‘I want my MTV!’

For a channel that’s been around for 28 years, one would think that MTV would have finally perfected its model and revolutionized the merger between music and television.
Well, I guess some applause is in order – but only a little.

The MTV we know and languidly watch today is a whole different beast than the channel that rocked the world in ’81.

Long gone are the shoddily made music videos for hair bands and pop stars that still managed to awe the world with their ingenuity. Now we’re treated to shoddily made “reality” dating shows that showcase some shameful examples of today’s social climbers. Oh, how lucky we are!

Before we get angry, let’s give MTV a hand. They have turned their little music network into a conglomerate that has spanned countries and continents and has spawned sister networks like MTV2 and Spanish-language counterpart, MTVtr3s. Those little MTV executives might be sell-outs, but they sure know how to rake in the cash.

But the obvious question remains: What happened to the “music” in Music Television?

Haven’t we all been not-so-silently asking ourselves the same question, since it’s turned the best of us into lethargic couch potatoes unknowingly drawn in by bastardized television?

That’s just the issue, though. The output is mostly terrible – just think about MTV’s yearly spring break broadcasts and you’ll understand – yet audiences are still huge.

The viewership isn’t stupid, but they’ve accepted that MTV no longer exists as a music-based station. Do they still watch because MTV still markets itself as the station of the young and hip, or is it because most of their current viewers are too young to remember anything different?

With its first airing of The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” MTV ushered in a new format that had only mildly been played around with in the past. Music videos not only let fans experience their favorite music on a whole new level, they were fantastic marketing tools, spreading music quickly and in an exciting way to the masses. While the channel still airs videos from time to time, round-the-clock blocks of music programming are now a thing of the past.

“Yo! MTV Raps” and “Headbangers Ball” brought back the glory days of shows like “American Bandstand” and showcased up-and-coming bands to a widespread audience. As was to be expected, both were canceled and replaced by reruns of “The Real World.”

So why should all the quality music programming be relegated to its sister channels, ones that aren’t nearly as accessible as its flagship station? Why should the only major music event on the channel be the once-a-year Video Music Awards? Will MTV ever be as cool as it used to be, or has it just become like any other predictable network station?

I’m rallying for a return of quality music programming. Like the old slogan used to say: “I want my MTV!”