Stylistically, MuchMusic bears the marks of its creative origin. The station’s managing team was connected to the syndicated New Music program (1978– ) developed and sold by Citytv of Toronto. The executive producer of the New Music program and the original owner and manager of Citytv in Toronto was Moses Znaimer. Along with John Martin, Znaimer designed the “live” emphasis of the set of MuchMusic that has made MuchMusic so distinctively different from both MTV and most of the rest of Canadian television. The set of MuchMusic is the actual video paraphernalia of a television station and is inherently “studioless.” Between their introductions of new videos, the video jockeys, or VJs, negotiate themselves around the various machines, lights, and screens to chat with the technicians and producers. Indeed, because of this exposure, technicians have even moved into before-the-camera roles. The intention behind this design is to structure an environment that resonates with the youthfulness and exuberance of popular music itself. The set, which often moves with portable cameras to exterior locations, produces a sense of immediacy and spontaneity that, through its weekly reach, has captured the sought-after demographic of youths and young adults in Canada.

MuchMusic is owned and operated by CHUM Limited of Toronto, and the name itself is a play on the corporate name. CHUM operates the only private radio network in Canada and has successfully owned and operated a number of music-oriented radio stations. CHUM also is the owner of Citytv (purchased in 1981 from Znaimer), a Toronto based free-to-air UHF (ultra- high frequency) station that has been distributed by cable to most of southern Ontario, the most heavily populated region of Canada. Its background in music broadcasting allowed CHUM to successfully win the license of the first and only English-language music television station in Canada. The facilities of Citytv in Toronto served as the first home for MuchMusic.

Self-titled “the nation’s music station,” MuchMusic gradually moved to a format that allowed it to target and promote itself like other television services. Originally a flow service that resembled radio in its seam-less quality, MuchMusic relied on its mixed rotation of video clips and the personalities of the VJs to maintain the audience. Later, however, the station began making identifiable programs that would at least allow it to garner the free publicity of listings in TV program guides and to sell portions of time for specific advertisers. It still maintains eight hours of programming, which is taped and repeated three times to fill the 24-hour schedule. In the 1980s, these programming blocks included the Pepsi Powerhour and the singly sponsored Coca-Cola Countdown. The “spotlight” feature also transformed the mix of rotations of current music into a half-hour retrospective on an individual artist’s or group’s career. To coordinate with a slightly different demographic of daytime listeners, MuchMusic programmed a show called MushMusic, which showcased softer and more romantic ballads. Other programs also coordinated with and competed with the rest of television. A late-night weekend program called City Limits attempted to showcase the more avant-garde, alternative visuals and music. In a more prime-time evening slot, a shorter segment, Combat du Clip, was programmed; here a returning favorite video clip faced a challenger clip.

MuchMusic’s license requirements have posed questions about what kinds of programming are included under the definition of music. In the mid-1980s, MuchMusic was not allowed to show movies, even those with a musical theme or premise. It was likewise questionable whether television programs such as The Partridge Family or The Monkees could be shown on the station. In recent years, there has been a relaxation of what constitutes music programming, and this shift has allowed MuchMusic a freer hand in organizing a schedule that maintains its key marketing demographics of youth and young adult. Regulatory requirements have demanded, however, that a greater range of musical material be part of the national music television station. Hence, MuchMusic programmed the country music half-hour Outlaws and Heroes. The CRTC has likewise continued to maintain that the station must stick close to its license mandate: its top-rated program of 1993, the cartoon series Ren and Stimpy, did not meet a minimum musical-content rule and was ordered removed. With the advent of new digital channels, these regulations have been in constant flux, and MuchMusic continues to expand its presence through multichanneling its content.

From its inception, MuchMusic has also provided a percentage of its revenues (currently 5 percent of its gross revenues) for the production of Canadian independent music videos. The production company Videofact Foundation produces clips for emerging popular music groups in both English and French and spent $6 million to produce 820 videos in its first ten years. The production of Canadian sources allows MuchMusic easily to surpass its 10 percent Canadian-content quota established in consultation with the CRTC. This connection to a national popular culture is differently constructed than that produced by public broadcasters such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). MuchMusic’s stance is thus more outward than inward looking. It has actively sought out other markets for its program package. Currently, it is available to more than 4 million cable subscribers through various services in the United States. It has a reach that includes both the United Kingdom and parts of Latin America. The station has been negotiating for inclusion on direct broadcast satellite services for greater coverage of a complete North America. The station format/concept has been sold to New Zealand, and MuchMusic has showcased well in Europe, often outdrawing its more established rival, MTV.

MuchMusic has continued to brand its success with its national youth audience, and it has exported that strategy internationally with equal financial rewards. Contained under the Much brand are specialty and digital channels that cater to specific musical tastes. Thus, relatively new stations, such as MuchmoreMusic, and digital channels, such MuchLoud and MuchVibe, continue to extend the MuchMusic niche of television focused on music and youth across Canada.