Graden, Brian

He was at the network less than four months when Graden was named executive vice president in charge of programming, or as his boss Judy McGrath put it, he became the "programming czar." Graden was tasked with revamping the MTV lineup, which was causing the network to slip dangerously in the ratings. Others at MTV assumed that Graden would cut back on the non-music programming, but he had other plans. As he told Variety in 1997, "the real idea here is to find ideas that cut through and get people's attention." And get their attention he did. Graden expanded the definition of reality TV by pushing forward prank-based comedy programs such as The Tom Green Show, featuring quirky Canadian funnyman Tom Green (1972–). And in 1998, he championed interactive television when he gave the thumbs up to Total Request Live, a call-in video request show that remains an MTV staple.

Behind the scenes at MTV

MTV ratings steadily rose and Graden developed a reputation for having his finger on the pulse of the young, hip market. In 2000 he was promoted to president of programming for MTV, as well as companion channel MTV2. "I was completely overwhelmed," Graden admitted to The Advocate, "but this was the moment I'd been waiting for." His success was only beginning. In spring 2002 Graden hit the jackpot when he launched The Osbournes, a program that followed the daily lives of bad-boy rock legend Ozzy Osbourne (1948–) and his family, including wife Sharon and children Jack and Kelly. Again, Graden had created another kind of reality show, this time blending music, the backbone of MTV, and a behind-the-scenes look at celebrity life. The show became an enormous hit, drawing millions of fans each week, and the Osbournes became America's favorite dysfunctional family.

Since viewers were only too eager to get a glimpse into the lives of the famous and nearly famous, Graden cashed in with similar series, including Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, which chronicled the ups and downs of newly married pop singers Jessica Simpson (1980–) and Nick Lachey (1973–). When the program premiered in August of 2003, Simpson and Lachey were blips on the music scene: Simpson was considered a pretty blonde clone; Lachey was a member of minor boy band 98 degrees. By the end of 2003, after they opened the doors of their Beverly Hills mansion for the cameras, they were the hottest couple in Hollywood. When Newlyweds began its second season on January 21, 2004, it was seen by 4.7 million viewers and was the number-one show in its time slot.

While MTV was enjoying an upswing, VH1 was nosediving. Formed in 1986 as an MTV alternative for a more mature audience, the channel focused on the lighter side of pop music. It did not enjoy real success, however, until the 1990s when, like MTV, it began to supplement its video format with music-related shows. The network hit it big with programs like Pop-Up Video, a novelty show where quick information clips "popped up" during videos, and Behind the Music, which profiled the lives of the music industry's biggest stars. Unfortunately, as Megan Larson of Mediaweek put it, the programs "suffered death by overplay." Instead of building its lineup, the network looped the same programs over and over, day after day. As a result, viewers got bored and tuned out. Enter Brian Graden.