Why do we need an all '90s Nickelodeon Channel?
The first thing Nickelodeon will tell you is that The '90s Are All That's programming choices are based on licensing rights, even though all these episodes at one time aired on Nickelodeon. But many shows that have had special or limited runs on The '90s Are All That have been left in the dark for years in favor of airing All That and Kenan & Kel over, over and over again. The '90s Are All That and '90s Nickelodeon in general has had huge support, a cult-like following. Perhaps the greatest TV programming era in all of history, it's pretty obvious to us anyways how hugely successful an all '90s Nickelodeon Channel would be. And our goal is to let Nickelodeon know that as well. The potential viewership could be beyond belief when you factor in the already huge cult-like following for '90s Nickelodeon, and then you add in the younger audiences that will see and fall in love with these shows for the first time. Advertising alone would bring in huge money for Nickelodeon! Once that money starts flowing in, we don't believe obtaining licensing rights will be an issue.
How to Help
Phone
Not everyone is comfortable talking on a phone in general, let alone possibly reaching a Nickelodeon executive. That is totally understandable. But if you are, a phone call can be a very powerful tool in a campaign like this. Paper letters and emails can be pushed aside and ignored, but it is very difficult to ignore someone when your phone is ringing. At worst case (and very possibly) you will be sent to voicemail. But that's OK. If you've called multiple times and keep getting sent to voicemail, don't let that discourage you. Executives are very busy with their board meeting (or golf outings lol) and aren't always going to be there to answer the phone. But someone, whether it is the executive themselves, or their secretary, has to go through and clear their voicemails. So someone will hear your message! Now it is important to remember that an important decision like creating a brand new channel won't be made overnight. So don't call back and leave a new message every 5 minutes. It will not help make our campaign look credible or get on their good side. One phone call max a day to any individual number is sufficient. As you will notice we have lots of numbers listed on our Contact Nick page. You may wish to plan out a period of over a week, calling five of the numbers one day, then five different numbers the next day etc. If you can, try to call during business hours and when the executive will not likely be on a lunch break. So your best time to call will likely be 8AM-11AM & 1PM-5PM Monday-Friday. Remember the west coast is on Pacific Time and the east coast is on Eastern Time. Most important, whether you reach a human or voicemail, do not scream, yell or demand. Be courteous and professional. You and our campaign will be taken much more serious that way.
The big question we're often asked is, what should we tell Nickelodeon? Well, tell them how much you want the channel and why it is needed for current and future generations. Mention our growing campaign and how hard we have been working. Thank them for bringing us The '90s Are All That and bringing us the original '90s Nickelodeon programming. Tell them you believe this channel will be very popular and have high ratings. Let them know how much potential profit and revenue they can make through commercials and advertising.
Did you actually reach someone important on the phone? Congrats! If you are lucky enough to reach a human, you have reached an important stage where you want to establish a relationship with this person, gain their trust and be able to get in touch with them again. Work with them. Ask them for their email address, if they have a direct line to be reached at and when and how you should contact them for any updates. This is where being courteous and professional has never been more important. This is not always an easy process, but if you do establish this relationship, this important person could be a very important key in making our campaign a success. If you can, please contact us through our site or send us a message through our social media pages if you have made a connection and can provide us with any key important information.
Paper Mail
While emails are easy to send, paper mail (also known as snail mail) can have an even bigger impact. There is less chance of a letter being blocked or ignored like an email. So you will have a better chance that your message will get noticed in a letter. Be courteous and professional. Typing out your letter on a computer if possible is recommended. Type your letter in business format if possible. Write one good letter to Nickelodeon and make a copy of the letter that you wrote, so you easily have a copy available to send to Nickelodeon the following week. Keep sending the same letter to Nickelodeon by making copies and if you want to write another letter you can just rotate each week. Add your signature at the end of the letter for a more personal and professional touch. An additional or alternative option to paper letters is postcards. Maybe you don't have time to write a full letter. Buy a postcard with your local city on it, write a quick professional message, and mail it. Postage is cheaper, and since it's a shorter message and not in an envelope, you may have an even better chance of someone reading it. Who doesn't like to get a postcard from a different city? Whether paper letters or postcards, remember, it will take awhile for it to arrive and make its way to the intended recipient. So one or two paper letters or postcards a week, addressed to any individual, should be sufficient. Tell them how much you want the channel and why it is needed for current and future generations. Mention our growing campaign and how hard we have been working. Thank them for bringing us The '90s Are All That and bringing us the original '90s Nickelodeon programming. Tell them you believe this channel will be very popular and have high ratings. Let them know how much potential profit and revenue they can make through commercials and advertising. There are several addresses listed on our Contact Nick page.
