TORONTO – The former home of Open Mike with Mike Bullard, downtown Toronto’s Masonic Temple, will play host to MTV in Canada, as well as the new show that will anchor CTV’s version of the channel in Canada, MTV Live.
MTV is a Canadian-led partnership between Bell Globemedia’s CTV and Viacom’s MTV. CTV’s existing specialty service talktv will be re-branded MTV in Canada, as the main portion of the deal. However, CTV will also air a block of MTV programming on the main CTV network.
With a commitment to 71 per cent Canadian programming in primetime, MTV in Canada will reflect "a uniquely Canadian culture and personality through a mixture of locally produced and globally-shared programming," says the press release.
A launch date has not yet been announced, although speculation has been running wild throughout the industry with rumors at various points saying everything from last month through the Spring. CTV officials have been tight-lipped on the launch, however. The press release says the launch date will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Masonic Temple is and has been home to a number of CTV productions, like talktv production The Chatroom and TSN’s Off the Record with Michael Landsberg. In fact, MTV Live is really an updating and overhaul of The Chatroom, but this one will be in front of a live studio audience.
MTV Live will be "a socially engaging, live and interactive talk show about issues of interest to all Canadians," says the press release, and will air Monday to Friday on MTV. Today’s announcements are timed to coincide with the official transformation of the Masonic Temple, happening on-site today as construction crews begin erecting the world-famous MTV signature sign on the downtown landmark.
"Hosted by a (yet-to-be-named) diverse group of talented Canadians, MTV Live is an innovative, interactive television experience that makes everyday life go ‘pop’ with interviews, debates, surprise guests and roving reporters at home and from far-flung places around the world," says today’s press release.
"From relationships, fashion and celebrity to politics, the environment, technology, entertainment, sex and important social issues, MTV Live covers the conversational gamut. The original MTV series invites Canadians from across the country and around the globe to speak their minds – in person, on the phone and by e-mail and live online via webcams, instant messaging and blogging."
"MTV Live aims to make stars out of real people and real people out of stars," said MTV Canada’s senior vice-president and general manager Brad Schwartz. "We’re creating Canada’s interactive social network for television. Viewers’ opinions count: it’s not our network, it’s theirs."
Other elements of the series will include irreverent animation, clips from MTV networks around the world, contests, field pieces, live performances and live remotes from outside the MTV studios and across the country.
"Not only the flagship show, but also the cornerstone of the network, MTV Live is the essence of what MTV will become in Canada: bold, unorthodox and thoroughly entertaining," added Susanne Boyce, CTV’s president of programming and chair of the CTV Media Group. "Re-inventing the talk format, MTV Live is an interactive, multi-media platform that will unite Canadians from coast to coast."
Plans for MTV Live are in full swing, including the design and construction of a new set in The Masonic Temple’s original Concert Hall. Over the last century, the legendary room has hosted concerts from the likes of Frank Sinatra, B.B. King, R.E.M, David Bowie, The Pogues, Pearl Jam, Ike and Tina Turner, The Pixies, Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, The Tragically Hip and Public Enemy, among others. Most recently, it has been used as a rehearsal space for The Rolling Stones.
"The Temple has an incredible history as both a Masonic Lodge that brought people together and a concert hall that promoted creative expression," said Schwartz. "Could there possibly be a better home for MTV in Canada?"
Today, The Masonic Temple will be christened as the home of MTV in Canada when one of the world’s most recognized logos is affixed to the front of the building. The 10-foot-high sign will instantly announce the presence of MTV in the heart of Toronto.
While the entire studio space is being enhanced, the rest of The Masonic Temple is undergoing technical upgrades that will allow it to house and support MTV’s staff. The redesign of both the studio and the building is being led by Toronto-based design firm 3rd Uncle, known for the design of Toronto’s Drake Hotel.
The MTV Live set in The Concert Hall still has many of the original architectural elements including the original spiral staircase and the cornices in the ceiling and around the balcony. A new proscenium surrounding the stage is being built with a nod to the Art Nouveau styles of the 1920s.
The stage itself has been raised to its original height and widened to make it more effective for television. A new ‘pod’ that will act as the actual set for MTV Live has been designed to fit in the centre of the room allowing MTV Live to be shot in 360 degrees with the Concert Hall as its backdrop.
"The Concert hall is such an amazing venue full of history and spatial beauty that we wanted to ensure that the viewers are able to enjoy and experience it," said John Tong from 3rd Uncle. "We’ve worked hard in creating a design which maintains and reinforces the architectural character of the original space while bringing it into the twenty-first century. It’s the coolest television studio in North America."
MTV Live is produced by MTV Productions, a division of CTV Inc. Alex Sopinka is the senior producer and co-creator. Mark McInnis is the vice-president of production and co-creator. Sam Dynes is director of production.
