Noggin Retools for `Connected Learning'
By R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 2/23/2003 7:03:00 PM
Placing a greater emphasis on pre-kindergarten education, Noggin will add several new shows and revamp its schedule to better support a "connected learning" curriculum for toddlers, executives said.
Noggin is embracing an emerging educational concept called "connected learning," which aims to teach preschoolers lessons through everyday activities.
Each show on commercial-free Noggin will touch upon subject areas in a standard preschool curriculum now in use in 25 states, such as emergent literacy and language, mathematics, science and technologies, social sciences and visual arts.
To mimic a preschool classroom environment, Noggin will introduce an animated instructor, Moosey A. Moose, and a teacher's "helper," a bird named Zee. The characters will appear during interstitial programming to reinforce lessons through such activities as field trips, story times and show and tell.
The repositioning effort follows Nickelodeon's purchase of former partner Sesame Workshop's 50 percent stake in Noggin last August. The predominantly digital network has about 30 million subscribers, up from 25 million a year ago.
"Nobody has tried to do this in the media today, so it's a way of differentiating ourselves," general manager Tom Ascheim said. "We want to become the PBS of the next generation."
The repositioning does not change its target-audience focus from kids ages two through five, he added.
Ascheim would not comment on the cost of the repositioning, but said the network would not increase its license fee to operators.
No related content found.
Featured Company
-
Digital Rapids
Digital Rapids is the leading provider of professional hardware and software tools, technology and expertise for bringing video to wider audiences and new viewing platforms. Continuing to set new standards in quality, productivity and versatility, our solutions span the critical ..more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
