MTV: Minus the ‘M’

At the time of its inception, MTV revolutionized the music industry. It changed how people heard about music by promoting and showing new artists. It changed the way people saw music by pairing songs with videos and introducing video-jockeys. For our generation especially, MTV changed music.\nOn Aug. 1, 1981, MTV launched its very first broadcast with the words “ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll” playing over the legendary footage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The revolution had begun. \nSo what sort of television do you think this baby cable conglomerate first aired? \nWas it “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila,” a reality show about a sexy bisexual Asian woman who bases love on her contestants’ mud-wrestling abilities?\nOr perhaps it was “The Hills,” a “reality” show that proves America wants to spend its evenings aimlessly fascinated by a quasi-mentally-handicapped rich bitch and her escapades being a faux-student at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, being a faux-employee of Teen Vogue and having really, really obtuse faux-conversations with other self-concerned faux-friends?\nWhat’s funny is that it actually wasn’t either of those. It was – gasp! – music. Ironically enough, MTV’s first broadcast began by showing the video for “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. \nAnd here we are, almost 27 years later, and MTV has become “empty V.” (Don’t think I coined that, urbandictionary.com did. I’m not that clever.) Video has killed the radio star. What does it say for the state of music when America’s No. 1 music television station is only generating “programming of no real substance,” according to urbandictionary, that has nothing to do with music?\nOn the day this article runs, MTV is airing 20 hours of reality TV, none of which is even remotely connected to the music industry (unless you count Heidi Montag’s blossoming career as a singer/songwriter). It is also airing two hours of America’s Best Dance Crew reruns and two hours of music videos. So I guess MTV is now 17 percent music and 83 percent unicorns (fictional and horny). \nWouldn’t it be crazy if the M came back to MTV? What if when we tuned in we saw music videos, concert footage, musician documentaries or interviews with contemporary artists? Hell, what if we tuned in to a blank screen with a great soundtrack?\nIt would probably be better than watching another rerun of “True Life: I’m on Adderall.” (True Life: Everyone Is.)\nIt’s time for my confessional. It is true that I watch just about every television show of which I have just made fun. Constantly. I was even late to the library today because I could not face the suspense of whether LC would ultimately befriend the sister of her arch rival in computer class. \nAs embarrassing as it is, I love awful reality television. I love everything about it. I could probably be the leader of a reality television cult, as long as it didn’t cut into my downtime. I just think maybe it belongs elsewhere. There’s plenty of space on CBS. \nI want my MTV ... back.