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THEY SAID M “The light blue flickering rhythm / of the neighbor’s^ console TV / Is basking on the ceiling / of anolM _ _ insomniac spr« PaSf5 • anid.fr! Fridayjanuaiy 28, 2005 "THE TRUE STORY OF WHAT H =?=-— ___—-----=1 * ■■■_ r Watch ^ LwianiaTyiu a&GUB 7 Power Hour^^^M M-F: 7 p.m. & 1 a.m., I S-S- 7 ajn & ' ;'' V. By RYAN DALLAS THE GAMECOCK Have you ever been sitting in your dorm watching the same old shows on TV or perhaps sitting in class looking for a way to fill the void until lunch? Then maybe ManiaTV! is for you. ManiaTV! is like a live, 24-hour television station — except it’s broadcast over the Internet. So as long as you have a computer with wi-fi access, you can hook into the non-stop action, no matter where you | g° In 1998, Drew Massy, now CEO of ManiaTV!, was sitting in a little cheeseburger joint in California known as the “Dutch Goose” when the idea for ManiaTV! first came to him. Massey’s two favorite mediums, television and the Internet, were separate entities at the time. He believed that by combining the two, he could create a new and better media outlet. “Bill Paley, with CBS, gave birth to Network TV. Ted Turner, with the CNN, took on the big boys to give, us Cable TV,” a ManiaTV! news release said. “Now, ManiaTV! is delivering the next revolution in television — live Internet TV.” So with high aspirations, ManiaTV! went online Sept. 6, 2004, and has since steadily grown in popularity. Geared toward Internet users between the ages of 12 and 34 and primarily college students, ManiaTV! brings a mix of news, sports, music and video shorts all at a non-stop pace. Do you use The Facebook or My Space? Do you like Internet dating? Then check out Pimpin’ Personals where online dating gets taken to the next level. Send an ad to ManiaTV! and they • might play it for everyone watching. As an added bonus, if you hook up on the show and end up getting married, invite ManiaTV! to the weddinj and they will write and perform a wedding rap jus for you. Check out Power Hour for a blend of actiot sports videos with hip-hop and alternative music Or tune in to Shiny and New for all the laies videos from all the biggest stars. Each ManiaTV! show has its own host, knowr as a CJ or “cyber jockey.” The CJ, among othei things, introduces videos and talks to live call-in: and shout-outs. Christy, host of “Shiny anc New,” “Wake-Up Redux,” and “100%,” said a loi of the fun comes from the unique call-ins sh< receives every day. This is just one example of where ManiaTV gets much of its allure. On top of sports, musij video games, cartoons and news, anyone can jo| in on the action. Submit cell-phone films, 5iir shorts, requests and dedications, and they mighi just end up broadcast over the Internet. But if you really want to get into the thick of things, call ir using Instant Messenger, SKYPE or web-cam anc talk live with a CJ. Through it’s lineup, ManiaTV! contain: exciting action while keeping a strong base in it: music. The biggest artists and the biggest song: all make appearances, but ManiaTV! .plays i wide variety of music, including “Underwea: Goes Inside the Pants” by underground favorit* Lazy Boy, showing that ManiaTV! is trying tc tap into its largest market — college students So the next time you’re sitting in marketing class listening to the importance of organizationa structure, why not pull out that laptop, plug ir those headphones, and check out ManiaTV! — your professor will never know. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu