That ain't working, I want my music back on MTV
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No comments [ Add Comment ]By THOMAS ALBERTS
TX Northridge High School
It's obvious that MTV means "music television," right? But I think it's even more obvious that despite that name, the majority of programs on MTV today are reality shows.
When MTV was first established back in the 1980s, its primary source of programming was music videos. And yet, since the late '90s, the channel has strayed from its original role and hosted more and more nonmusic shows, while the programs that are dedicated to music are either canceled or condensed into smaller time slots. Many times on these music programs, only short clips are shown of even the most popular videos.
One of the problems is the type of shows MTV chooses to showcase instead of music. Cheesy reality soaps, for instance, many of which are about celebrities who are using the shows as one last desperate attempt to stay famous after the public has come to its senses and grown tired of them. Shows such as "Wild 'N Out," "Life of Ryan," "Run's House" and "Adventures in Hollywood," along with others like "The Hills," "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila" and "Exposed."
I would have to point out that while the ratings for these shows are high, the ratings for MTV in general have dropped. What I would like to see on at least one of MTV's channels is the bulk of its programming dedicated to just music videos. Examples would be the few music shows that are still on including "The Big Ten," "FNMTV," "TRL" and "Sucker Free."
The lack of music seems especially strange given that MTV has more than one channel. You would think that with so many other channels, MTV could find time to play more music for the masses. But instead it chooses to have countless reruns of all its other shows. Usually the only time you can even watch music videos on Music TV is early in the morning for one or two hours. This only makes the MTV Music Video Awards seem hypocritical in nature, when MTV doesn't even take the time to show music videos on its No. 1 channel.
And I found that I'm not the only one to feel this way.
"I used to click it (MTV) after school and dance around the house. But now it's changed so much over the years," said Northridge High senior Tasha Cottam.
At the most recent MTV Music Video Awards, Justin Timberlake also challenged MTV's programming.
"Play more ... videos. We don't want to see 'The Simpsons' on reality television," he said. "Play more videos."
Furthermore, there have been more complaints about the lack of music from the general population as well. Also, according to an article in the Boston Globe, MTV seems to be losing viewers and its reality shows quickly lose their novelty after the first few episodes.
So will MTV abandon some of its reality-show reruns and actually add more shows dedicated to music? If it doesn't, it may lose much of its original audience to the forces of YouTube and online music. And there may be a time when MTV is soon forgotten and no longer the relevant force it once was.
Thomas Alberts is a senior at Northridge High School who enjoys writing, swimming and politics. E-mail him at hiphopfan1@aol.com.
