Fuse TV
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| Fuse TV | |
|---|---|
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| Launched | May 2003 |
| Owned by | MSG Entertainment website= fuse.tv |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 339 |
| Dish Network | Channel 158 |
| Cable | |
| Available on most cable systems | Check Local Listings for channels |
Fuse is a music video-oriented television channel. Fuse has modeled itself as the premier cable channel for rock, alternative, punk, hardcore, emo, and indie music.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] MuchMusic Canada
The channel which eventually became Fuse began in 1994 under a partnership between owners Rainbow Media (a division of Cablevision) and CHUM (owner of Canada's MuchMusic) The network was a complete simulcast of MuchMusic Canada for the most part except for an infomercial block during the morning hours. Muchmusic signed on in 1984 and was available on C band satellite and had a loyal following across the USA before they switched to Digital Ku band around 1992. In early 2001, non Canadian music video blocks (with MuchMusic Canada bumpers in between) began airing on the network. This was the early stages of what would later become a completely different network.
[edit] MuchMusic USA
In June 2001, the network became "MMUSA" featuring both MuchMusic Canada shows, and in house produced music video programming best recognized by distinct color bars at the top and bottom of each show. Each show had a different color bar set. Many of these shows consisted of viewer submitted content from the website. As 2002 went by, the majority of MuchMusic Canada programming was removed from the network.
In late December 2002, MMUSA aired an episode of the MuchMusic Canada show Rap City. This would turn out to be the last MuchMusic Canada show aired on the network. After this aired, the network was all MMUSA programming until May 2003.
[edit] Fuse
Within early 2003, CHUM revoked Rainbow Media's license to use the MuchMusic and MMUSA name and everything else having to do with it. By April, it was announced that the network would be renamed "Fuse" with various promos and scrolls.
On May 19, 2003 just before 6 a.m. Eastern Time, MMUSA aired its final video: New Found Glory's "My Friends Over You". After the video ended the network went to commercial break. After that Fuse launched with Linkin Park's "Somewhere I Belong", without fanfare.
The early days of Fuse were very music intensive. They often indirectly bashed MTV for not airing music, with ads touting Fuse as the channel "where the music went."
In late 2005, they had a week of end-to-end music videos, paid for by Snapple.
[edit] Format
Fuse has studios headquartered across from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden in New York City. Fuse chiefly focuses on pop and rock music, and does have more alternative programming later at night.
The addition of such non-music oriented fare such as the animated program Empire Square, the anthology program Munchies, the sketch-comedy program The Nighttime Clap, have also brought recent charges by critics that the channel is abandoning its musical focus in a greater attempt to compete with MTV and MTV2. Thus no longer being "where the music went" However, as of August 2006 the network has replaced some of these shows with a bevy of new ones, mostly non-music.
Musically speaking, Fuse is more focused on rock, alternative, punk, emo, and indie music. It used to also play heavy metal music. However, as of 2006, it has been moved to the early morning hours as Fuse no longer focuses on it. Although hip-hop/rap and pop music is played, Fuse is generally an alternative to the more mainstream MTV, which focuses heavily on hip-hop. In recent years Fuse has been instrumental in helping local bands and artists reach a wider audience.
Fuse has also played movies such as Risky Business, The Rage: Carrie 2, Empire Records, Kalifornia, Halloween II, Halloween III: Season of the Witch and Girls Just Want to Have Fun.
[edit] Criticism
Critics and members of the original fan base feel the channel is run poorly. Many other critics have also criticized the changes as an attempt to compete better with MTV and MTV2 in the Nielsen ratings and feel the channel has "sold out" by sacrificing variety in order to gain more mainstream appeal. Also, during the emo music/fashion trend, many have criticized the station for being too much of a fad-based station, much as MTV was criticized for the amount of bubblegum pop played on Total Request Live in the late 1990s. Recently, the channel has increased the amount of non-music programming, including comedy half-hour shows and full-length movies.
Fuse created a show named "The Sauce" which is a similar format to MTV's TRL and is about rock, but also, hip-hop, pop, and rap music, the station is slowly getting rid of the rock shows and increased the amount of pop/hip-hop videos it plays on it creating more controversy.
At the same time, Fuse has been praised for focusing on emo as opposed to mainstream hip-hop. The rise of emo music and Fuse occurred somewhat simultaneously, and Fuse is still seen as a major catalyst for the genre. Recently loosing this praise by the increase in hip-hop and rap that is seen on mainstream stations such as MTV and VH1. Many of the stations shows have recently been dominated by these types of music and bring up the question if Fuse hasn't already completely sold out. Fuse has lost its original fan base that saw it as an escape from mainstream stations and a place to listen to music that many refer to as "true music" but with the increase in mainstream hip-hop the fan base has decrease and will continue till Fuse as seen as nothing more than another VH1.
Since Juliya Chernetsky's departure from Fuse, some viewers had started a petition to the Fuse program director, telling him/her to bring the metal shows back to Fuse. An answer has yet to be told to the viewers by the program director. Juliya recently stated that she would not return to Fuse and that the host would be another person named Julia who hosted the Girls of Ozzfest special. Metal has somewhat made a return to the channel in the form of a show called Talking Metal, based from the iTunes series podcast of the same name, first as a pilot episode back in November of 2007, and then as a regular series on February 22nd.
[edit] VJs
[edit] Current VJs
Fuse currently has only two VJs.
- Steven Smith focuses more on punk rock, indie rock, and alternative music. He currently hosts Steven's Untitled Rock Show and co-hosts The Sauce
- Jared Cotter from American Idol also co-hosts The Sauce with Steven.
[edit] Past VJs
Past VJs include:
- Adonis Thompson, won the Fuse VJ search in 2005. His one year contract was not renewed.
- Dennis "da Menace", hosted IMX from the launch until the end of 2003 when he left Fuse for other projects.
- Juliya Chernetsky (also known as Juliya or Mistress Juliya), the channel's heavy metal representative. She hosted the programs Uranium, Metal Asylum, and Slave to the Metal, and co-hosted All-Nighter with Marianela. She currently tours and hosts festival related events.
- Dylan Lane, who focused on pop music. He co-hosted Daily Download with Marianela and also hosted The F-List.
- Marianela Pereyra was the "rap/hip-hop" representative. She co-hosted both IMX and its successor, Daily Download. After Daily Download's cancellation at the end of July 2006, she briefly was a host on Get Malled Tour. However, Get Malled Tour disappeared from the air in late August/early September 2006. Marianela no longer works for Fuse as she quit soon after Daily Download was canceled. She now hosts the Poker After Dark series on NBC.
- Alison Becker, a comedian, hosted The Nighttime Clap and F-List. She currently hosts shows on VH1.
- Holly Hannula was formerly a host on The Sauce until December 13, 2007. There was no reason given for her sudden exit.
[edit] Fuse programs (Current)
[edit] TV Shows
- Loaded
- No. 1 Countdown
- NOFX: Backstage Passport
- Oven Fresh
- Pants-Off Dance-Off
- Power Fuse
- Talking Metal On Fuse
- The Sauce
- Steven's Untitled Rock Show
- Self serve
- Live Through This
- Ten Greatest
- The Henry Rollins Show
- Video Yearbook
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
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