MTV plans high-definition channel from Vail Mountain studio

[Gregg Lengling]

MTV will launch a high-definition music channel from a glass-walled studio on Vail Mountain, and Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom will be one of the VJs, the network and Vail Resorts announced Tuesday.
 
The service, called MHD, will start on Jan. 16 with a studio atop Eagle's Nest, a restaurant complex at 10,350 feet above sea level, the companies said in a press release.

It will carry hip hop, rock, country, pop, reggaeton, soul and other music, original music-based programming and other content.

George Oliphant, a VJ with mtvU, will switch to MHD, MTV said.

Bloom, a freestyle skier and former University of Colorado wide receiver, will join MHD after the Winter Olympics in Torinoo, Italy.

MHD programs will include MHD Top Ten and MHD Video Stew, in-studio events and interviews with artists.

"I don't think we could have found a better locale to give viewers a spectacular backdrop for MHD than Vail and the Colorado Rockies," said Tony Dunaif, senior vice president of business development for MTV Networks Music Group.

Dunaif said MTV wanted a studio location that would showcase HDTV's capabilities.

Bill Jensen, Vail Resorts' chief operating officer and senior vice president, said the MHD studio was a boon for the resort.

"This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase skiing and snowboarding in Colorado, and we truly appreciate being selected as the backdrop to launch MHD," he said.

MTV Networks Group is a unit of Viacom International Inc.