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The U.S. cable television channel MTV (Music Television) has been the subject of criticism for years. The choice of the channel to focus on non-music programming has also been contested relentlessly, demonstrating the channel's continued impact on popular culture.

Early criticism

As early as 1984, because of its visibility as a promotional tool for the recording industry, MTV was accused of denigrating the importance of music in the music industry, replacing it with a purely visual aesthetic, and putting equally popular but less image-centric or single-based acts at a distinct disadvantage. In 1983, Rolling Stone' magazine writer Steven Levy wrote, "MTV's greatest achievement has been to coax rock & roll into the video arena where you can't distinguish between entertainment and the sales pitch." One musician who criticized MTV for these reasons was Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, with the song "M.T.V. − Get off the Air", from the album Frankenchrist. Although it could be said MTV simply gave airtime to the most popular acts in a given country, it is also possible these acts became popular simply because of the exposure MTV gave them.

Since its inception, critics of MTV have claimed the channel's programming promotes bad behavior, including violence and recreational drug use, to the youth of the United States by embracing the behaviors of certain celebrities who are not good role models.[1][2]

Lack of videos starring black performers

During MTV's first few years on the air, very few black artists were included in rotation on the channel. Those who were in MTV's rotation included Eddy Grant, Tina Turner and Donna Summer. The very first non-white act played was UK band The Specials, which featured an integrated line-up of white and black musicians and vocalists. The Specials' video "Rat Race" was played as the 58th video on the station's first day of broadcasting.

MTV rejected other black artists' videos, such as Rick James' "Super Freak", because they didn't fit the channel's rock dominated format at the time. The exclusion enraged James; he publicly advocated the addition of more black artists' videos on the channel. Singer David Bowie also questioned MTV's lack of black artists during an on-air interview with VJ Mark Goodman in 1983.

In 1983, pop singer Michael Jackson and his label, Epic had planned to present the music video for the song "Billie Jean" to the executives of MTV. Worried that MTV would not show the video, Jackson and CBS Records President Walter Yetnikoff informed MTV's president the cable channel would be required to play Jackson's video, or CBS would not allow it to play any of their white artists (most notably Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Joel), and would publicly denounce MTV as racists.[3]

MTV premiered Jackson's "Billie Jean" video on March 10, 1983.[4] Whether the Jackson/Yetnikoff ultimatum had anything to do with this has been disputed; amongst other accounts, [5]Les Garland, co-founder and originator of MTV, VH1, and The Box, said that immediately after previewing the video "I called Bob (Pittman, MTV co-founder) to tell him, 'I just saw the greatest video I've ever seen in my life. It is off the dial it's so good.' We added it that day. How (the myth) turned into a story literally blew our minds."[6]

Soon enough, MTV was airing the video in heavy rotation, thus making Jackson the first black performer to find stardom on the network. Producer Quincy Jones has said of the early relationship between Jackson and MTV: "...they rode each other to glory". Soon after, other black artists had videos on MTV, including Prince, The Pointer Sisters, Rick James, Lionel Richie, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Diana Ross, and Run-DMC.

Lack of electronica or dance music videos

In MTV's early years in the US they played a much larger variety of music videos, including electronic and dance music videos. Electronic and dance music videos grew in popularity around the world in the late 1980s and 1990s. However, in the mid 1990s MTV and, sister station VH1, showed a noticeable aversion towards electronic or dance videos in the United States. While electronic and dance music artists have gained significant popularity in almost every major country, MTV still continues to focus on rap, hip-hop, and rock oriented music programming in the United States.

Censorship

Main article: Censorship on MTV

Political correctness

MTV came under criticism for being too politically correct and sensitive when it came to censorship. This was most prevalent in the eventual decline of the hit show Jackass. The creators of Jackass often felt that MTV's producers did not let the show run its free course due to the excessive restraints placed on the Jackass team.

MTV's influence also affected its famous animated program, Beavis and Butt-Head. In the wake of controversy that followed a child burning down his house after allegedly watching the show, "producers moved the show from its original 7 p.m. time slot to a late-night, 11 p.m. slot. Also, Beavis' tendency to flick a lighter and scream the word "fire" was removed from new episodes, and controversial scenes were removed from existing episodes before rebroadcast.[7] Some of the edits were so extensive that when series creator Mike Judge compiled his Collection DVDs he found out that "some of those episodes may not even exist actually in their original form".[8]

The Parents Television Council has argued that much of the censored material on MTV can be easily discernible because of the context within where the material in question has been presented.[9][10][11]

Religion and race

In the 1980s, parent-media watchdog groups such as the PMRC criticized MTV over certain music videos that were claimed to have explicit imagery of satanism. MTV has developed a strict policy on refusal to air videos that may depict devil worship or anti-religious bigotry.[12] This led MTV to ban the videos for "Jesus Christ Pose" by Soundgarden[13] and "Megalomaniac" by Incubus.[14]

Usually, all ethnic and racial slurs are censored on MTV music videos[15] and programming.[16] MTV has emphasized racial tolerance and diversity awareness for people of all races and creeds.[17]

Censored music videos

MTV has also heavily edited a number of music videos to remove references to drugs,[9] sex, violence, weapons, religion in any form, racism, homophobia (but also homosexuality), or advertising.[18]

Lack of music videos

By the second half of the 1990s, MTV's programming consisted primarily of non-music shows. In 1997, MTV was being heavily criticized for not playing as many music videos as it had in the past. In response, MTV created four shows that centered around music videos: MTV Live, Total Request, Say What?, and 12 Angry Viewers. Also at this time, MTV introduced its new studios in Times Square.

