It’s the end of an era. After 25 years on the air, Nickelodeon’s Nick News with Linda Ellerbee is ending. Ellerbee has announced her retirement and the network will air a series finale on December 15th.
Nick News is the longest-running children’s news series in television history.
Created by Ellerbee in 1992, the series began as an platform to educate kids about current events. Ellerbee has been a working television journalist for more than 40 years. Over the course of its run, Nick News has covered a number of critical issues from AIDS to several wars to global warming.
The series has won multiple Peabody Awards for its contribution to children’s education.
On December 15th, Nickelodeon will air “Hello, I Must Be Going: 25 Years of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee,” an hour-long retrospective special that will also serve as the series finale.
Here’s the official announcement:
NEW YORK – Dec. 1, 2015 – Commemorating the unrivaled run of the iconic Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, Nickelodeon will present “Hello, I Must Be Going: 25 Years of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee,” a retrospective series finale documenting the longest-running kids’ news show in television history. Ellerbee, who has announced her retirement, will highlight some of Nick News’ most poignant episodes and discussions, while presenting the story and philosophy behind the award-winning series. The hour-long special will air Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
“For the past 25 years, few people have served kids better than Linda Ellerbee and her staff at Nick News,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Viacom Kids and Family Group. “She was a trailblazer in network news when she joined Nickelodeon, and she has been a pioneer ever since in her ability to respect the intelligence of our audiences and never once speak down to them.”
Zarghami added, “She has helped multiple generations of kids understand the issues of the day, and she helped a lot of parents navigate how to talk about the tough topics, as well. We are deeply grateful for her immeasurable contributions to Nickelodeon, and we wish her all the best in her retirement.”
Initially created as a news special to help kids understand the U.S. War with Iraq in the early 1990s, Nick News immediately went on to play a vital, continuing role in kids’ education of current events, from covering major world events like 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing and Hurricane Katrina, to shedding light on controversial issues such as AIDS, sexuality and racism.
Never fearful of tackling difficult topics, Nick News received critical acclaim for its commitment to delivering honest and imperative information to kids. Rooted in the belief that kids need and want information about the world they live in, Nick News used its unique format as a teaching tool and a platform to honor everyday heroes. In doing so, Ellerbee and her team encouraged kids to seek out information and taught them the important lesson that one person can make a difference in the world.
“Possibly the most important truth I take with me is the firm knowledge that you are never too old to learn from young,” said Ellerbee. “I’ve been a television journalist for 43 years, and I’m pretty sure I’ve been the luckiest journalist on television. It’s been a great ride, all of it, but it’s time to go, and I go smiling.”
Nick News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is the longest-running kids’ news show in television history. It built its reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to kids about the important issues of the day. Over the years, Nick News received more than 21 Emmy nominations and won its tenth Emmy Award for Forgotten But Not Gone: Kids, HIV & AIDS in the category of Outstanding Children’s Nonfiction Program. Its additional Emmy wins include: Under the Influence: Kids of Alcoholics (2011); (The Face of Courage: Kids Living with Cancer (2010); Coming Home: When Parents Return from War (2009); The Untouchable Kids of India (2008); Private Worlds: Kids and Autism (2007); Never Again: From the Holocaust to the Sudan (2005); Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan (2002) and What Are You Staring At? (1998). In 1995, the entire series won the Emmy.
Nick News was also honored with the Edward R. Murrow Award for best Network News Documentary for Coming Home: When Parents Return from War – the first-ever kids’ television program to receive this prestigious award. Nick News also received three Peabody Awards, including a personal award given to Ellerbee for explaining the impeachment of President Clinton to kids, as well as a Columbia duPont Award and more than a dozen Parents’ Choice Awards.”
What do you think? Did you watch Nick News with Linda Ellerbee? What are some of your favorite moments from the series? Will you watch the series finale?
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