MySpace and MTV Announce Details of First Presidential Candidate Dialogue With John Edwards

MySpace and MTV Announce Details of First Presidential Candidate Dialogue With John Edwards

Inaugural Event Marks First Official Flektor Integration

Series Moderators Include MTV News Correspondents Gideon Yago and SuChin Pak and WashingtonPost.com Political Reporter Chris Cillizza

Industry Leading Pollsters John McLaughlin and Geoffrey Garin to Facilitate Real-Time User Interaction via Email, MySpaceIM and MTV.com

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- MySpace, the country's most trafficked website, and MTV, the leading global youth brand, today announced details of their first Presidential Candidate Dialogue -- featuring former Senator John Edwards (http://www.myspace.com/johnedwards). The inaugural event will take place on Thursday, September 27, at 12:00 pm ET on the University of New Hampshire campus -- an affiliate in mtvU's network of more than 750 colleges and universities -- and will be moderated by MTV News Correspondents Gideon Yago and SuChin Pak as well as WashingtonPost.com political reporter, Chris Cillizza. Industry-leading pollsters John McLaughlin and Geoffrey Garin will oversee the real-time polling data and audience questions being submitted via MySpaceIM and MTV.com. The kick-off event also marks the first application integration of the Flektor instant polling tool since its acquisition by Fox Interactive Media in May 2007.

"We're providing America's youth with unprecedented access to the top presidential candidates by empowering them to ask live questions and respond with real time polling tools," said co-founder and CEO of MySpace, Chris DeWolfe. "The integration of Flektor will add a new dimension of rapid response and at-home engagement -- we can't wait to see it all happen live and unfiltered."

"For the past 15 years, MTV and Choose or Lose has been the place where young people have gone to ask questions of the candidates and let their voices be heard," said Christina Norman, President of MTV. "Through this exciting partnership with MySpace, we are taking the concept of engagement to a new level, allowing every single young person to participate in the Dialogues."

For the first time, users at home or anywhere online are empowered to immediately respond to candidate discourse with a new online polling widget powered by Flektor. Online viewers on MySpace.com or MTV.com will be able to access a simple ratings meter to indicate their approval or disapproval of a candidate's responses as they watch the Dialogue live with instant results displayed on the screen. A "popular vote" function will allow viewers to compare their opinions against those of the entire viewing community. Poll results will be available online live during each event and archived for future viewing.

Options for approval ratings include:
-- I agree
-- Well argued
-- Sincere/ authentic
-- All of the above

Options for disapproval ratings include:
-- I disagree
-- Full of bull
-- Scripted/ canned
-- All of the above

The MySpace/MTV Presidential Candidate Dialogues also mark the first time in history where at home viewers will be able to submit questions in real-time to the candidates. As the world's fastest growing instant messaging client, MySpaceIM will provide the platform for users to submit questions throughout the duration of the event on both MTV.com and MySpace. Additionally, questions will also be asked by a live audience comprised of UNH students.

The MySpace and MTV communities will have a variety of chances to attend the Presidential Candidate Dialogues. Members on MySpace who 'friend' their official profile OR members of MTV.com who 'support' the Presidential Candidate Dialogues, will have the chance to attend by being one of the first to show up for the event with a print out of their respective profiles. Select MTV.com and MySpace users who submit the most compelling online videos on how they're addressing election issues that impact their community may also have their video integrated into related programming.

The interactive Presidential Candidate Dialogue events, each an hour in length, feature one leading Presidential candidate and America's youth in one-on-one candid discussions about the concerns of the nation leading up to the 2008 election. Held on college campuses nationwide, the Presidential Candidate Dialogues will include all the major Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates. The September 27 kick-off event will be webcast live on both MySpaceTV (http://myspacetv.com/) and MTV.com, with an event broadcast later in the day on MTV and mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network.

Additional candidates confirmed to participate in the MySpace/ MTV Presidential Candidate Dialogue series include:

-- Sen. Sam Brownback (www.myspace.com/sambrownback)
-- Sen. Hillary Clinton (www.myspace.com/HillaryClinton)
-- Sen. Chris Dodd (www.myspace.com/senatordodd)
-- Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (www.myspace.com/joinrudy2008)
-- Rep. Duncan Hunter (www.myspace.com/duncanhunter)
-- Sen. John McCain (www.myspace.com/johnmccain)
-- Sen. Barack Obama (www.myspace.com/barackobama)
-- Rep. Ron Paul (www.myspace.com/ronpaul2008)
-- Gov. Bill Richardson (www.myspace.com/richardsonforpresident)
-- Former Gov. Mitt Romney (www.myspace.com/mittromney)

The University of New Hampshire, the flagship public university in the first-in-the-nation primary state, was founded in 1866 and has a statewide enrollment of over 13,000 students with more than 116,000 alumni around the world.

About MySpace

MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and making a positive impact on the world. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities, and member forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the first ranked web domain in terms of page views(c), MySpace is the most widely-used and highly regarded site of its kind and is committed to providing the highest quality member experience. MySpace will continue to innovate with new features that allow its members to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off. MySpace's international network includes localized community sites in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, Sweden, Latin America, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the United Kingdom. Fox Interactive Media is a division of News Corp. (NYSE:NWS)(NYSE:NWS.A).

* Among the top 2000 domains comScore Media Metrix, July 2007. For more information on comScore Networks, please go to http://www.comscore.com/.

About MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 130 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 200 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services. The network also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

Source: MTV

CONTACT: Sara Parker, +1-202-350-6651, Sara.parker@edelman.com, or Casi
Kneebone, +1-323-202-1415, Casi.kneebone@edelman.com, both of Edelman for
MySpace; or Marnie Black, +1-212-258-7004, Marnie.Black@mtvstaff.com, or Jason
Rzepka, +1-212-654-7198, Jason.Rzepka@mtvstaff.com, both of MTV

Web site:

http://www.mtv.com/
http://www.myspace.com/johnedwards

-------
Profile: intent