MuchMusic
Encyclopedia : M : MU : MUC : MuchMusic
| network_type = Cable network (Music/youth culture)| available = National; affiliated channels available internationally | owner = CHUM Limited | key_people = Jay Switzer - President and CEO of CHUM Limited| launch_date = August 31, 1984| website = http://www.muchmusic.com| }} MuchMusic (often called Much) is a 24-hour national Canadian cable music and variety television channel based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which debuted on August 31, 1984 as one of the first Canadian cable specialty channels on the air. The channel was originally developed and programmed by John Martin and Moses Znaimer. Presently, the channel is controlled by CHUM Limited, a major Canadian media conglomerate.
The first video played on MuchMusic was Rush's "The Enemy Within".
Programming
The network airs three weekly viewer voting programs, MuchOnDemand, MuchTakeOver and Combat Zone.
MuchMusic is well-known for its annual music awards show every June. It is anticipated and promoted for weeks before the night of the MMVAs.
It has been credited with helping to foster a vibrant Canadian music scene simply by following the Canadian content broadcast rules which guaranteed native musical acts had a secure and prominent place on the channel's play schedule. It also produced the popular album series Big Shiny Tunes.
Controversy
It ran afoul of Canadian broadcast regulators in the early 1990s when it aired the animated series Ren and Stimpy; it was forced to take the program off the air on the basis that it was not a music-based program as per the network's licence.
The network also generated controversy by occasionally banning videos it deemed too racy or violent for broadcast. (MTV also weathered similar controversy.) Often, the network would broadcast banned videos as part of a Too Much 4 Much special, followed by discussion with viewers and concerned groups about why the video should or shouldn't be aired (but rarely would videos be unbanned). On the flipside, the worst videos of the year would also be featured in annual New Year's specials entitled Fromage (French for "cheese").
In recent years, particularly with the brief arrival of MTV on Canadian digital cable, the influence of MuchMusic has waned, and the channel has had to weather criticism that it focuses too much on "top 40" acts and imported MTV "reality shows" like Newlyweds and Pimp My Ride, thereby not giving enough time to smaller, independent, and Canadian performers. But 2005 saw the premiere of Video on Trial, which quickly became the network's highest-rated show while featuring Canadian comedians and personalities almost exclusively as music video "judges".
Much remains a popular station for young viewers, although older audiences have largely moved to MuchMoreMusic.
VJs
Every year or so, when new video jockeys are needed, Much will run a "VJ Search" to pick one new VJ to join the team of VJs. They will usually visit cities across Canada and pick people who appear to show potential through their audition. In earlier years, the VJ Search was usually a two-part show, but in 2006 it evolved into its own reality series.
Despite the popularity of the VJ Search, most VJs are still hired by Much directly, without being Search contestants.
Branding
The first logo for MuchMusic when it first began was a big M with Muchmusic boxed in the centre of the M. In 1992, the logo was slightly redesigned as a big M with a small m inside the outline, with the word Muchmusic below the logo. In 1996, the current logo was designed with a black-and-white Much superimposed on a planet with longitude/latitude lines on the surface. The logo change was to portray MuchMusic as more modern and youthful station.
Former relationship with MTV
MuchMusic was launched in part to capitalize on the success of MTV, the American cable music channel that had premiered a few years earlier. Although never an affiliate, Much would often broadcast MTV-produced programming such as awards shows and concerts. MTV itself was not permitted in Canada due to CRTC restrictions on format protection. However, no such restrictions existed in the United States, where CHUM attempted to compete with MTV through MuchUSA (now the unaffiliated Fuse).
Perhaps owing to this, MTV was unwilling to extend its relationship with MuchMusic longer than necessary, and was involved in not one but two attempts to launch a competing MTV Canada channel. The first such channel was in fact bought by CHUM but was quickly stripped of its MTV programming by Viacom (it is now known as Razer). The second version of the channel, owned by CTV, launched in early 2006.
Affiliated channels
Within English Canada, MuchMusic's spinoff channels include MuchMoreMusic, MuchVibe, MuchLOUD, MuchMoreRetro, and PunchMuch.
The MuchMusic brand and format has been licensed to other channels in Canada and abroad, including:
- French Canada — MusiquePlus, based in Montreal, Quebec; debuted in 1986
- United States — MuchUSA debuted in 1994 was literally all MuchMusic programming until 2001. It became Fuse in May 2003.
- Argentina — MuchMusic Argentina; launched in 1992
- Colombia — Citytv Bogota, which airs some MuchMusic programming; launched in 1999
- Finland — Jyrki a based segment which airs on Alma Media's MTV3
- Malaysia — MuchMusic Malaysia; launched in 2000
- Mexico — MuchMusic Mexico is a segment on Once TV, started in 2002
- In 2002, Singapore's RTV Broadcast Services began broadcasting content from Citytv and MuchMusic
List of programming
Current
Past
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MuchMusic Personalities/VJs
Current
- Ed the Sock
- Nardwuar the Human Serviette
- Chris Nelson
- Devon Soltendieck
- Hannah Sung
- Sarah Taylor
- Matt Wells
- Leah Miller
- Matte Babel
- Hannah Simone
- Tim Deegan
Past
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On July 12, 2006, Bell Globemedia announced they were to make a friendly takeover bid to buy CHUM Limited, with plans to maintain the Citytv system separate from its own CTV.
References
External links
- [Official Site]
- [CHUM Limited Official Site]
- [CHUM Limited International] Some source notes
- [MuchMusic Message Board]
- [Annual MuchMusic Video Awards Coverage] @ TheGATE.ca
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