Wire Channel MTV Turns Thirty Today And I Suspect It’s Unlikely That Any Article Noting The Event Will Be In A Position To Resist The Urge To Incorporate Some Rant About The Absence Of Music Videos On The Network.
Wire channel MTV turns 30 today and I think it’s improbable that any article noting the event will be in a position to fight the urge to include some rant about the absence of music videos on the network.
In theory, I understand the complaints. I watched the network from its earliest days and there had been something enchanting about discovering some artist or song thanks to the video. As MTV changed into a commercial success, it created a massive number of stars whose careers would have been completely different without the exposure. Sure, performers such as Paula Abdul owe their careers to MTV, but it is difficult to imagine what the careers of musicians such as Michael Jackson would be without the video exposure.
But from the earliest years of the network, MTV pursued a tactic of making original, non-musical programming. And after they made that decision, it was unavoidable that the success of that programming would push the music off the main MTV Network.
There are good business reasons for opting not to play music videos on a channel that was originally branded as a music network. No wire channel wants to be in a situation where their success is reliant on access to content being created by third parties. In much the same way that HBO and Showtime began producing original programming as a method to offset the aggressive dealmaking of the flick studios, MTV moved toward original programming so they wouldn’t be dependent on the whims of the music labels.
I suspect things should have been slightly different if MTV had been owned by a media company that also owned a music label. But without warranted access to music videos, MTV had no alternative than to move toward original programming.
Granted, MTV did not always have to choose the programming mix that it did. But because it’s owned by Viacom, which approaches its multiple wire channels the way Clear Channel programs its radio stations, programming decisions are sometimes as much about playing to the network’s target demo as anything else.
That pressure from the sales side is also why you see things such as Viacom-owned films pop up in primetime slots. Their cost is close to free, and its simple for a sales staff to sell a block of films displaying across all of the Viacom Networks.
At the end of the day, MTV is a business. And it’s difficult to prove with the premise that whether or not it airs music videos, it’s been an exceptionally successful network. So while I miss the videos (and the VJs), I am ten years past making snide remarks about the absence of music on MTV.
But as MTV turns 30, I do worry about the corrosive effect its programming has on youths.
Worrying about such things possibly appears quaint to most audiences (and TV critics) at this juncture. MTV clearly has got the right to air what it wants, how it wants. The fact that so many of its shows are successful illustrates there is an audience for them.
But because rumpus sells, MTV has created this vision of American kids that often highlights the nastiest of what we will be. MTV isn’t displaying Teen Mom because they hope to persuade teen spectators not to become pregnant. In fact , the essential message of the show is “hey, it will be okay.” Seeing girls who have shown up on Teenager Mom splashed across magazine covers at the local superstore is morally wrong on so many levels I could write a book about it and still just scratch the surface. The undeniable fact that versions of jersey Shore air around the globe makes me more gloomy than pleased with the network’s programming prowess.
What fears me as MTV turns 30 is that for many American children, Viacom has as much influence on their lives as school or friends. From Nick Jr’s preschool programming through Nick’s animated shows through Teen Nick and MTV, Viacom controls the pop culture landscape of America’s youth.
I will not claim anybody is evil. Almost all of the programming decisions have more to do with sales opportunities and audience share than cultural impact. But at age 30, MTV should be pondering such things, and it seems clear to anyone that watches the network that the propriety of what they air is barely a concern,writes tagza.com.
The Breaknecks – Tradition Featuring Possessed and Grimlok
