Comments on: Whatever Happened to MTV?

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:38:25 +0000

Here’s an hour or so of an old VHS tape of MTV – videos – Vj – commercials and all http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5905210375134304831#

Paul

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:36:22 +0000

I agree with this article. I was 11 in 1981 as well and I loved Mtv. I went so far as to major in music and be a music teacher. Love music and the 80′s Mtv.

One problem they may have in 2011 making Mtv play good current music is… well … there’s not much good current music … playing 80′s and some 90′s music would make the teens shut off the TV – so they stick to reality shows because of $$$.

If the record industry brings back good music MtV would change …. maybe… maybe not — just a thought

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:27:53 +0000

I miss the good ole days too. I would start every morning before school with a big bowl of cereal, and a large dose of mtv. I miss a lot of that music, some of which was never even on the radio. Does anyone remember the band that did a hard driving rock tune (pre hair band)that featured a rather large breasted woman dancing just off stage? It was around 1981-82 I am thinking deep purple comes to mind, but that doesn’t seem right. I would love if some one could refresh my mind, or even direct me to where I can find a list of every song played 1981-82 so I could read though it in hope of recognizing it.

By: Jim Ryan

Jim Ryan — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:58:26 +0000

I remember some nights in the 90′s when I’d stay up working until 3 or 4 AM, then idly look over at MTV or VH-1 and think, “Oh, so THIS is the time of day when they actually play music.” If I recall correctly, the Real World was the first reality show of its kind, wasn’t it? Back when the MTV execs began to find themselves in their middle ages and no longer in touch with their audience, it seems as though they started scrambling around, desperately trying anything they could to reconnect with the angry teenager demographic (an objective that’s not very subtly disguised in MTV’s early movies, which seemed to have a fairly universal disdain for authority figures and adults in general). In so doing they stumbled on reality television, a cash cow that allowed them to become a cable network famous for making documentaries about itself.

Not that I’m at all bitter, mind you. ;)

By: Carlos Spiceywiener

Carlos Spiceywiener — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:31:48 +0000

I also was eleven when Mtv debuted in 1981. I miss those days.

It’s not just Mtv and VH1 that play that “reality” crap, it’s E! and Bravo and TLC and CMT etc. etc. They’ve all become interchangeable channels with interchangeable shows.

By: Sara Welsh

Sara Welsh — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:07:52 +0000

I remember waking up and having the luxury of a television in my room so I’d turn on MTV before school. I was at the age where MTV was playing the realtiy shows in the afternoon, but there were always videos in the morning and TRL when I got home. I hate what MTV’s become. I get more music exposure from YouTube.

By: DQuartermane

DQuartermane — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:02:49 +0000

I have to admit that I really missed most of the MTV boom when it happened. But I still remember here and there turning it on and being able to catch some videos.

I will admit I even saw some Real World but I was a sucker for Road Rules. But even that just got to be absolutely ridiculous. Good idea that turned into “Oh let’s make more money”. I guess it was just a sign of how the whole network was going.

Great article.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:27:45 +0000

I did not have cable in the country, so we watched friday night videos, but I would bike in to a friends house to watch vids all weekend long on MTV. With all the non-music stuff I switched to VH1 and now, I just dont watch. The glory days of music videos are long gone I guess. MTV changed everything. What we need is a cable station that plays nothing but old music videos, wouldn’t that be grand?

By: James Melzer

James Melzer — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:27:03 +0000

I blame the internet. The Canadian channel, Much Music, did the same thing. It’s a shame, really. I used to enjoy having my friends over and sitting around watching music videos. Now we have to crowd around a computer screen to do so. What a pain in the ass!

By: Christie

Christie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:14:43 +0000

You expressed exactly what I’ve been thinking ever since, I dunno, The Real World Season 2 rolled onto the air. I honestly believed the first season would be it and MTV would go back to playing VIDEOS. I think you’ve captured exactly what so many MTV fans of our generation have been thinking. I love that you believe “reality killed the video star”.