Music Television, most commonly referred to as MTV, since it started out as a music station after all, aired in 1981 with the hit, “Video Killed the Radio Star,” by the Buggles.
Sadly, though, this station had many great years of music videos and shows that actually pertained to music, and it all shot to hell when reality killed the video stars.
The station had music shows with dancers in the background in different cities, acoustic performances from the most popular artists, and countdown shows such as Total Request Live, in which people actually were watching performances and videos.
TRL continues its pathetic existence, but rarely ever plays a video the entire way through.
It has Hollywood superstars who aren’t even involved in music come to host the show.
And the entire audience looks like they were hand picked from an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog. Normal-looking people just don’t exist in MTV’s world.
When the Real World aired on this station, it focused on seven strangers living in a house with real problems and real drama.
This was a major launch of reality television for MTV viewers, and it actually did focus on normal people, with music played throughout the show.
Today’s Real World and Road Rules include the most promiscuous party girls, the typical fraternity boys with the perfect pectoral muscles, the scantily clad drama queens, some sort of a minority to focus on for a really dramatic episode and the innocent cast member whose sweet charm is doomed.
To make the shows even more “realistic,” the cast gets to live in a mansion or travel to exotic places, get all the booze and sex that they can handle and get all their dirty laundry aired to millions of Americans.
Music Television also has the reality shows that focus on testing the waters to see if you want to break-up with your significant other, dating five people in one day to try to find a significant other or just a one-night-stand, and spoiled sixteen-year-olds humping each other in prom dresses on their oh so sweet sixteenth birthday.
I still don’t understand why they continue to label this station with music in the title, when music is not the main focus anymore.
You can still catch music videos between the sun almost coming up, and the time you are getting ready for class in the mornings.
I’m sure those who want to see MTV for the actual few hours of music videos they are playing will be adjusting their schedules to tune in. During the early afternoon there are more reality shows, all reruns, for anyone to enjoy. What a shame for someone to miss one single episode of spoiled Laguna Beach, California teenagers “hooking-up” with each other while wearing only the best designer clothing.
Reality stars seem to be getting more attention on this station than the actual musical artists hoping to get their videos aired.
Award shows such as the Video Music Awards, used to focus on giving awards to musicians with great music videos. The VMAs, today, continue to give out awards for the best music videos the MTV viewers have probably never seen on the station.
Somehow the focus has turned to presenters such as washed-up celebrities who have somehow made a comeback, the most outrageous reality stars and the celebrity wearing the least amount of clothing.
Call me old-fashioned if you must, but I think MTV should change their station name to RTV if they only insist on showing false images of what our generation considers reality.
The true music fans of the 80s must cringe whenever flipping through the channels and they come across their old favorite, filled with nothing but garbage, and as far from Music Television as possible.
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