MTV Relaunches Little Brother MTV2 Feb 3, 8:22 PM (ET) By JAKE COYLE
NEW YORK (AP) - Inside the giant factory of cool known as MTV headquarters, a crew of hip twentysomethings has been hard at work creating a two-headed monster. This beast wants to be man's new best friend.
On Sunday, during the Super Bowl halftime, MTV2 is relaunching with a new focus on 12-24 year-old guys - and a new logo.
This silhouette of a dog with two heads (you may have seen the intentionally vague posters) is at the center of the new MTV2. The revamped network will maintain most of its current music programming, bonded with swirling graphics and constant injections of randomness.
For this purpose, a B-movie horror film archive has been raided. Film has been shot of pigeons with bling, gossiping. In one promo, a girl twisting her hair says, "Let's kiss. Oh, wait. I forgot. You're ugly."
This is not your father's MTV ... or maybe it is.
"What MTV2 is, while a departure from MTV, is really harkening back to the early days of MTV," says Tina Exarhos, executive vice president of marketing.
Since its beginning in 1981, when it famously began broadcasting with the single "Video Killed the Radio Star," MTV has morphed from heavy video rotation and shows like "Headbanger's Ball" to a steady diet of shows like "The Real World" and "Newlyweds." Today, it's no secret that there is much less "music" to its TV.
MTV2 was created in 1996 to fill that video void. Now reaching an estimated 50 million homes (mostly by digital cable and satellite), MTV2 hopes its newest incarnation will create a unique identity.
"We used to be simply a music complement to MTV. Now we're a real business," said David Cohn, general manager of MTV2. "We had to change and evolve."
While MTV2 does have new programs like "Video Mods," a show where video game characters replace artists in their music videos, it's clear MTV2 is aiming for a new kind of television experience.
The network recognizes that their young-guy demographic are, as Cohn says, "operating on multiple platforms" - not just television, but the Web and video games - sometimes simultaneously. For example, after the show "Discover & Download" premiered with the Senegal-born R&B singer Akon, thousands of downloads immediately followed.
But do internet downloads translate into TV ratings?
"Success on album sales and downloads create buzz in the artist community," says Cohn. "We want to build credible programs. We're establishing relationships with artists for the long haul."
The channel is renewing a tradition of unveiling a new video every Tuesday, and running it at least 16 times that day. The first premiere will be Green Day's next single.
"We want Green Day to be a kind of house band for MTV2, the way people feel about MTV being the Eminem Network," says Tom Calderon, executive vice president of talent and music.
That means an MTV institution - the V-J - may soon go missing from MTV2. Its current resident V-Js are Jim Shearer and Amanda Diva, but their roles are being re-examined.
So ... will it work?
Sarah Lewitinn, an associate editor at Spin magazine, hopes the answer is yes. "Shows like 'The O.C.' have proved that kids are into indie rock music, if you want to call it that," she said. "Kids are more into career-type artists and very interested in music not in the mainstream."
There's also a new challenger in music television. While media company Viacom owns MTV, MTV2, VH1, VH1 Classic, BET and Country Music Television, Fuse (previously Much Music) entered the fray in 2003 with a focus on "music all the time" and a studio just 14 blocks south of MTV's.
"It is a testament to Fuse's success that in less than two years our music programming has made such a profound connection with fans that an institution like MTV feels the need to recommit to music," Fuse said in a statement.
MTV2 will first rear its two ugly heads during Sunday's halftime, when both MTV and MTV2 will air a preview. The made-over channel will then launch at midnight. And on Monday, for half an hour, all the jumbotrons in Times Square will be taken over by the two-headed dog.
MTV's art department was muted chaos in preparation: "We normally have like ten spots going. Right now, we have 140," art director Lena Beug said.
Will Internet teases, school bus demolitions and a new logo all add up to a new identity? MTV does seem to be hotwired into America's youth - even if Cohn is uncertain about their logo's species.
I don't watch many music videos at all anymore, cause I am old and decrepit. But when I do it's either VH1 Classic or Fuse. More likely, if I just want noise (like I am reading, but like most dumb Americans can't stand the quiet), I'll turn one of the digital music channels on. (Then my daughter will come in and say something like: I like the song, but their video is booorrrring - she's done it several times and thinks she is brilliant every time)
I recently got that OnDemand option and was really pumped up about being able to watch Headbanger's Ball again. Then I was really disappointed when I found out I didn't like any of the bands. Now I just tune into those music channels that play the songs and put up text about the artists over a blank background. I've been leaving the Classic Country channel on while I go about the morning.
ANy channel that has the letters MTV in it, have long been deleted from my favorites. If I watch Videos at all, its on VH1 Classics, or Fuse.
But, read that first part again, targeting 12-24 year old males. THAT's gonna tell ya it will be a crappy collection of new 'rock' and hip hop. Neither of which I have ever had the inclination to listen to or buy. Perhaps being 35 explains that though.