Email
Email is one of the easiest and most popular ways to contact executives in a TV campaign. It is quick and relatively cost free. Is it possible your email could be blocked, filtered, or reach a secretary instead of the executive? Yes. These executives likely get a lot of fan emails as well as official business emails and the executives are usually super busy and probably don't have the time to sort through them all. But don't let that discourage you. There is still a chance the executive will get the email or the secretary will forward it on or even just mention the campaign to the executive. So while paper mail and phone calls have a better chance of getting noticed, this is still an important part of a campaign. But do not spam them by sending hundreds of emails a day. It will not help make our campaign look credible or get on their good side. 3 to 5 emails a day to any particular email address is sufficient to get your point across. And if you do send hundreds or emails your email address will likely get blocked. Also make use of the Nick and Viacom contact forms. Links to the contact forms and all the email addresses we have found so far are listed on our Contact Nick page.
Fax
We have a general Nickelodeon/Viacom fax number listed on our Contact Nick page. We recommend periodically sending your email or paper letter via fax. There is a good chance someone will notice that fax. And with today's technology, you can send a fax right from your computer just like email!
Flyers
Flyers can be a very powerful and fun tool in campaigns like this. Even with very little artistic skills, it is very easy with software like Word or PowerPoint to create professional looking flyers that promote our campaign. Use your imagination. Write a short, but professional message about our campaign and what we're fighting for. Make sure our campaign's name "Save '90s Nickelodeon" and our web site "save90snick.org" is very prominent on the page. If there's room, you may want to considering adding clip art, like '90s Nick show logos and screenshots. Print as many copies of those flyers as you want, or print one and take it to Kinko's to make additional copies, so you don't have to use all the ink in your printer. Pass the flyers out to friends, family, neighbors and schoolmates. Post the flyers where you legally can. We will be happy to promote and post your flyers on our site and social media pages as well. Flyers are a low cost, but very effective method, to promote our campaign. You can also mail these flyers to the executives with your paper letters.
A question was presented to us regarding the legal and illegal place to post and pass out flyers. Now we're just a bunch of '90s Nick fans. We're not lawyers. So we'll reference you to the following eHow article:
http://www.ehow.com/info_10018553_need-hand-out-flyers-legally.html
As a general summary though, most public places like streets, sidewalks and parks are legal, as long as you are not disturbing traffic or the peace. Local laws regarding flyer distribution may vary though. So it's recommended to talk to your city/village hall to see if any additional restrictions are in place. Any place that can be considered private, like a retail/grocery store, or yes even the Nickelodeon headquarters, it is generally a good idea to get permission from a manager, supervisor or business owner first. The business owner may have a public bulletin board where they prefer you post flyers, business cards and ads instead of passing them out to their customers. These are good too, as they are often put in very visible, high traffic areas. So talk to the business owner or management first, see what they prefer. Utilize both if you're allowed so can reach the most amount of people. And this happens to you all the time. You get in your car, start the engine, get your seat belt on, and there's a flyer on your windshield. This again is legal, it is just recommended to talk to the manager or business owner of the biggest store in that parking lot to get permission first. It does take more time to get this permission, and may not always be necessary. But the few extra minutes it takes is worth it to save you from any trouble with law enforcement later. The one big thing this article notes is that it is illegal to put flyers in mailboxes that have obviously not been stamped and mailed. This is the US government, so don't even try. You can't help our campaign if you're sitting in jail lol.
Petitions
Online and paper petitions are a key component of any campaign like this, because it helps give the executives an accurate representation of the demand for an all '90s Nickelodeon channel. Please visit our Petitions page for more information about our online and paper petitions.
Online Promotion
Maybe one of the easiest ways to help our campaign is by spreading the word online. In today's social media age, awareness of our campaign can reach a lot of people very quickly. The key though is to reach our target audience, Nickelodeon and '90s Nick fans. So any Nickelodeon related Facebook pages/groups, Twitter feeds, forums, message boards, let them know about us. Give them a little bit of information about our campaign and what we're fighting for. Let them know our web site. Provide links to our various social media pages. And ask them to pass this information on to their friends and Nick groups they belong to. It's that simple. And it's free advertising! You can't beat that! But just as important as calling a Nickelodeon executive, you need be courteous and professional. Don't bug and annoy people. They will get your message. And when they are ready, they will come over.
Fan Art
One of our admins recommended fan art, and we think it's a great way to gain interest in, and spread awareness of our campaign. There are a lot of talented artists out there. You might be one of them. Everyone enjoys looking at fan art. So we recommend taking your fan art and turning it into flyers to promote our campaign. Pass the flyers out or mail it to the executives with your paper letters. Taking the time to draw something out really shows your passion for '90s Nickelodeon and its shows. If you have digital art, you can turn it into a "meme" by adding a caption with our campaign's name and web site, and promote it online through various '90s Nick related fan groups, forums, message boards and DeviantArt.
|
