Nick Rocks
Encyclopedia
Nick Rocks is a television show that aired on American cable channel Nickelodeon
from 1982 to 1989, which featured pop and rock music videos for 30 minutes. The show's host was identified only as "Joe From Chicago." Nick Rocks occasionally featured guest stars hosting the show, including They Might Be Giants
and the Monkees. In 1988
, a spin off called Nick Jr. Rocks
premiered which was geared toward younger fans and featured children's music.
The show's theme song was written by veteran television composer Edd Kalehoff
.
"Joe from Chicago" is Joseph R. Piasek, formerly the director of programming and news of New York's WPIX-FM and currently on the faculty of New York University and SUNY Delhi. Joe wrote and voiced Nicks Rocks, which was produced by Andy Bamberger, for Nickelodeon. Joe was an original member of Nickelodeon's 1984 on-air launch team and remained a voice producer, writer, director, and consultant throughout most of Nickelodeon's (and Nick at Nite's) formative years, producing, scheduling, writing and performing the networks' "voiceover credits" and top-of-the-hour "pronouncements." He has done similar work for Viacom's VH-1 and TNN. Joe's doctoral thesis chronicles Nickelodeon's childhood in the context of organizational learning. His earlier exploits in radio are revealed in Paul Colford's book "King of All Media: Howard Stern." Piasek is a co-founder and manager of WIOX radio in the Catskill Mountains, a wildly diverse, live, community radio station at 91.3FM in Roxbury (NY) and wioxradio.org.
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
from 1982 to 1989, which featured pop and rock music videos for 30 minutes. The show's host was identified only as "Joe From Chicago." Nick Rocks occasionally featured guest stars hosting the show, including They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
and the Monkees. In 1988
1988 in television
The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
, a spin off called Nick Jr. Rocks
Nick Jr. Rocks
Nick Jr. Rocks was a spinoff of Nick Rocks, a 30 minute Nickelodeon program that consisted of popular music videos. This program aired on Nick Jr...
premiered which was geared toward younger fans and featured children's music.
The show's theme song was written by veteran television composer Edd Kalehoff
Edd Kalehoff
Edward Woodley "Edd" Kalehoff is a music composer who specializes in compositions for television.-Notable pieces:Composer of about 1,000 pieces, mainly for television, his credits include the majority of cues used on The Price is Right as well as the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare, a music...
.
"Joe from Chicago" is Joseph R. Piasek, formerly the director of programming and news of New York's WPIX-FM and currently on the faculty of New York University and SUNY Delhi. Joe wrote and voiced Nicks Rocks, which was produced by Andy Bamberger, for Nickelodeon. Joe was an original member of Nickelodeon's 1984 on-air launch team and remained a voice producer, writer, director, and consultant throughout most of Nickelodeon's (and Nick at Nite's) formative years, producing, scheduling, writing and performing the networks' "voiceover credits" and top-of-the-hour "pronouncements." He has done similar work for Viacom's VH-1 and TNN. Joe's doctoral thesis chronicles Nickelodeon's childhood in the context of organizational learning. His earlier exploits in radio are revealed in Paul Colford's book "King of All Media: Howard Stern." Piasek is a co-founder and manager of WIOX radio in the Catskill Mountains, a wildly diverse, live, community radio station at 91.3FM in Roxbury (NY) and wioxradio.org.