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Tuesday,
February 03, 2004
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MTV,
VH1 need to go back to musical roots
Eugene
Chu is a senior political science major from Arlington.
I,
like many people today, currently subscribe to cable television.
While most of the channels might still be able to provide
entertainment, one genre of television has unfortunately
gone downhill. Music Television and Video Hits One, better
known as MTV and VH1, have decayed to the point of boredom.
While it’s true that they still show music videos,
the programming is often supplemented or replaced by too
many irritating shows. In my opinion, those channels seem
to have lost their renaissance-like spirit of music.
In the 1980s, when MTV first debuted, its primary focus
was on music videos. In the ’80s, music was definitely
not classical, but the music video still made it artistic.
In the 1990s, when MTV moved on to things besides music
videos, VH1 picked up the slack. Even as late as 1997,
I can still remember when the essence of VH1’s core
programming was still the music video.
Today, they have moved on yet again, and while supplementary
MTV and VH1 stations still primarily play music videos,
the originals have quickly forgotten their roots.
While looking at Yahoo’s Web site for TV listings,
I discovered a few disappointing facts. On a typical Monday,
both MTV and VH1 stop their music video shows in the afternoon
and evening. In fact, VH1’s music video programming
only runs from 2 to 10 a.m., a time when most people are
sleeping. On both channels, supplementary shows have replaced
the music video that used to give it definition.
Even though I might not believe these stations should
play music videos 24 hours a day, some of their supplementary
shows are utterly disappointing or downright disgusting.
VH1’s “Behind the Music,” which usually
discusses the breakup of various bands, has become so
boring that “The Simpsons” even did a parody
of it.
Teens have unsuccessfully imitated the ludicrous stunts
from the MTV show “Jackass,” sometimes ending
up in the hospital afterward. On rare occasions, there
are decent shows such as MTV’s “Ultimate Video
Game Countdown” special that ranked video games and
discussed their diverse genre; but while a few shows are
still entertaining, MTV and VH1 shows are more and more
the rule rather than the exception.
When MTV and VH1 first debuted, an audience flocked to
see their music videos. Sadly, the audience today sees
less music and more waste of television airtime. While
some believe the TV channels are catching up with the
times, I believe they are slowly forgetting their cultural
origins. So many bad supplementary shows and so few music
videos leave me with only one thing to say: “I don’t
want my MTV.” |
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