MTV abandons Vail Mountain studio

VAIL - Last month, cable subscribers in Vail finally got MHD, MTV's high-definition network that was headquartered in a studio on Vail Mountain last winter.

The bad news? MHD's staying in New York.

"The studio in Vail was a short-term venue used to launch the network in a captivating environment ... ," said Eric Sherman, general manager of MHD.

Vail Mountain is still working on ideas for what to do with the studios on the second floor of the Eagle's Nest building at the top of the gondola, said Jen Brown, spokeswoman for Vail Mountain.

"We had a one-year contract with MTV to host the studio at the top of the mountain and had a very successful partnership with MTV last year," said Brown said.

MHD might return for a special concert, said Mariana Agathoklis, a spokeswoman for the network.

"It's definitely on our radar because it's such an amazing setting," she said.

The partnership was announced last November at a press conference at the Pepsi Center in Denver with Lt. Gov. Jane Norton and freestyle skier/football player Jeremy Bloom in attendance.

Vail Mountain officials said the partnership would help market the channel to the coveted 18-to-34-year-old demographic.

MHD VJ George Oliphant shot scenes in the studio, around the mountain and in town for the network last winter. The inside of the studio wasn't accessible or visible to skiers on the mountain.

High-definition channels offer sharper pictures and better sound for HDTV-ready TVs. There is a push under way to convert televisions to the new digital, high-definition sets.

Although MHD wasn't available locally on Comcast until last month, local cable access channel TV8, which is owned by Vail Resorts, has shown MHD programs over the last several months.



Staff Writer Edward Stoner can be reached at 748-2929 or estoner@vaildaily.com.



Vail, Colorado