As of this last week, Canadians can no longer watch the specialty channel, M3. Formerly known as Much More Music, the station launched in 1998 as an alternative network to sister station Much. Both Much and Much More became Canadian staples, and the primary source of music-related programming in the country. Both of the networks churned out daily broadcasts, which consistently reached countless Canadian viewers. When Much More rebranded as M3 three years ago, the channel skewed towards a more mature audience, and existed in contrast to the Top 40 aesthetic of its sister station.
In its latest stint, M3 served as a “superstation”. It was a newer format, which prominently featured less music programming. This transition makes even more sense, knowing that the slot has now morphed into a new network called Gusto. Gusto will be home to cooking and other lifestyle-oriented shows, and has been operating since last week.
Bell Media mothership, Much, went through similar changes over the years. The channel has strayed away from its music roots, which were planted during its inception 32 years ago. Much’s content is now dominated by dramatic programming, and it famously dropped its “VJ” format early last year.
Meanwhile, the M3 announcement was kept rather quiet. The news follows Bell’s selling of four specialty music channels to the multiplatform company, Stingray. Most of the programming that lived on M3 has moved onto multiple Bell Media channels, including Bravo, E!, and Much. To find out how you can tune into Gusto, contact your local cable provider. In the meantime, we mourn Much More Music - the home of excellent 80s music videos on New Year's Eve, and the network responsible for the author's discovery of the band, Wang Chung. Thanks for the memories, M3.
