Africahit - Feature: MTV Base Africa

On February 22nd 2005, MTV Base, a 24-hour English language music television channel, launched in sub-Saharan Africa. Targeted at the mass African youth market, it was the broadcaster's first bespoke channel in Africa.

Like many other music journalists, I received the original "press teaser" in November 2004. This mentioned the music channel had always viewed Africa as the "centre of music and culture". This puzzled me, as I had never recalled seeing many or at times, any African videos on TV - and certainly not to the extent that could justify such a statement.

I wanted to speak to the "man in charge" Brent Hansen (President & Chief Executive MTV Networks Europe and President of Creative MTV Networks International) about the launch and find out what commitment there is to encouraging and developing young African music talent. And, if this will be a long-term goal or just another excuse to import more American Black music to a highly susceptible youth market.

I must confess, before meeting Mr. Hansen, I had anticipated a corporate, music-business mogul type, with only the bottom line of making money on his mind. I encountered a charming, down to earth, casual and friendly man, who deeply cares and loves African music, being a fan of it for over 25 years.

Shaheera Asante: Why Africa and why now?

Brent Hansen: Well Africa is the root of all modern popular music - there is no doubt about that - it has influenced everything. However it has been pretty difficult for us (MTV International) - to concentrate on Africa as a whole and do something that wouldn't be a once over lightly...

The philosophy for new channels since 1997 has been relevance to the marketplace (i.e. like the launch in Africa), and bringing a team that can reach for a market as metaphorically as possible - as our brand will always have an international/American weighting to it.

So we waited until we had someone in our organization (Alex Okosi, General Manager of MTV Base in Africa) who could research the project, rather that someone in Europe with no background in Africa.

Shaheera Asante: What is Alex Okosi's main goal?

Brent Hansen: Alex helped put together the business plan and model we think will work, and now he is putting a team together from different parts of the organization and different parts of Africa. His background is Nigerian/America and he is an affiliate based in the UK.
I don't pretend to be an expert on every individual style or Zouk style of African music, (Although Brent is aware of many new music genres like Hip Life, but is more from the high life generation; a music genre he loves).

Shaheera: The channel will be programmed from London, but transmitted in South Africa. Will there be a leaning towards that side of Africa?

Brent: No, We think it's important not to be South Africa centric, obviously we do want to reflect that market, but we strongly believe we have got to include places like Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Nigeria and Ghana and Angola...
So we hope we can reach enough of an area that will allow us to be influential and not micro-market central.
Shaheera: What type of exposure will African artists get?

Brent: I want to play a 50% weighting of African sourced videos and music, but it won't start initially. We want to grow the creative market as well as the music market and provide a conduit where music can be given a high level of attention.

So for an artist that gets the opportunity for exposure, my philosophy is to export that to other markets in Africa, by providing a platform which is really positive. Obviously we know there is a big appetite for American R&B, hip hop - that is a big part of a young African's point of view.

Shaheera: What do you say to critics who have said you are only going into Africa to make money and why haven't you gone in before?

Brent: You can always criticise MTV for being a commercial monster, as it's a very successful business. But we are not specifically doing this for money. We are doing this because we have regionalised our channels enough to understand how each market should be able to operate.

I come from a little country at the bottom of the world (New Zealand) and realized there would be all sorts of cultural imperialism issues about a business like ours. That is why we have engineered the policy to hire new people who can come in and regenerate what we do. All our channels have a different personality.
I think the Base team will bring a creative aspect to Africa, rather than just an exposure of commercial products.

We are based in London and will launch the channel from here. In the future we will have a base in South Africa - Nigeria is a good place too, musically interesting, with lots going on. Decisions are made by the team in London. Their job is to move ideas within the African basin as quickly as possible, and to move themselves into African bases as quickly as possible.

Shaheera: In terms of music programming, what will the content be in regards to the ratio between African videos and American videos?

Brent: Initially there will be a heavier ratio of American and International videos - the initial appetite we know is there (in Africa).

I think we would like to aim for a 30% loading of African sourced videos if we can...
I think it will be somewhere between 15 -30% in the beginning - but obviously it will depend on how the team think those things are going to work.

My goal for the team is to get as quickly as possible to 50% African sourced videos - the initial appetite will be very R'n'B, Hip Hop, Soul - we know that is our hook already.

Obviously we'll want to weight it with the styles that we spoke of early; Zouk, Hip- Life...subvert the channel with local material, it depends how quickly we think we can build relationships with local creatives.

Shaheera: Your scheduled shows currently amount to only an hour an half a week - that's not very much. There aren't any African women included in the R'n'B and African music slots. Can you help young talent - who haven't got enough money to make videos to the level of Usher, Ashanti, or Jay Z - by setting up some type of fund? I feel many artists will look at American videos, with incredibly fantastic and perhaps unrealistic lifestyles, and be discouraged that their resources aren't good enough. Will the channel address these issues as a social responsibility?

Brent: That is the idea behind the African Base team. To build relationships with the creative market and help African artists get to a different level, if they want to - or put them together with other people. We can bring people to help them, we can do master classes, we can do all types of things - if there is an appetite for that.

The most important thing for me also is that we don't want to go to Africa promising to do things that may not be responded to positively. Or be criticised for not having done it. Ideally the team will make decisions on the basis of the market place, not from an outsider's point of view.

When we started MTV Brazil, we made videos for people - but it didn't stimulate the local creative groups - and you know as well as I, that people can make instruments out of nothing in Africa - so I think people will get up to speed pretty quickly. I don't think there will be any issue as long as we are receptive and positive.

People have volunteered to work on the channel from all over the world. It's a wonderful opportunity. And hopefully Base in Africa is as much about creativity as it is about expensive 'bling' videos.

I hope that people will respond to the musicality, because some of the most creative music is coming out of the R'n'B, Hip Hop genre - and I think that is what you aim at, the credibility side of it.

You and I both know over the years - my age group and taste is more towards world music, but this is about popular music. I'm a Baaba Maal and Salif Keita fan, this channel is about young, up and coming fusion.

The job of the team is to also build creative relationships with the schools, colleges in Africa, community groups, on the ground places where we can really help an (music) industry.

What you will see on the channel now and what you'll see in a year's time will be quite different - it will be the standard, but it will bring more and more talent into the market. It should be an opportunity to show case (young African) talent.