“I want my MTV University!” Those are the words you may be hearing come Nov. 14.
In an effort to launch MTV University, a channel specifically geared towards college students, the music network will be touring UMass on Wednesday, Nov. 14, hoping to get a feel for the student body. Deployed camera crews will march up and down town, on and off campus, trying to capture sensational footage of a typical UMass weekday.
“If people want us to come to their fraternity, dorm, or bar we will show up there,” said MTV University executive producer Morgan Hertzan excitedly. “We usually have a really good time. It’s a lot of fun. People will definitely know we’re there.”
The University of Massachusetts was chosen as one of eight beta schools as a test for their new university initiative. So far, Hertzan and his crew have visited the campuses of the University of Connecticut, Rutgers University, Montclair State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Fordham University. MTV University will make its last two stops at the University of Georgia and the University of California-San Diego.
Hertzan said that the Pioneer Valley university was chosen for its “size, diversity, and geographic location. We just thought that you guys had a great student body and a great town.”
The idea to create a college offspring of MTV came from a brainless concept that MTV executives had pondered for a while, Hertzan said.
“The reason we started this is because we care about college students. We feel like we have great stuff in our library that college students love. We have ten years of Spring Break archives. We have several seasons of ‘Beavis and Butthead.’ We want all of this stuff to be seen by that audience. We understand that you are an underserved audience, and we’re hoping to solve that problem,” Hertzan said.
MTV University will be similar to MTV but its demographic will be targeted to an older audience. The network will have shows specifically designed for the college student minus the programming they hate, like the bubble gum pop and the gloss and shine of the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, according to Hertzan.
“The reason for doing the pilot is to gauge interest,” Hertzan said. If there is enough positive feedback, the new network will tentatively launch on Sept. 2002 and will air 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Hoping to cater to the interest of all college students, MTV University will incorporate different elements of MTV that have been popular on the network. “I think the emphasis will be on music and documentaries,” Hertzan said, pointing out that it is said type of programming which draws the most liking.
The documentaries will mostly revolve around the tastes of college students – sex, drugs and nightlife, to name a few. A selection of new and old music videos popular among college students will also air.
Hertzan is asking students for their feedback of MTV University. The program can be seen through December in its pilot stages three times a week on Channel 9 on the Housing Services Cable Network lineup.
“I think this is a great opportunity for college students,” Hertzan said. “It’s like a TV democracy. You can tell us what you’d like to see, shows and TV documentaries, and we can play them. Do you have a favorite ‘Beavis and Butthead’? We can play that for you!”
MTV will be looking for all types of people ready to star in front of the camera. “If anyone at UMass has ever wanted to be on TV, this is their opportunity,” Hertzan said.
Bars have expressed anticipation of a possible MTV drop in.
“We would be honored if MTV came to the Hangar,” said Pat Daly, co-owner of the Hangar, 55 University Drive. “We just hope the Backstreet Boys and P. Diddy won’t be acting up,” he later quipped.
“All the southern colleges get all the press,” said O’Brien Tomalin, manager of Amherst Brewing Company, 24 North Pleasant Street. “It’ll be great to see New England getting rocked by MTV.”
Bill Boyce, a junior Journalism major, interned at MTV during the summer and helped develop and format the idea of MTV University. “They’re excited about this and they want this to really take off,” Boyce said. He also claims that the individuals at MTV are the “best in music and television. They’re at the top of the line.”
Other students are also looking forward to MTV’s arrival. “MTV is awesome,” said Nicole Bourassa, a sophomore Landscape Architecture major. “We’re all from the 80s generation; we all grew up on MTV. I’d love for them to come to UMass.”
Matt Landolt, a junior Biology major agrees. “It’ll be great for them to benefit from a large University such as ours,” he said.
Any students interested in being on MTV University, or would simply like to offer feedback on the network, are encouraged to contact MTV at [email protected].
