“Choose or Lose” Campaign

In its short life, MTV has variously been praised and vilified for its influence on musical taste, fashion, movies, television, and advertising. In 1992, MTV turned its attention to increasing the political awareness of its viewers and promoting their participation in local and national elections. The result was Choose or Lose, a multimedia campaign which contributed to the largest turnout among young voters since 1972. While it is impossible to credit MTV as solely instrumental in this regard, there is no doubt that the amount of airtime devoted to voter registration and voter information, and the powerful and compelling messages presented in that effort had a discernible impact. For enfranchising a previously disenfranchised group, a Peabody to MTV: Music Television for Choose or Lose.