U.S. wants its MTV to get message out in Arab world WASHINGTON (Reuters) --The architects of the government's post-September 11 propaganda war may well want their MTV on the frontlines in the Arab world, Variety reports.
Rushing to shift perceptions of the United States in the Islamic world, Washington and Hollywood are now brainstorming about how the entertainment business might help convey a wider -- and more positive -- range of perceptions about America. And no demo is more crucial to the future of Islamic-Western relations than the 15-30 age group. That's where MTV comes in.
The potential to intersperse messages between programming segments -- as with the "Rock the Vote" campaign, for example -- makes the music cable channel an obvious vehicle. And a top priority for MTV is to give young people a way to express their views via local MTV channels around the world, whether through man-on-the street interviews or interactive shows. Such efforts were under way before the attacks, but the events of September 11 brought a new sense of urgency.
MTV already has held a videoconference with its worldwide staff to discuss what initiatives it may take. Recently, it launched a global pen-pal service, encouraging a discussion of world events. One idea now being considered is to include programming that would specifically encourage dialogue between MTV viewers in U.S. and those in Middle Eastern and other predominately Muslim markets.
MTV International is available in parts of the Mideast via the Showtime platform, but distribution in that region is still complicated, and there is intermittent censorship. The cable network believes there is great room for expansion, considering that just under half of the 25 million Mideast TV households have access to satellite.
MTV has made significant inroads in India and Asia, with MTV India recently voted the most popular music channel in Pakistan
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http://robots.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/19/gen.television.mtv.reut/inde x.html
-----Original Message----- From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com] On Behalf Of Dennis Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 5:51 AM To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com Subject: Re: cultural imperialism
Don't know if this fits the thread, but I have to add it regardless.
http://www.genetix.com.mt/intro/sam.swf
"He's a baaad mutha--"
"Hush yo' mouth!"
"I'm just talkin' 'bout Samuel L. Jackson!"
DP