MtvU
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- The correct title of this article is mtvU. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
CTN redirects here. For the religious TV network, see Christian Television Network.
mtvU (formerly College Television Network or CTN) is a division of MTV Networks which broadcasts a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States. A Viacom-owned channel, mtvU both provides an alternative to standard music television for college students, and gives advertisers and music promotion companies access to college-age viewers, a valuable but traditionally difficult-to-reach demographic group. At universities to which mtvU gains access, TV monitors are often set up in student centers and fitness centers, as well as in dorm lounges and common areas; students can also access mtvU through closed circuit cable. CTN originally began as a venture that installed video jukeboxes at these locations.
On August 2, 2006, Viacom's mtvU announced an agreement to acquire Y2M Youth Media & Marketing Networks, the parent of College Publisher, the largest interactive network of online college newspapers in the US.
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 plays a mix of music programming with an emphasis on emerging artists. Each hour, mtvU broadcasts news updates from ABC News (formerly CBS News, but switched in the fourth quarter of 2006), 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.
mtvU also has its own annual awards show, the Woodie Awards, which they say 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 the Plain White T's, the Subways, Gnarls Barkley, and 30 Seconds to Mars. The 2006 ceremony was also notable for Jared Leto's altercation with Elijah Wood and Scott from the music blog Stereogum.[1]
Student activism is also key to mtvU. 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 $1000 a week to various student groups. Currently, mtvU is also cosponsoring 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 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.
