On August 1st, 1981, at 12:01 a.m. you could have turned your television to MTV and heard their first song they aired: "Video Killed the Radio Star." It was the start of a new era in television. A TV station that played music videos all day long was unheard of until now.
MTV was originally an anagram for "Music Television." At the start, it played only in New Jersey. 30 years ago, their music videos were quite sub-par to anything created recently. Usually it was just pictures or video of the band playing. Eventually, fans began to grow tired of the channel's repetitiveness and wanted something different.
In December of 1983, fans did get something different. Micheal Jackson's 'Thriller' video appeared on MTV. This kicked off a new part of music. Not only were artists writing music, but also performing in videos. A lot of people feared that MTV was corrupting their teenagers. MTV censored language videos to try to keep away from this reputation. They also had shows about politics, racism, drugs, AIDS, poverty, and violence. Some artists chose not to make videos because they believed it would corrupt the youth.
Eventually, people wanted more. In 1991, MTV aired it's first reality TV show, 'The Real World.' This began to shy MTV away from music, and into reality TV. Since then, shows like 'Pimp My Ride', 'Jersey Shore', and 'Buckwild', have been extremely popular.
Now if you just wanted a formal idea of MTV's history, you can stop reading here. The rest is my opinion on the subject. Why is it still called "MTV?" Music Television is dead, they should call it RTV, or Reality Television. What really angers me is the fact that back in the 80's, MTV was attempting to not corrupt the youth. Now I think teenagers lose brain cells when they watch shows like Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, or Buckwild.
I really wish that there was a TV station that played only music videos. People might think this is too "old-school" because of online radio and YouTube. "Internet Killed the Video Star," could be the new hit. But radio is still around, so why can't we still have Music Television?
No way! I always feel so enlightened with your blog! Most of the time you throw me for a total loop! I thought your research on the subject definetely showed! Your knowledge and word choice made this a great piece! Good job!
ReplyDeleteI would definetly like to say that i relate to you with the name of MTV sometimes the old thing needs to change to something new. I think that the old MTV was a way better channel because it had sweet sixteen not sixteen and pregnat. Your blog really made me realize that some people think alike. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree that MTV is corrupting the youth of America, but thatt still doesn't stop me from watching it. I think it's a little rediculous that they never play music. They either should change their name or actually play music videos. I really liked how you said that they should change their name to RTV! When I first started reading this I didn't think you were going to go in the direction you did, but I really liked it! I always find your blogs so interesting! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI think that your point is totally valid. I saw a report on the news the other day about the show "Buckwild." One of the people on that show recently passed away, and they canceled the show because of it. But, the director of the show really wants to continue to air the next season. I think that right there is a huge indication of how corrupt MTV is getting. They should have just stuck to music!
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job of explaining your point. I liked the original MTV. You also did a good job of adding persuasion into this piece. I feel that all TV is getting worse and worse. You had very good points.
ReplyDeleteI really think it would be awesome if MTV aired music videos for at least part of the day. They do show some and it's called AMTV but that's in the middle of the night so I rarely get to see it.
ReplyDeleteAlex, Nicely done. Your bring up some very good points. I didn't know that Real World was the first reality TV show that they did. You have a strong mix of inform and persuade in this piece. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete