	TeenNick (part of the NickRewind block)
ChalkZone		September 11, 2004
All Grown Up!	March 13, 2004
Live-action
The Brothers García	March 13, 2004	September 11, 2004
Preschool
Blue's Clues	September 16, 2000	September 9, 2006	Nick Jr.
Dora the Explorer			Nick Jr
Little Bill		September 7, 2002
	August 2, 2003	March 6, 2004	Nick Jr.
	September 18, 2004	September 9, 2006
Oswald	September 22, 2001	September 7, 2002	Nick Jr.
The Backyardigans	October 16, 2004	September 9, 2006	Nick Jr.
Go, Diego, Go!	September 17, 2005		Nick Jr.

Acquired programming from Nickelodeon

Title	Premiere date	End date	Source(s)
Pelswick	September 14, 2002	November 23, 2002
Preschool
Franklin	September 16, 2000	September 9, 2006
Kipper		September 15, 2001
Little Bear
Bob the Builder	September 22, 2001	September 7, 2002
LazyTown	September 18, 2004	September 9, 2006
Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends		September 10, 2005

Short-form programming

• Amby & Dexter
• I Can Do It!
• Just Ask!
• Just for Me Stories
• LazyTown shorts
• Maggie and the Ferocious Beast shorts
• Mighty Bug 5
• Miss Spider's Bug Facts
• Nick Jr. Playful Parent
• Nick Jr. Presents
• Nick Jr. Show and Tell
• Nick Jr. Sings
• Nickelodeon Election Connection
• What's the Buzz with Philomena Fly

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Nick India
• TZGZ
• PBS Kids
• List of programs broadcast by Nickelodeon
• To Tell the Truth
• Nick in the Afternoon
• Nickelodeon Incorporated

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