Dr Mumbo

Mandelamania

Mandela TVDr Mumbo can’t blame the media for squeezing every last breath out of the death of Nelson Mandela story.

But he’s not sure about media owners who show-off about how much coverage they gave the great man, particularly when they are passing off the endless hours of footage and column inches as “paying respect” in a press release, like this one…

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) is paying tribute to Nelson Mandela, renowned anti-apartheid activist, humanitarian and former President of South Africa, across its key multimedia platforms.

MTV

All of MTV’s 60+ channels around the world are airing dedicated interstitial and long form content in tribute to Mandela’s life and legacy.

ON AIR:

• Meeting Mandela Program – Many MTV channels will air a specially updated version of Meeting Mandela, which was produced by MTV to celebrate Mr. Mandela’s life on the occasion of his 85th birthday and is hosted by Beyoncé Knowles. “Meeting Mandela: A Staying Alive Special” will repeat on 10 December, 11pm (WIB), 11 December, 12am (SG/HK/PH) and 1am (MAL).

• Tribute Program Crawl: “We pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, a great world leader who led South Africa to freedom and was an inspiration to people all over the world.”

• Interstitial tributes between programming.

MTV VOICES & SOCIAL MEDIA:

• MTV Voices, MTV’s international online pro-social platform, serves as the primary online destination for tributes at www.mtvvoices.com

o Nelson Mandela: Leave Your Tributes

o Meeting Mandela Documentary

o The Day Mandela Died: South Africa Reacts

o ‘What Mandela Meant to Me’

A place for our audience to post their own memories of Mandela, and their personal tributes

Watch the Meeting Mandela documentary

Written by a young South African, from a personal perspective

Photo gallery of our millennial audience holding up signs on which they’ve written what Mandela means to them

• MTV websites and social media platforms around the world are driving to MTV Voices with the following:

o www.mtv.com: “Today the world lost a true hero and troublemaker. Add your voice to our Nelson Mandela tributes at mtvvoices.com”

o Facebook: “RIP Nelson Mandela, a true hero and an icon. Pay your respects and tell us what Mandela meant to you. #RIPMandela”

o Twitter: “The world lost a true hero today. Join us in paying respects to a great man and icon, Nelson Mandela. #RIPMandela”

VIMN AFRICA

ON AIR:

• Advertising: Within a few hours of the announcement of Mr. Mandela’s death, all commercial advertising on VIMN channels in Africa were removed for 24 hours.

• Programming: South Africa-based music and youth channel MTV Base changed its programming schedule to incorporate music programming, tribute promos and documentary programming inspired by the spirit of Mr. Mandela’s life and work.

• As a sign of respect, MTV Base, MTV, Nicklelodeon, VH1 Classic and Comedy Central are replacing onscreen logos with a tribute logo for 24 hours following the announcement.

• Comedy Central will broadcast a Madiba tribute bumper, with the programming line-up and online platforms also adjusted to reflect the mood of the occasion.

• Meeting Mandela Program: MTV Base will also air MTV’s Meeting Mandela special at regular intervals.

ONLINE:

• Websites: www.mtv.co.za, www.mtvbase.com, www.comedycentralafrica.com and www.nickelodeonafrica.com have faded to grey for 24 hours.

• Social Media: All Facebook and Twitter pages are displaying Mandela tribute and “skins” as a sign of respect.

• MTV, MTV Base and Comedy Central tweeted messages of condolence to their Twitter followers.

• Two club events scheduled for 6 and 7 December have been postponed by MTV Base in the light of the news.

• VIMN Africa TV channels are web portfolio plan to repeat their tributes around the date of Mr. Mandela’s funeral (14 December 2013).

BET

BET in the US, UK, Africa and France is airing dedicated interstitial and long form content to pay tribute to Mandela’s life and legacy.

ON AIR:

• BET News will cover the 10 days of mourning and Mr. Mandela’s funeral. BET will broadcast from a post in South Africa with a backdrop to all activity.

• Mandela: Freedom’s Father Program – This BET News special takes viewers on a journey through the life and times of Nelson Mandela with exclusive video and heartfelt interviews with celebrities and close friends like Alfre Woodard, Blair Underwood and Richard Stengel, who share their recollection of the fight for his freedom, the struggle to build a new South Africa and the special memories of their time with this great Father of a Nation.

• 106 & Park: Footage and tributes to Nelson Mandela will air during regularly scheduled telecasts throughout the BET flagship show.

• Tribute Program Crawl: “Global icon Nelson Mandela is dead at the age of 95.Mandela was widely considered the father of South Africa’s non-racial democracy. As president of South Africa, his policies focused on combating poverty and inequality. For more news log onto bet.com”

• “In memoriam” tributes between programming

• Meeting Mandela Program: BET will also air MTV’s Meeting Mandela special.

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