Some things never change

How do the MMVAs fit in with Much’s new mission?

Earlier this week, Bell Media announced that the Much Music Video Awards would no longer be chained by the youth branded shackles of its namesake. Instead, the company would be simulcasting the MMVAs across many of its more mainstream channels as well as its online properties.

The move is the latest in what many viewers who grew up watching edgy VJs and monumental music videos on MuchMusic in the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s, consider an erosion of the Nation’s Music Station. A dream most believe died last year when Bell fired the majority of the staff — they were recently replaced many of the on-air video jockeys with so-called Much Creators — and phased out original, live programming in favour of American, young-adult-oriented programming.

So where does that leave the Much Music Video Awards — perhaps the last bastion of the old guard (and likely the last to make money for the brand)?

“It’s our big, tentpole event,” says Justin Stockman, VicePresident of entertainment specialty channels (which includes Much) at Bell Media. “It reinforces that we really are about the best in pop culture and that we bring fans amazing experiences where they get to be up close and personal with big stars. The MMVAs is the best version of that. It’s become a real tradition, not just for us but for the whole city and country.

“We do exist the other 164 days a year,” he points out, “but the MMVAs is our tentpole event. It’s the big one.”

Moreover, Stockman believes, despite the superficial changes, Much has remained true to the vision of those early days. “Much’s mission statement hasn’t really changed,” he says over the phone from the building formerly known as Much HQ. “I think we’re tweaking it but we’re still focused on the same things we always were: youth, pop culture and being relevant to a young audience.”

As for the naysayers, Stockman says that Much is simply not for them in the same way it wasn’t for their parents. “I think people connect with a youth brand when they’re youths and then they are no longer youth and we at MUCH have to keep changing to connect with current youth,” he says. “And if you’re no longer a youth you may not recognize what you used to like and have negative feelings about it. But actually we’re doing a lot of the same things we always were, we just have to tweak how we do it to be relevant.”

To prove his point, he says the station “actually play the same amount of music videos” as they did before. Although it should be pointed out that, to the extent that that’s true, most of them now air outside prime viewing hours.

And as for the beloved VJs, they’ve evolved too. Much still employs one or two classic models “to handle the heavy lifting” but the youth of today want YouTube stars, so Much abides. “(the creators) would certainly fit the role of our pop culture VJs. What they were and what they’ve evolved into,” Stockwell says.

As for the show itself, though the second M now stands for the “music” in “music video” — so it’s the Much “Music Video Awards,” not the MuchMusic Video Awards — Stockwell says Bell has no plans to change the awards format.

“I think we have a strong formula,” he affirms. “We really own this space for Canada so I don’t see us expanding. At least right now.”

We do exist the other 164 days a year, but the MMVAs is our tentpole event