WILLIAM Roedy has a dream: to make MTV available to every household across the globe. And, while the MTV Networks International president may be already halfway there, he acknowledges it is a long road that he still has to travel.
Mr Roedy has drawn up ambitious global plans for the New York-based Viacom division but, then, he is in a position to do so.
Since joining the network in 1989 as chief executive and managing director of MTV Europe (he was made president of MTV Networks Europe last April and promoted again to his present position in September 1994), he has seen to the successful expansion of the network's presence in that region. MTV Europe's distribution has catapulted from six million to 61 million households and reached an audience of around 120 million.
But, with the launch of MTV Mandarin and the English-language MTV Asia in April and May, respectively, the MTV global chief has switched his sights to Asia.
Although MTV has already made an appearance in Hong Kong with STAR TV, the network pulled out a year ago when relations broke down after Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation bought ruling shares.
'When Murdoch bought STAR, it basically created an option for us to opt out of the contract,' Mr Roedy says. 'We elected to start all over again because it gave us greater control over our destiny.' But having to restructure MTV Asia and re-negotiate new vehicles with which to broadcast the channel has resulted in a year-long absence from Hong Kong viewers.