ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, November 19, 1996 TAG: 9611190033
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANGELA G. KING KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
MTV, one of cable television's leading networks for the past 15 years, is getting a multimillion dollar face lift aimed at taking it back to its roots.
Next month the music channel will debut an array of new shows and begin presenting more music videos in an effort to preserve and strengthen its reputation as the premier media outlet for youth culture.
``Our goal is to make sure, in the increasingly competitive landscape out there, that we are providing a constantly exciting [and] compelling programming slate,'' said Andy Schuon, MTV's executive vice president of programming.
The latest makeover is the second since 1992 when it began showing hip-hop and alternative rock groups. It's also the most dramatic since the channel debuted on the cable scene in 1980 as a brash TV newcomer.
Back then, MTV was a nonstop video channel aimed at the ultimate music fan. But since then it has increasingly emphasized lifestyle-oriented shows, like ``Real World'' and ``Buzz Kill,'' over music much to the dismay of TV critics and some of its loyal fans.
Executives say they're just changing the MTV channel with the times. They point out that despite what critics say, most of MTV's 12-to-34-year-old audience like the channel's mix of music videos and entertainment programming.
``People would always like us to play as much music as possible,'' Schuon said. But ``the audience that currently watches MTV doesn't know any MTV that isn't a combination of music and shows.''
Here's what's on tap for the new MTV. The changes begin Dec. 8:
* A broader range of music videos that include everything from pop to dance to rave music.
* Programs showcasing new independent and imported acts. MTV helped to launch hip-hop acts like Snoop Doggy Dogg and grunge bands like Pearl Jam to fame when it began airing them several years ago before they became mainstream.
* A trivia-based game show called ``Idiot Savants.''
* A quirky new yet-to-be-named show starring former Playboy playmate Jenny McCarthy, the departing co-host of MTV's ``Singled Out'' dating show.
*An on-the-road series, called Rodman World Tour, where the NBA's Dennis Rodman travels from L.A. to Chicago to France interviewing Jay Leno, grunge rocker Eddie Vedder, Whoopie Goldberg, Jean Claude van Damme and other celebrities.
*New sets at MTV's 1515 Broadway headquarters that will feature a view of Times Square, virtual interactive technology and shots from satellite trucks around the country.
The challenge for MTV as it changes will be to find the right mix of videos and celebrity-driven shows without losing a big chunk of its 66 million subscribers.
The stakes are high because MTV means big money for its parent company, media giant Viacom. MTV is one of its most profitable and important properties - a cash machine expected to rake in $300 million in ad revenues this year.
It's also facing increasing competition from other youth-oriented channels that have cropped up on cable TV, all vying for their share of the youth advertising dollar.
``There's a tremendous amount of competition out there for viewers' eyeballs,'' said Jeffrey Flathers, an analyst with Paul Kagan Associates, a media research firm.
As advertisers point out, young viewers are a very elusive market with little loyalty to one channel. But given MTV's success at drawing that audience - it reaches 700,000 viewers in an average quarter hour - it's easy to take the viewers for granted, ad experts said.
``You can get very comfortable winning the way they've been winning,'' said ad honcho Jerry Della Femina.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 linesby CNB