MTV TO LOAD UP ON MUSIC THIS SUMMER WITH F’N MTV

MTV will announce today that it has cooked up (barbecued?) a music-intensive programming initiative for this summer. F'N MTV, as it has been dubbed, will be an around-the-clock affair, updated weekly, in which MTV will air music videos and performances from both established and up-and-coming acts. What makes this concoction more than conventional programming, music or otherwise, is that MTV will enable viewers to not only create their own music experiences on MTV.com but also choose which bands and artists are featured on MTV proper.

Kicking off the initiative will be F'N MTV Premieres…, beginning June 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The new Friday night music event, hosted by Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, will feature exclusive live performances and debut new videos from high-profile artists including Panic at the Disco, Flo-Rida, The Ting Tings, Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Wayne, The Pussycat Dolls, Duffy, Boys Like Girls and Vampire Weekend.

Following the Friday night action, the show will keep going throughout the week, like the Eveready Bunny, as fans are invited to give their takes on the music they’ve seen. That will include user-generated content from karaoke videos to viewer “reviews,” all submitted UGC available on F'N MTV site on MTV.com. Viewers will then determine the best of the best fan-submitted content that will make its way back onto the MTV big screen, each showcased with the corresponding music videos played on-air.

Said MTV Music Group President of Entertainment Brian Graden: "F is for feedback, N is for new, and together, F'N MTV is the summer music event that brings it all together. Starting in June, MTV will focus on exclusive new music video premieres, and via mtv.com, the instantaneous feedback from our audience and culture at large as they make the music their own. MTV's new paradigm enables us to not only initiate a conversation around music via flagship premieres, but also reflect that conversation back on television in real time. F’N MTV, along with interactive amateur competitions like ‘America's Best Dance Crew’ and ‘Making the Band,’ the perennial viewer-driven ‘TRL,’ further MTV's mission of enabling this generation's great musical democracy."

Added SVP Music and Talent Amy Doyle: “Our audience has an insatiable hunger for the new and the fresh. We're going to be loud about what's new and use the power of MTV to engage music fans around music videos. Every week this summer, we are going to highlight the most exciting artists and music and elevate the true art of the music video."

MHD will also add to the F'N MTV summer music strategy by airing weekly FNM TV Premieres... Live Sets show packages consisting of live performances that were featured on the show. Each performance package will air several times in HD throughout the week after their Friday premiere. In addition, leading up to the season finale of F'N MTV Premieres…, MHD will run a marathon of all the live sets that have aired.

MTV will ask the audience to submit their UGC creations using MTV Mobile. Also, through text messaging, viewers will be able to answer polls and submit comments about videos shown on-air as well as check out select live performance from F’N MTV Premieres….

Dave Sirulnick and Jesse Ignjatovic (Den of Thieves) are the executive producers for FNM TV Premieres…, with Amy Doyle and Joanna Bomberg serving as executives in charge of music and talent. Garrett English is Executive in Charge, and Jen Jones serves as producer.

Verizon Wireless and Rhapsody are the show’s official sponsors.