VILNIUS - Like Napoleon and Alexander, MTV has been engaged in a decades-long campaign to conquer the world. Unlike Napoleon and Alexander, MTV may have more staying power. Recently, MTV Networks Europe (MTV NE) announced the launch of three new stations in each of the three Baltic states, which the company promoted in a road show from March 27 to 29 in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn.
"It's a premiere for us in Lithuania and in the Baltic states to have a TV channel coming from the west to the east of Europe," says Marius Veselis, 29, the CEO of MTV NE in Vilnius, where the main office of the three local language stations, MTV Eesti, MTV Latvijas and MTV Lietuva, will be located. It seems the Baltic states will serve as a buffer zone to conquer Russia, yet again. That's right Russia, soon you will have to listen to Britney just like the rest of us. (Check that. There already is an MTV Russia. History seems to be moving in a slightly different direction).
Dean Posseniskie, 33, MTV NE Vice President who has been based in London for the last three years, chose Veselis to head MTV Baltic two years ago. "We were looking for a young, dynamic, creative passionate person, with a TV and production background and a positive attitude towards the youth and culture," Posseniskie said. That's right, get them while they're young, and then you will own them for life. "We are a multinational team with different cultures. We will gather local programs to broadcast internationally."
MTV in America has given the world Christina and Britney - as well as Madonna and pre-child molestation defendant Michael Jackson. MTV NE has returned the favor these past few years by giving the world Tatu and Shakira.
So God knows what they're going to dig up in the Baltics. (Marie N, this may be your moment).
Make no mistake. This is not a small movement. MTV NE teams from all over Europe gather in different European capitals every two months with the aim, according to Posseniskie, of exchanging solutions and sharing experiences.
"As we want to be the most qualitative, our key is to educate people without saying what is right or wrong. We are just a land of opportunity for the youth." How very Orwellian of you, Posseniskie.
I wonder what kind of shows MTV Baltic will show. Perhaps a Real World Riga. I can just imagine the cast. A quiet, meek Latvian girl, a Russian girl with a drinking problem (to be the focus of a very special episode), an Estonian computer geek, a Roma from the Lithuanian countryside who keeps going on about why everyone is really insensitive to Roma (the subject of another very special episode), a hyper, well-dressed Russian dude from Tallinn (this would be the gay guy, who would of course, be the subject of another special episode), a drug addict from Vilnius, and a sassy gal from Klaipeda. They all get an apartment with - wait for it - a washing machine.
Maybe they can do an MTV Baltic Loveline. A call-in from Riga: "Yeah, my problem is that I have enormous breasts and that I'm insanely beautiful and I don't know how to handle it."
All right sounds good. Marius Veselis, do your worst.
