Much On Demand Trip

On Friday November 20^th, our media class went to Toronto to attend a taping of Much on Demand. We got to participate in the show and experience all that revolves around media, while getting to see behind the scenes.

Since the show was live there was a bit of preparation involved by the crew, the VJs and ultimately, the producer to make the most of the live taping. It was the producer’s job to not only get the VJs prepared for the show, but to tell us what we should expect. We were instructed when to clap and cheer, and what not to do on live TV, so that the viewers could experience an entertaining and flawless show. After all, the main purpose of MOD is to give teenagers the “ultimate live experience”, while informing them of the most current information on the latest music, fashion, trends, celebrity gossip, and more.

Having a live show with such diverse opinions and topics like MOD is a huge advantage for the TV station, CITY TV, because it draws people in. The fans are the biggest contender on MOD, as the show is made for them. There is a lot of audience interaction that goes on during the show, as teens can come down to the studio and attending the taping for free. While inside, they are able to have conversations with the VJs and get up close and personal with any celebrity guest that attends. The viewers at home also play a big part in the show, as they can send requests, comments, questions, and opinions from home through twitter, email, text messaging, or even webcam. Essentially, each show is programmed by the viewers.

Ultimately, the people making the money from this show are CITY TV, as it is the source of many Canadian programs and channels, including Much Music. It’s CITY TV who provides money to Much Music, which then has budgets for each show, plus money set aside to pay the crew and VJs.

As for the content of the show, there are a number of messages communicated to the audience, healthy and unhealthy. The good thing about the show is that opinions about life and important issues in today’s entertainment and society are voiced and welcome on the show. The show reaches such a wide range of teenagers, as it does not single out any particular group. Some communication that could be considered as negative would be the topics, images, videos and actual content of the show. Sometimes inappropriate topics or music videos are shown, which may offend some teenagers, but I am sure that the producers gather the components of the program based on the majority of interests of today’s youth.

Going to Much Music was an excellent experience that I will not be able to forget. I learned the in's and out's of live TV, and I was able to see behind the scenes.