Search Results for: MTV

MTV launches its first-ever music award program for Africa on Saturday, with acts from across the world’s poorest continent nominated for prizes in the Nigerian capital. Winners were being selected by fans sending text messages, said Alison Reid, a spokeswoman for MTV Networks Africa. Africa has long featured a vibrant music scene , but artists have had difficulties breaking into overseas markets. Famous African artists include Senegal’s Youssou N’dour, Nigerian legend Fela Kuti and South African impresario Miriam Makeba , who died this month. MTV hopes the awards can offer the artists more exposure and celebrate the continent’s artistry. Nigerian… Read more »

Start the countdown clock on MTV’s countdown era: “Total Request Live” will soon shut down after 10 years on the air. The music video show will conclude in a two-hour special on a Saturday afternoon in November, Dave Sirulnick, executive producer of “TRL,” said Monday. He stressed that the show wasn’t ending for good, but felt now was the right time to give it a break after an unprecedented run on the cable music channel. “We want to close this era of `TRL’ in a big celebratory way, and 10 is a great number,” Sirulnick said. “And 10 is the… Read more »

MTV, part of the media conglomerate Viacom Inc., has recruited 51 youths to cover the 2008 elections throughout the country with weekly reports that will include short videos, blogs and animation. The reports will be distributed through Think.MTV.com, an issue-based political and community Web site run by MTV; to mobile devices through a soon-to-be launched service called MTV Mobile; and through The arrangement announced Thursday is part of MTV’s “Choose or Lose” political awareness campaign and was funded partly by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a private journalism foundation based in Miami. The participants… Read more »

Scores of workers from MTV Networks walked off the job yesterday afternoon, filling the sidewalk outside the headquarters of its corporate parent, Viacom, to protest recent changes in benefits. The walkout highlighted the concerns of a category of workers who are sometimes called permalancers: permanent freelancers who work like full-time employees but do not receive the same benefits. Waving signs that read “Shame on Viacom,” the workers, most of them in their 20s, demanded that MTV Networks reverse a plan to reduce health and dental benefits for freelancers beginning Jan. 1. In a statement, MTV Networks noted that its benefits… Read more »

Between all the hubbub over Britney Spears’ VMA comeback disaster and Tommy Lee and Kid Rock’s smackdown, someone’s got to make sure Kanye West gets his fair share of the spotlight. And who better to do that than the man himself? West, who left the MTV Video Music Awards empty-handed Sunday night, has lashed out, claiming the network “betrayed” him and “exploited” Spears. “They exploited Britney in helping to end her career,” West said Monday in an interview with New York radio station Z100. “When Britney was opening, near the end, I felt so bad for her. I said, ‘Man,… Read more »

With an emphasis on the visual over the audio, MTV from its inception has never been “about the music.” But after seeing interest in its signature trophy show wane in recent years, the network put the spotlight where it belongs for a music awards show: on the concert stage. The result of this brainstorm, and a few other format changes to its Video Music Awards? The most watchable show in many a Moon Man outing. Even if that isn’t saying much. And this despite opening with an onstage career suicide by Britney Spears. More on that later. The 2007 VMAs… Read more »

I thought about being nicer in the title of the article, but it is simply the truth. MTV tried to re-invent the awards show this year and managed to make it worse. The VMAs were moved to Las Vegas this year to try to add some new flavor to the beleaguered show. The idea was to have bands hosting parties in different rooms at the Palms. The show would cut between the main stage where presentations were made and the party rooms. Fall Out Boy, Kanye West, Foofighters and others performed from the parties. That was the best part of… Read more »