MTV
Just as our groundbreaking original programming has shown, being successful for MTV has meant keeping things casual and unscripted. Never before has this been more apparent than on our “10 Spot” and “Sunday Stew” programming blocks. The pure spontaneity of shows like “The Osbournes,” “Newlyweds,” “Making the Band 2,” “MADE” and “The Real World” is the beauty of these hit series, not to mention why millions tune in, helping to make 10 o’clock the new primetime for our audience. And there’s no end in sight with new series like “Faking the Video” and “The Assistant.”

Meanwhile, the “Sunday Stew” lineup of “Punk’d,” “Viva La Bam,” “Wildboyz,” “One Bad Trip” and “Pimp My Ride” barged in and took over not only the young male audience in 2003, but this block is consistently No. 1 in its time period in all demos among 12-to-34-year-olds. But we don’t only dominate the evenings. Hit afternoon programming like “Room Raiders,” “Boiling Points” and “TRL” and new series like “Wanna Come Inside” and “Your Face or Mine” have made us No. 1 among the 12-34 demo, too.

But we wouldn’t be MTV without the hottest music and biggest parties. Helping us contribute to the highest ratings in MTV history are unmatched specials and events like the “Video Music Awards,” “Spankin’ New Music Week” and the “Movie Awards.” Not to mention “The Leak,” which gives viewers a chance to stream audio on MTV.com of the hottest albums about to hit stores. All of these shows, events and online features not only satisfy our viewers’ entertainment appetites but have also become part of pop culture, with parodies on late night talk and sketch comedy shows.

Music and entertainment may be what we’re best known for, but we know our audience has more on their minds than just being entertained. We make sure to give them some food for thought, too. From sexual health to violence to discrimination, we’ve had an open and honest dialogue with our audience about countless topics throughout our history. This year we’ve launched “Choose or Lose 20 Million Loud,” a campaign that aims to not only register 20 million new young voters but to reverse the perception that young people don’t care, don’t vote and are not a strong voting force.

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It’s been reported everywhere that young males are abandoning broadcast TV in droves, and we know where they’ve gone–MTV2. And, since they’re passionate about music—and about anything that’s new and hot, really—we’re giving them fresh programming like “Your Friend,” “Andrew W.K.” (a psycho rocker Dear Abby for the next generation), “Video Mods” (video game characters meet music videos) and the already hugely successful “Album Covers” (where current hit bands cover classic hit albums) that has already shot up to No. 1 on the iTunes music store.

mtvU
This past January, MTV launched our first channel dedicated to college students: mtvU, available exclusively at colleges. Like everything we do, music is the heart of the channel, but mtvU is also a student’s source for news, entertainment, sports, fashion, concert updates and campus events. And it’s everywhere the students are: on-air, online and on campus, reaching 6 million students at over 720 campuses.

Student-focused contests like the Best Music and Best Animation on Campus give emerging artists their chance to jumpstart their creative careers with national exposure. And mtvU’s “Stand In” series brings resources like John Kerry, Jesse Jackson, Frank McCourt and Marilyn Manson into class to teach for a day; “15 Minutes with Fame” gives students the chance to interview their favorite stars like John Mayer, Jennifer Garner and N.E.R.D, and resources that help graduating students find a job are just a few ways mtvU makes its presence known on campuses across the nation. With all this and much more going on, mtvU is a unique way to connect with the hard-to-reach college audience.

As the needs for our audience continually change, MTV, MTV2 and mtvU change with them by providing new, fresh programming that speaks to them in a unique and relevant voice. It’s an evolution for them and us. And it’s this evolutionary connection that has allowed us to continue to speak to our constantly growing audience for over 25 years.