From the comfort of their dorm rooms, on-campus residents can now access an MTV channel that showcases students’ work and sponsors their activism on college campuses.
MtvU — channel 52 on the campus’ cable lineup — offers the music videos, concerts and programming many students expect of an MTV channel with a collegiate twist. University officials said there was an opening for another programming network, and because mtvU reaches 9 million students on more than 750 college campuses, according to MTV spokesman Jake Urbanski, it was well-suited to fill the void.
The channel features student-generated content and campus DJs, activists and performers. The network also brings concerts, giveaways and program shoots to college campuses that offer the channel, Urbanski said. Additionally, it gives up to $1,000 in grant money to student activists who apply from all over the country each week of the school year, according to mtvU’s website.
“MtvU isn’t just a network for specific college students but also by college students,” Urbanski said. “We try to give them a chance to get their work featured.”
Although Comcast dictates the lineup of channels available on the campus with no say from the university, there are three open slots allocated for whatever university-related programs officials choose to stream in, said Chris Moore, a residential facilities assistant director.
Last year, Residence Hall Association members made moves to request that Comcast bring a different channel to the campus when it surveyed students about whether they’d want to pay an extra $3.25 for access to HBO.
Although 38 percent of students said they would foot an extra fee for the premium channel, RHA President Corie Stretton said the organization decided the majority ruled.
“To my knowledge, we’re not going to look into getting HBO this year, either. It seemed like if it’s free, why not? But if we have to pay more every year, then people might be less inclined,” said Stretton, a senior American studies and communication major.
With an extra opening, university officials decided earlier this semester to take mtvU up on its offer to install a satellite on the roof of Hornbake Library — where Nonprint Media Services distributes cable to the campus — and began streaming the channel last week.
“Students know what MTV is. They’ve grown up with it, and mtvU is really tuned in to what college students are doing,” said David Ottalini, a senior media relations associate at the university.
Some of the channel’s content, though, is purely for laughs. In two programs, celebrities make surprise classroom appearances where teachers bashed on www.ratemyprofessors.com — owned by MTV — listen and respond to harsh online comments, Urbanski said.
“All the programs are things we try to take to as many colleges as possible that are in our network, and with Maryland we would definitely want to do that now that you guys are part of the MTV family,” Urbanksi said.
A NASA-produced station that occupied channel 52 moved to channel 37 so mtvU could be on the same channel it is off the campus. Because MTV paid for its satellite, the lineup addition won’t displace any channels or cost the university money, Ottalini said.
However, several students said the decision doesn’t affect them, as their busy college schedules don’t allow much time to watch TV, regardless of the channel.
“If it doesn’t have to do with Maryland, I don’t think I’d be interested,” said freshman letters and sciences major Mercy Eke.
But some, such as junior English and history major Jessica Archer, said they would be interested in watching mtvU and hope the network comes to the university to broadcast programs or concerts.
“I think it’s good to have it. It would be cool if MTV had events here on the campus,” she said. “I think a lot of people would go just because of the name.”
lurye@umdbk.com
