LOS ANGELES - MTV is finally getting its mojo back, thanks to thetanned twenty-somethings of "Jersey Shore."
Ever since its December debut, the show's buzz has been huge -even making it into one of President Barack Obama's speeches. TheJuly 29 start of the second season, shot in Miami, drew 5.3 millionviewers, nearly quadruple the original opener. And audiences havebeen staying put ever since.
"It's like a train wreck," said Tina Cordova, a Washington, D.C.-based contractor, who gathers with her "Jersey"-loving girlfriendsto watch every Thursday night. "You just can't look away."
"Jersey Shore" is just one contributor to a ratings rebound thatMTV has enjoyed since January. It marks MTV's first consistent gainin three years.
That's a big win for parent company Viacom Inc., as its moviestudio Paramount Pictures has been paring down its slate. Higherratings mean advertisers from fast food chains to clothing retailersare lining up to get on board. Analysts say that should help boostthe stock price in the months ahead.
Executives say that it's no fluke that many of its showsincluding "Jersey Shore" are taking off. The executives credit newprogramming spending and plenty of research into what young peoplewant to see: more real situations, less fake glamour and fewercompetitions.
"'The Hills' was definitely a fabricated reality and 'JerseyShore' and 'Teen Mom' are more harsh, authentic realities. And thatis what's resonating much more today," said Van Toffler, presidentof MTV Networks' Music and Logo Group, which oversees the flagshipnetwork and other channels such as CMT.
MTV's ratings had been steadily declining as some of its realityshows such as "Real World," now in its 24th season, were gettingold. Sister networks Comedy Central and Nickelodeon have ebbed andflowed for several years.
But since the beginning of July, MTV's ratings are up 22 percentamong its core audience of people ages 12 to 34, and ratings are up15 percent in core demographics across key Viacom channels MTV,Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and TV Land.
A mix of new reality shows, scripted comedies and such up-and-coming comedians as Daniel Tosh on "Tosh.0" are all helping the mix.
"Our anchor tenants in the building are connecting with theirfans," said Judy McGrath, MTV Networks' chief executive. "A lot ofwork went into it, and it's working."
Toffler said that Millennials - young people born roughly since1980 - are more conservative and family-based than the generationbefore them. He said they like to learn their life lessons alongsidemindless fun.
Edging away from contrived scenarios and extravagant lifestylesand toward regular people and their problems is also striking achord with audiences during hard economic times.
It's no mistake that "Jersey Shore's" partyers enjoy their late-night clubbing after stints working at a gelato shop, or thatMichael "The Situation" Sorrentino's formula for success consists ofsuch mundane tasks as "gym, tan and laundry."
"It's people they can identify with," said Brad Adgate, a seniorvice president and director of research at ad agency Horizon Media."Really, a part of their success has been driven by that."
Among other MTV winners is "The Hard Times of RJ Berger," acoming-of-age comedy that is a rare foray for MTV into scriptedprogramming. Audiences also have been drawn to "The Buried Life," inwhich four people chase "100 things to do before you die" whilemaking other people's dreams come true for every task of their ownthat they accomplish.
Caris & Co. analyst David Miller says MTV's ratings are as"golden" as spray tan and he rates Viacom's widely traded Class Bstock "above average" with a target price of $42, about a thirdabove the current level.
With Viacom set to renew a $4 billion share buyback programstarting in October, shareholders should see stock prices rise asprofits are concentrated among fewer shares. "We can see whymanagement is salivating over buying back stock at these levels,"Miller wrote in a research note.
Viacom's advertising revenue rose 4 percent in the latest quartercompared with last year, marking the second straight period ofincrease. Because advertising increases typically trail ratingsgains by six to eight months, Miller wrote, the recent ratings boomshould translate into more advertising dollars soon.
Aside from MTV, the Web video-inspired show "Tosh.0" on ComedyCentral is attracting more men under 34 than any other televisionshow on Wednesday nights. User-submitted clips with such names as"Giant Butt Girl" and "Wedding Vomit" suggest the kind of tawdryhumor that is making guys laugh.
Nickelodeon's dominance among pre-teens is also getting a boostfrom its new math-focused "Team Umizoomi" show, which runs onalongside longtime hits "SpongeBob SquarePants," "iCarly," and "Dorathe Explorer."
Even 88-year-old Betty White is helping grow the company's fanbase among a slightly older crowd with the show "Hot in Cleveland"on TV Land, which debuted to a huge audience of 5.8 million in June.The channel's fans, nurtured on traditional sitcoms such as "Hogan'sHeroes" and "Gilligan's Island," were ready for an original show,White said.
"There's nothing fancy or on the edge or groundbreaking," Whitesaid in an interview. "We're just an old-fashioned situation comedy,and I think that's what their audience was looking for. And I thinkthat's why they accepted it so fast."
To keep up its momentum, Viacom is prepping a ream of new shows,including a Comedy Central sports news show in partnership with TheOnion, and MTV's reboot of the 1980s "Teen Wolf" movies as a TVseries.
There's no guarantee that either show will succeed. And HorizonMedia's Adgate said of "Jersey Shore's" success: "It's not going tolast forever."
But Viacom's batting average, at least at MTV, is getting better.According to McGrath, a greater percentage of MTV's new shows arebecoming "hits," or shows that boost MTV's audience share by 1percentage point among 12- to 34-year-olds, a key group sought byadvertisers.
Toffler acknowledges MTV's success comes in cycles and tends tolull when one generation gives way to the next. For now, it seems tohave caught the next wave.
As for "Jersey Shore," season three is shooting in the originallocation in Seaside Heights, N.J.
Viewers will surely stick around for the episode featuring Nicole"Snooki" Polizzi's arrest for annoying other beachgoers last month.A bigger audience and more ad dollars will surely make investorswanna smush.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi poses on the Miamiset of season two of "Jersey Shore." The show is partly responsiblefor boosting MTVs ratings.
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