MTV Reboots Starting With News

MTV, looking to reclaim the grip it held on youth culture with personalities like correspondent Kurt Loder, has hired several journalists, including veterans from Grantland and the New Republic, to reinvigorate the Viacom cable network's news organization.

Alex Pappademas, who worked at the Grantland pop culture and sports website operated by ESPN, will be executive editor of MTV news and oversee the creation of a podcast network. Jamil Smith, who comes from The New Republic, will be MTV's senior national correspondent, contributing to coverage of the presidential campaign. The network plans to announce the appointments Friday on a blog, according to a spokesman.

AdAge reports MTV will lean on its news division, once a vital source of pop culture and political journalism for young audiences, to prop up a network that has suffered significant losses in viewers. News, on TV and online, is a first step in new MTV President Sean Atkins's rebuilding efforts, which are critical to reversing Viacom's declining stock price and advertising sales, Chief Executive Officer Philippe Dauman said on an earnings call this week. Freshening the entertainment programming will take longer.