Save the Music from Reality TV
Somewhere along the Line, Music Television (MTV) Lost its Music
Music Television (MTV) used to broadcast music videos around the clock, but now air time is constantly given to flakey reality TV shows. Is there no turning back?
Once upon a time, Music Television (MTV) broadcast hit music videos day and night, living up to its name and satisfying the eyes and ears of music lovers abroad. Unfortunately, this fairytale has long been over. MTV viewers today are almost guaranteed to see a handful of amateur actors flaunting in front of the camera every time they tune in. What happened?
Two words: Reality Television
Real World. Pimp My Ride. Laguna Beach. A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila -- the list goes on. Where has all the music gone? MTV's shift away from primarily music-oriented broadcasts has not gone unnoticed. Sure, MTV does not seem daunted by any criticisms addressing its recent adjustments, but long-time viewers generally resent the way things got switched up. "It's something that's been bothering me for years," says a former MTV fan, regarding the latest line-up of shows, "I just don't watch [MTV] anymore."
During the past decade the popularity of reality TV has grown tremendously. At one point this past summer, the top two shows were both reality TV shows (America's Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance). There were seven reality TV shows in the top 20 that week. Shows such as Survivor and The Bachelor became the new rave, and MTV didn't want to miss out on the action. After the success of The Real World, which won a GLAAD Media Award in 1995 and a TV Guide Award in 2000, there was no turning back. MTV sold its soul to Reality TV.
The Evolution of Entertainment
With the rise of YouTube, iTunes and other internet sources of music, MTV is no longer just competing with other television stations, but also with the vast expanse of instant entertainment known as the world wide web. Music videos can now be accessed with a few clicks of a mouse, so is there really much of a need to air them on TV any longer? Perhaps not. But it doesn't change the fact that when viewers tune into Music Television, they want music; they can find reality TV elsewhere, which includes at least ten Reality TV Programs that debuted within the past year.
Trend versus Tradition
Since it was launched on August 1,1981, MTV has had an extensive influence on pop culture. Its original broadcasts of music videos appealed to young adults and has associated MTV with the latest pop trends. And if pop culture is all about reality TV, maybe viewers should just accept the fact that that's what MTV will be all about it as well.
Still, the protests cannot be ignored and after all, music is still a part of pop culture as much as ever. Perhaps when the reality TV trend has passed, MTV will open its ears to its long lost fans. And when this happens, music videos will reign once again and music lovers can live happily ever after.
Sources:
www.realitytvworld.com/news
www.imdb.com
http://www.museum.tv/museumsection.php
