College campuses display different brand of MTV

Nic Armstrong, Regina Spektor and B.R. Gunna are spending a lot of time in North Lake’s cafeteria these days. No, they’re not students -- they’re musical artists on mtvU, a new and different brand of MTV broadcast daily via satellite.

“The most obvious difference is that our programming is customized for college students,” said Stephen Friedman, general manager of mtvU.

College Television Network was acquired by mtvU in January 2004, replacing the college’s previous provider and making North Lake one of 700 colleges nationwide to receive free equipment and a continuous feed from the Viacom-owned network.

“We have a luxury working with college students who are much more receptive to new music,” said Friedman.

Student response acts as a barometer. The channel is used as a “laboratory” to discover emerging artists, said Friedman.

In an attempt to project its image much further than the screen, mtvU is physically showing up at American schools with an on-air, online, and on-campus approach.

STAND IN is a popular on-campus mtvU program. It surprises students with celebrity lecturers. Russell Simmons, Marilyn Manson, Jesse Jackson, Tom Wolfe and others have surprised students by stepping into classrooms to replace regular professors.

The topic of politics is not off limits. A nationwide casting contest has just entered the selection phase. A student will be selected to serve as mtvU’s on-air correspondent, covering events in the Darfur region of Sudan, a political hotspot.

Other humanitarian programs include STANDFast, a campaign designed to mark the April 7 anniversary of Rwandan genocide.

STANDFast challenges students to give up cigarettes, chocolate, or other items, and donate what would have been spent on them to relief organizations.

Among other contests and events, the network provides mtvU grants to students making a difference in their community, hands out a Best Gamer on Campus award, and highlights student filmmakers.

The mtvU Web site lists hundreds of schools that carry the broadcast. A review of the list reveals that most of mtvU’s on-campus activities occur at four-year schools, where students are apt to spend more time on campus. They see mtvU onscreen in the gym, in their dorm, and in dining areas.

Here at North Lake, mtvU is viewed on a limited basis in a few common areas. The lack of on-campus activities makes the broadcast a stand- alone product here.

This may not be bad news for some at North Lake. Not all students are eager to sing mtvU’s praises.

“Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad,” said Aaron Thompson, a sophomore who said he’d rather be watching CNBC or CNN.

“There’s a political culture out there that students should focus on,” he said.

Others believe that, unlike the library, the cafeteria should be a more social spot on campus.

During a recent lunch hour, Tatenda Charhunduka, an Irving student taking certification classes at North Lake, occupied the table closest to one of the TV monitors. Dressed in crisp business attire, he focused intently on his laptop.

Asked how he feels about the monitors in the cafeteria, he said, “It’s good. It gives people time to refresh in between classes ... socialization is important.”

On one particular afternoon, with the cafeteria about 75 percent full, no one was looking at the mtvU monitors, and the audio level was too low to be heard at a distance.

“I don’t pay much attention to them,” said sophomore Audrey Josey. “With the kind of hum that goes on in here, it’s hard to hear them.”

Josey said that the style of music she likes is not played on the network. That also contributes to her lack of interest in mtvU.

You may not find your first choice in TV programming available on NLC monitors, but if you’re looking for Nic Armstrong and Regina Specktor, they were last seen in the cafeteria — onscreen and getting their mtvU groove on.