''Nick Rocks: Video to Go'', usually shortened to ''Nick Rocks'', was a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

television series that aired on American cable channel

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

from 1984 to 1989. It featured pop and rock

s over a 30-minute timeframe, presented in a countdown format. The show was typically hosted by a man identified on-air as "Joe from Chicago". Most episodes feature Joe traveling to various locations to hear viewers request specific music videos. Several

guest host {{Unreferenced, date=January 2009 A guest host (or guest presenter in the United Kingdom) is a host, usually of a talk show, that hosts the program in lieu of the regular host if they fall ill, have another project or commitment, or are unable to h ...

s were featured over the program's run, such as

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

and

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a ...

. Music videos played on the show were decided using request letters sent in by viewers. In 1987, five to six thousand requests were received weekly. Many musical guests on ''Nick Rocks'' were also seen on Nickelodeon sister channel MTV at the time; according to Nickelodeon president

Geraldine Laybourne Geraldine Laybourne (''née'' Bond; born May 19, 1947) is an American entrepreneur and former TV executive. She worked at Nickelodeon from 1980 until 1996, when she became the president of Disney-ABC Cable Networks (including Disney Channel). She ...

, MTV executives assisted in finding talent for the program.

History

Upon the series' premiere in 1984, representatives for Nickelodeon's parent company Warner-Amex addressed concerns that the program would show "indecent" music videos like sister network MTV. Warner-Amex's Margaret Wade told ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' that schedulers would be "meticulous" in choosing what to show on ''Nick Rocks''. ''Nick Rocks'' was initially broadcast three times a week until July 1984, when it became part of Nickelodeon's daily rotation. In 1987,

became involved in a dispute with their supporters at MTV, causing MTV to pull the group's videos; as a result, "The Monkees" videos were transferred to ''Nick Rocks''. The band's " Heart and Soul" music video was voted by ''Nick Rocks'' viewers to be their favorite 1987 music video. Despite heavy promotion on Nickelodeon, the founders of the Monkees' label RhinoRecords felt that the transition from MTV to Nickelodeon was a reason behind the commercial failure of the Monkees' album ''

Pool It! ''Pool It!'' is the tenth studio album by the Monkees, issued by Rhino Records in 1987. It was the first Monkees studio album of new material since ''Changes'' in 1970 and the first Monkees album to feature Peter Tork since the 1968 ''Head'' soun ...

''. Nickelodeon launched several promotional events in support of ''Nick Rocks''. In 1984, a musical presentation called "Nick Night" was staged at New York's Nassau Coliseum to advertise the series. In 1987, the network held the "Jet for a Day"

sweepstake A sweepstake is a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners. Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold. In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcasting laws (creating the ...

s, with the prize being a role on ''Nick Rocks'' and tickets to a The Jets concert. After production on ''Nick Rocks'' ended, Nickelodeon incorporated past episodes into a three-hour

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp ...

known as ''Total Panic''. The program aired on Sunday mornings in 1989 and was produced by Andy Bamberger, who also produced ''Nick Rocks''.

Merchandise

Nickelodeon staff distributed ''Nick Rocks'' merchandise, including buttons and decals, at the "Nick Night" event in 1984. 1990 issues of ''

Nickelodeon Magazine ''Nickelodeon Magazine'' is a defunct American children's magazine inspired by the children's television network Nickelodeon. Its first incarnation appeared in 1990 and was distributed at participating Pizza Hut restaurants; the version of the ma ...

'', sold exclusively at

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert a ...

restaurants, featured pop culture quizzes based on rerunning ''Nick Rocks'' episodes. While ''Nick Rocks'' was never released on home video while running, an episode of ''Nick Rocks'' starring

is included as a bonus feature on the DVD release of the band's 2003 film, '' Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns''.

''Nick Jr. Rocks''

A spin-off geared towards preschool viewers, titled ''Nick Jr. Rocks'', premiered as part of Nickelodeon's

Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...

block in October 1991. The series was produced by actress

Shelley Duvall Shelley Alexis Duvall (born July 7, 1949) is an American actress and producer who is known for her portrayals of distinct, often eccentric characters. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peab ...

and initially ran for five minutes at a time. Differently from its predecessor, ''Nick Jr. Rocks'' featured original music videos created specifically for the program. According to a 1991 interview with Duvall, Nickelodeon offered her as much airtime as she wanted for the series; as a result, ''Nick Jr. Rocks'' had no permanent position on the network's lineup.

References

{{Former Nickelodeon original series 1980s Nickelodeon original programming 1980s American music television series 1984 American television series debuts 1989 American television series endings English-language television shows Pop music television series