Sarah Lewitinn, an associate editor at Spin magazine, hopes the answer is yes. "Shows like 'The O.C.' have proved that kids are into indie rock music, if you want to call it that," she said. "Kids are more into career-type artists and very interested in music not in the mainstream."
Wow. I love that plan.
"Kids only like non-mainstream music, so lets play it ALL THE TIME so it IS in the mainstream and then alienate our whole demographic because they HATE mainstream music! Brilliant!"
This, coupled with the new head of SpikeTV Mr. "Maybe we should play some sci-fi on Spike, oh, we have a four hour block of Trek, huh?" shows me that the Viacom family of networks are in TROUBLE. Just MODO.
"We've got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret, vetoing things and sending them back to the Hill!"
Originally posted by CRZThe revamped network will maintain most of its current music programming, bonded with swirling graphics and constant injections of randomness.
Sounds like the awful randomness of "ManiaTV!" (www.maniatv.com). Tried watching that a few times. They had a host saying "yo, yo, yo, wuz' up? I gots some DOPE cuts comin' up, yo"...and I thought it was a deliberate joke, like Mr. JiggyFly from the Geico commerical. Nope, he was serious. They also aired a "video" of animated Barbie dolls fighting with "edgy" music like Nirvana playing in the background.
My OnDemand music section has a good sampling of stuff. I'd say around 250 videos are available. But unless you're a total music buff, it's tough to figure out what each video is. Most of the descriptions are "this is an up-and-coming band. This video is their greatest, yet!!"
The OnDemand condensed Headbanger's Ball isn't as bad as you'd think, though. It definitely beats sitting through 2 hours of the show's shitty interviews and awful videos. Plus, the "live" show has a terrible pattern of showing TWO videos followed by 10-15 commercials. It's a horrendous show, so be thankful you have it in condensed format.
Sometimes I'll jump on this Internet thingie and use the freebie features of Yahoo's Launch.com to browse a certain genre of videos. Worth checking out if you have high-speed. You can pick favorite videos and make your own playlist. So check out Manowar and Debbie Gibson in one sitting.
Sarah Lewitinn, an associate editor at Spin magazine, hopes the answer is yes. "Shows like 'The O.C.' have proved that kids are into indie rock music, if you want to call it that," she said. "Kids are more into career-type artists and very interested in music not in the mainstream."
Wow. I love that plan.
"Kids only like non-mainstream music, so lets play it ALL THE TIME so it IS in the mainstream and then alienate our whole demographic because they HATE mainstream music! Brilliant!"
Except that which they're talking about might as well be in the mainstream, but as the genre isn't "pop" or "pop-rap", will never see the light of MTV (even though everyone else already knows about 'em). I sorely doubt they're going to be pushing stuff like Wolf Eyes.
You wanted the best, you got... Out of Context Quote of the Week.
"Jeez, some people seem to think anything short of Vince bending over and spreading his asscheeks is a slap in the face." (Hogan's My Dad)
Sarah Lewitinn, an associate editor at Spin magazine, hopes the answer is yes. "Shows like 'The O.C.' have proved that kids are into indie rock music, if you want to call it that," she said. "Kids are more into career-type artists and very interested in music not in the mainstream."
Wow. I love that plan.
"Kids only like non-mainstream music, so lets play it ALL THE TIME so it IS in the mainstream and then alienate our whole demographic because they HATE mainstream music! Brilliant!"
Except that which they're talking about might as well be in the mainstream, but as the genre isn't "pop" or "pop-rap", will never see the light of MTV (even though everyone else already knows about 'em). I sorely doubt they're going to be pushing stuff like Wolf Eyes.
I dunno'. SPIN had an article recently (at least I think it was recently. I found the magazine at work, so it could be years old) that heavily featured Wolf Eyes.
Unfortunately, our little video utopia known as VH-1 Classic may also be experimenting with a change:
On weekends in Feb & March, they're going to show some "Movies that Rock" and some "Behind the Music"s. Of course the ezBoard is all in an uproar. Eric Sherman, who is one of (or the main) programmer of the channel has responded to one of the more zealous members not to freak out just yet and that they're just experimenting, but I'm sure that's how MTV2 started with showing reruns of MTV programming too . . .
Dammit, and just as I'm finally going to get a DVD burner. Bah!
It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them. P. G. Wodehouse (1881 - 1975), The Man Upstairs (1914)
In Indianapolis, there's actually a local channel that plays all sorts of music videos. Really. OK, on Sunday they have church crap for some reason, but otherwise it's just videos. They break it up into "blocks" every now and then (with thankfully simply names. It's just the "hip hop and R&B block" instead of "Kickin' Bling Hour" or something) but it's still music.
Maybe they can use whoever did the Mickey voice in the recent South Park spoof. That was funny. Seriously, this is a big loss. There are dolls, video games, audiobooks, movies, theme park attractions and Disney on Ice shows all with that voice.