4Music

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/17/television.bauer

It's now finally been confirmed that the hits will rebrand on August 16th

This seems to have been years in the waiting - it should certainly be a boost to their festival coverage then.


Still no word on the future of E4 Music - and notice Zezi Ifore isn't listed as one of the channels favourite music presenters!

I see that the rebranded channel will also carry programmes , some of which have little or nothing to do with music all (e.g. The Friday/Sunday Night Project - Yes, it often has singers as its guest-hosts, and always has a guest band to play out at the end, but it's an entertainment show, and is not predominantly music-focused).

This will make the 4Music channel not unlike how TMF has become, in that respect.

So, Freeview will no longer have a "strictly music" (i.e. back to back music videos, etc) channel on it at all!

TMF shows copious filler fodder which has absolutely nothing to do with music in any way, shape or form. In its defence MTV has moved away from what it was originally set up to do when the channel started in America back in 1981 - play music back to back. The only MTV/Viacom owned station now that is mostly true to the original format is VH1 Classic UK.

So basically it's going to be E4 2?

I fail to get excited about this anymore. E4Music has been on a downward spiral after its first year, in both presenting and music quality. the schedule is mostly made up of 'Like Madonna? Then You'll Love This'.

I'm sure they used to be "Smooth by day, Rock by Night" with the spinning LP ident and DOG. Agreed thats the one channel thats probably changed the least.

I miss VH2, commercially I understood why they got rid of it.

I don't mind the 4Music output (bar SNP) as theres nothing else like it on British TV, but I don't think it's worth giving up a video channel for it.

Yes but it was still back to back music was it not?
Even today the schedule is still split up on a theme - Eighties at 8, Ninties at 9, etc - but to all intents and purposes VH1 Classic UK is essentially "classic MTV". Even the US VH1 Classic apparently fills its schedule with the same sort of filler crap that floods TMF.

E4 Music, as stated by a previous contributor, seems to have become well and truly lost since it and E4 was rebranded with sticky-tape type presentations. As long as 4Music doesn't start looking like its had an accident with sticky tape, it should be a step up presentation wise from E4 Music. The best thing E4 Music ever made or showed was the original trailer for it - "in 1886 we invented music telly, etc".

They showed some teaser promos during Big Brother, about to upload it..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWRJ-VO6Pfo

I hope they keep the same presentation they used for the 4 Music Sundays. That was a very nice package, and it would be waste to use if for a few Sundays on The Hits and then when the channel launches properly launch with something new and undoubtedly inferior.

4Music launches on Friday 15th August according to here: http://www.channel4.com/music/features/F/4musiclaunch.html

digiperson

I hope 4 Music Will keep the 'Celebrity Countdowns' that usually appear on other EMAP Channels (then shown On The Hits Weeks later). It they don't it will be unfair to Freeview viewers.