MtvU

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MTVU
mtvU logo (2011–present; same as the 2008–2011 logo)
Launched February 2002
Owned by Viacom Media Networks (Viacom)
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
(optimized for 16:9 widescreen televisions in stretch mode)
Slogan College Music, Activism, Shows and Activities On Campus
Country United States
Language English
Broadcast area Closed-circuit on U.S. college campuses, digital cable
Headquarters New York City, New York
Formerly called College Television Network (2002–2003)
Sister channel(s) MTV, MTV2
Website MTVU.com
Availability
Cable
Available on most U.S. cable providers Check local listings for channels
Part of a series on
MTV
in the United States
Programs on MTV
MTV personalities
Censorship on MTV
Viacom Media Networks

MTVU (stylized as "mtvU") is an American digital cable television network that is owned by the MTV Networks Music & Logo Group, a unit of the Viacom Media Networks division of Viacom. In addition to distribution on conventional cable systems, the channel is available to more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States. It provides a more targeted alternative to MTV, and gives advertisers and music promotion companies access to college-age viewers, access that universities offer in an attempt to attract students to on-campus housing.[1] Music videos played on the channel primarily consists of indie rock, pop punk and hip-hop videos.

History

MTV Networks' proposal for a channel targeting college students, tentatively called MTV University, became public in February 2002.[1] According to The New York Times, the channel was seeking to compete with Burly Bear Network, which was available to 450 campuses and had been attracting nearly a million viewers a week, along with College Television Network (CTN) and the most recent entrant at the time, Zilo.[1] CTN began as a venture that installed video jukeboxes on campuses.[citation needed]

Seven months later, after CTN wound up in financial trouble and as National Lampoon had just acquired the defunct Burly Bear, MTV Networks acquired CTN for $15 million.[2]

In February 2008, MTV Networks discontinued VH1 Uno, a sparsely-viewed Spanish language music video channel, and replaced it with MTVU, to expand the channel into traditional cable distribution.[3][4]

Programming

According to its promotional materials, MTVU broadcasts exclusive content dedicated to aspects of college life, including music, news, and on-campus events. The channel was the first MTV network to stream all of its content online. On-campus events include the Campus Invasion tour, featuring up-and-coming bands; the GAME0Rz Ball tour, which brings new video games to campus; and Tailgate Tour, which provides MTVU with a presence at campus tailgates. MTVU shows include Dean's List,[5] the MTVU Awards, and MTVU Spring Break.

MTVU plays a mix of music videos with an emphasis on emerging artists. (MTVU VIDEO PREMIERES) Each hour, MTVU broadcasts news updates from ABC News (formerly CBS News, changed in late 2006 in the wake of the Viacom/CBS split), including international news and college-related news. Twice an hour, MTV News airs stories on subjects such as music downloading, and musical artists under promotion by MTVU.

Additionally, MTVU airs several original programs produced by and featuring college students. The Freshmen features three rotating student panelists discussing new music videos and is hosted by Kim Stolz; Stand-In brings celebrities and intellectuals into college classrooms to teach for a day, and has featured people as diverse as Nobel Laureates Elie Wiesel and Shimon Peres; Madonna; John McCain; Marilyn Manson; and Jhumpa Lahiri. It has also started a social networking site "Meet or Delete", along with Hewlett Packard.

Awards

Woodie Awards

MTVU broadcasts its own annual awards show, the Woodie Awards, which it states recognizes "the music voted best by college students." Previous winners have included 2005's Death Cab for Cutie, Motion City Soundtrack, and The Afters; 2006 winners include Thirty Seconds to Mars, Plain White T's, mewithoutYou, The Subways and Gnarls Barkley. The 2006 ceremony was also notable for the altercation of Elijah Wood and Scott from the music blog Stereogum with Jared Leto.[6] The 2008 awards had a huge fan voting for the Best Music On Campus award, where The Bride Wore Black won the award and Chasing Arrows came in right behind.[7] Winners at the 2008 Woodie Awards included Paramore and There for Tomorrow. Winners at the 2009 Woodie Awards included Green Day, Kings of Leon, Matt & Kim, NeverShoutNever, Tech N9ne and Hotel of the Laughing Tree.[8]

Awards for students

The online game Darfur Is Dying was developed as part of an MTVU contest, and other Sudan genocide coverage won MTVU two Emmys, including the 2006 Governors Award. MTVU also provides grants for student activists, giving away $1,000 a week to various student groups. MTVU currently co-sponsors the ecomagination Challenge with GE, which aims to empower college students to solve environmental problems on campuses. MTVU also sponsored the Film Your Issue competition, a competition designed to encourage college-age filmmakers to make short political pieces, and aired the winners.

Other opportunities that MTVU provides for college students include Digital Incubator grants, which award students who are pioneering the future of broadband content, and the Student Filmmaker Award, which provides the winner with the chance to receive a development deal with MTVU and collect the award at the MTV Movie Awards. Besides these competitions, MTVU makes efforts to use student work through its programming.

List of mtvU VJs

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jim Rutenberg (February 18, 2002). "Big MTV on Campus?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-11-21. 
  2. ↑ "MTV Acquires College Television Network". The New York Times. September 21, 2002. Retrieved 2009-11-21. 
  3. ↑ "mtvU Adds 2.6 Million Subscribers, Launches on Charter, Verizon FiOS, Suddenlink, AT&T and Nearly 70 Other Carriers Nationwide". MTV Networks press release. PR Newswire via CNNMoney.com. 29 January 2008. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2011. 
  4. ↑ "MTV2 Replacing VHUno February 2nd". Charter Communications system message. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2011. 
  5. ↑ "Dean's List episode hosted by Taiwan Brown". episode. 
  6. ↑ Best Week Ever » Blog Archive » SIZZLER: Gollum Leto Hates Hobbitses from bestweekever.tv
  7. ↑ http://woodies.mtvu.com
  8. ↑ http://newmusicreviews.net/2009-mtvu-woodie-award-winners/

External links

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