ME TV
MVP: I’m here at the headquarters of ME Television with Deidre Gott and Valli Irvine. I’m going to pose the first question to Deidre. ME television has been on the air in Austin for about six months, what was it like launching this new music network and how has the response been so far?
Deidre Gott: Actually that would be a better question for Valli because I started a few weeks after they launched and Valli was here since the summer when they launched.
MVP: Valli?
Valli Irvine: Well it’s been really exciting because it’s the kind of thing where we don’t really have a model to work from and we are just figuring it out as we go which is challenging and fun. The response so far has been good. It’s tough to really get a response because it’s up to whose actually watching. So it’s just listening to people out and about who don’t know you are connected to the network or friends and family giving positive feedback. So it’s been good.
MVP: How many potential viewers do you reach and what cable systems do you air on and is it truly a 24 hour network?
DG: Yes it truly is a 24 hour network. We reach 300,000 potential viewers in Central Texas. It’s Time Warner Cable Channel 15. This year we are on Time Warner but next year we will be able to connect with more cable providers in the area. I’m not sure about all that technical stuff. I just program stuff. But it really is a 24 hour network, we’ve got the overnights from 1am to 10am is just non-stop videos with no VJ. We keep it more indie/alternative rock from 1am- 5am and then at 5am-10am it becomes a kind of like AAA radio, so it’s more like Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, and more mellow stuff because it’s the morning, kind of like a little Texas breakfast for you. Then the rest of the day we have different genres of shows. We have a hip-hop show, a latin show, a country show, a mainstream pop show. Everything fits on our channel, it’s a wonderful eclectic mix of music, so there’s something for everyone and it really is 24 hours so we never go off the air unless something screws up.
MVP: Being located in the live music capital of the world, Austin is a destination point for many of the coolest bands out there touring the country. Do you use the live events and shows here in town as a way to feature artists that are coming through?
DG: Oh yeah, definitely. That’s the best part about it. We do have so many cool bands, more underground bands that come and that’s when we keep a close eye on what’s coming to town or that’s when we start to play that video more or try and get it to support it and talk about the show and expose it before they get here so people can see what’s coming. We base a lot of our programming on the shows that are coming through. We have a whole show called Tex Mix and its Texas artists and people that play here so that’s the perfect place for it. We put a lot of the videos from the bands that are coming here on Tex Mix.
MVP: Okay Valli, probably not unlike Much Music in Canada where they have a strict policy that a certain amount of programming needs to be Canadian created content. Are you guys also using that model to feature Texas artists more prominently?
VI: Actually yes, it’s very similar to that. We are running at least 75% of local artists meaning the band is from Austin or Texas or it’s a band that is playing here. It’s all local to us because we feature a lot of Austin artists and regional artists but also the bands that tour through make up the music scene to some extent. That’s the greatest thing about it though, a band that no one has ever heard of from Austin can make a video and send it to us and if we like it, we put it on the air immediately. So there is this local access quality to it but it is professional so it’s the best of both worlds. Back to the last question, with the touring acts. That’s always really exciting but there is nothing more frustrating then finding out a band is touring through and you find out about it the week after. You’re watching and you’re like wow that band is really cool and then you go and look them up and realize they were just here. So we try to expose people to things right when it is appropriate and get them excited about the shows that are happening and try and get people to go out and see live music. It’s not just about the videos it’s about going out and experiencing music in person. It’s exciting!
MVP: So it seems like a very symbiotic relationship. I’m sure the folks in town…the club owners, the talent buyers and the beer distributors all love what you’re doing.
DG: I hope so. We are still trying to get our name out there and make people aware of what we are doing cause we are so new. Many people have still not heard of us, they are like what ME TV and we are like no M-E Television. Valli and I go to shows all the time and we are talking to the club owners and letting them know we support their shows and talk about their venues all the time on the air. We are still letting everyone know we are here and what we’re doing and it’s working so far. And we get into free shows and that’s great!
MVP: As a video programmer I’m sure there are some requirements for those reading this interview who would like to submit a video to you. Other than the video being on a Mini DV, are there any other things that help you make the programming decision.
DG: If it’s a good song (because I’m a music lover first) but it has to be visually stimulating to an extent, so if it’s a good song that’s a good thing but if it’s also interesting to watch. It doesn’t necessarily have to be super high quality or over-polished especially for local bands. We do have a standard; we won’t just throw anything on there, so there has to be something that stands out about it. Valli?
VI: It also helps if in promoting your band, you really promote your band. Sometimes we will get a DVD in an envelope, and it’s like okay here’s the video, that’s great but who are you, what are you doing, who made this video, what’s your album called, are you on a label. We want to know everything and it’s so much easier if you just hand that to us and say here we are please support us instead of this is a mystery please figure it out.
MVP: Alright one of the questions we are asking all the programmers across the country is how you all have reacted to the Universal Music Group’s new policy where they want to charge video outlets for their content. Do you have any comments on that?
VI: Yeah, I don’t know what I can say about that. I don’t have a comment except that it sucks that you have to pay for it.
MVP: Some people have gotten that question and the idea them wanting to charge people to play their videos and what about the baby bands?
VI: Yeah it’s like support us but pay money to do it. Another thing that’s entertaining about the whole thing is we did pay and they are not sending us the videos, so that’s frustrating because I have to call to get the videos. MTV is playing it and we don’t have it, so that’s frustrating as a programmer for sure.
MVP: During the SXSW event here in Austin you have special stuff planned, tell us about that.
VI: Yeah we brought a lot of bands in this week to interview and play a couple of songs especially for the bands that don’t have videos yet. It’s one thing to interview a band but if you don’t have anything to show and say here’s their music which is the important part. They can talk about their music but you have to have something to show. So for some bands we film them playing a couple of songs and then we spice it up into a video that can stand by itself and that we can play whenever. So then we have the interview and the video of their live performance. So we have lots of bands and Gibson donated a whole backline and it looks really good. The set looks really good and when we edit it and program it, it looks really cool that we have this live footage in our studio, so it gives it this special quality.
MVP:Alright that was the folks at M E Television.