A year later, in 1998, MTV merged Total Request and MTV Live into a live daily top ten countdown show, Total Request Live, which would become the channel's unofficial flagship program. In 1999, MTV shifted its focus to prank/comedic shows such as The Tom Green Show, Jackass, and Punk'd; and soap operas such as Undressed.

For a while, MTV's main source of music video programming was Total Request Live, airing four times per week, still receiving heavy criticism for regularly showing very short clips of the actual videos in favor of heavily featuring VJs and daily guests. Now that even TRL is over, people are already nostalgic about the MTV that started 27 years ago.[19] A hip-hop music video show, Sucker Free, also airs regularly. On most days, music video rotation continues in the early morning hours.[20] Throughout the day, MTV shows excerpts from music videos, usually the hook, in split screen format during the closing credits, along with the web address of the MTV web site to encourage the viewer to view the complete video online. In the last half of 2007, MTV has scaled back rotation of full-length music videos usually to 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays but still shows the "condensed" videos during closing credits, as done for all non-music programs on MTV. After that time, MTV stopped showing full music videos.

In early 2008 MTV announced that it would premiere a new show that would focus on more music videos and live performances. FNMTV, hosted by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, premiered Friday June 13, 2008 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.[21] The debut episode featured video premieres from Flo Rida, The Pussycat Dolls, The Ting Tings, and Snoop Dogg.

Reality shows

Further information: [[:List of MTV shows: Reality series]]

In the early 2000s, MTV put a stronger focus on reality shows, building on the success of The Real World and Road Rules in the 1990s. MTV continued to play music videos (albeit rarely) instead of exclusively relegating them to their genre channels; however, the music videos aired either in the early morning hours or in a condensed form on Total Request Live. This has led to much viewer criticism and suggestions that the channel change its name. At the 2007 Video Music Awards, singer Justin Timberlake challenged MTV to "play more damn videos!"[22]

MTV News

Main article: MTV News

L. Brent Bozell III of the conservative watchdog group Media Research Center has criticized MTV News for perceived liberal bias in its reporting.[23][24][25] Writer Jonah Goldberg goes further, stating that "MTV serves as the Democrats' main youth outreach program." [26]

Live 8

In July 2005, MTV drew heavy criticism for its coverage of Live 8. The network cut to commercials while bands were still performing, specifically rock acts Pink Floyd (during the guitar solo for "Comfortably Numb") and The Who. Criticism was also aimed at MTV and VH1 for focusing too much on ill-informed VJs and not enough on the music. In some instances, VJs referred to the event as "Live 8 2005" or even "Live Aid 8", demonstrating that they had little or no knowledge of the cause going into the event. Consequently, MTV and VH1 aired five hours of uninterrupted Live 8 coverage on July 9, with each channel airing different blocks of artists.[27]

Further information: Live 8 § Criticisms

Criticism by family organizations

The conservative media watchdog group Parents Television Council, which advocates family-friendly programming on television, has frequently criticized MTV in its campaigns for cable choice, claiming that the network puts a bad influence on its targeted teenage audience, based on research done in 2004[28] and 2005.[29] Consequently, the PTC launched a campaign against MTV in 2005,[30] also asking advertisers to stop buying airtime on MTV,[31] referring to them as "Corporate Sponsors of MTV Sleaze" and challenging them "to Defend Their Sponsorship of Teen-Targeted TV Smut".[32] In 2002, the PTC included five MTV programs in its top 10 list of least family-friendly programming of the 2001-02 television season:

PTC founder L. Brent Bozell III asserted that MTV claims to reflect teen culture but claims with PTC research they are actually "manufacturing" it.[34]

The council also described MTV's focus on programming over music as a "showplace of smut" in reference to Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, Jackass, Celebrity Deathmatch, and Yo Momma.[35] Additionally, MTV shows that have been named "Worst Cable Content of the Week" by PTC have included the Human Giant,[36] Scarred, The Hills, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, 2006 MTV Movie Awards,[37] and The X Effect.

The American Family Association has also criticized MTV from perceptions of negative moral influence,[38] even going as far as to describe MTV as promoting a "pro-sex, anti-family, pro-choice (i.e., pro-abortion), drug culture".[39] Focus on the Family has released a spoken-word CD titled Confronting the MTV Culture to persuade parents to counter the "dangerous messages" of MTV.[40]

MTV response

In response to this initial criticism, since the early 1990s, MTV restructured its programming to incorporate moral behaviors that might influence its audience. Personalities on the channel began to support environmental issues and emphasize being "socially responsible", encouraging young people to take part in volunteer work in their community. For example, in the spring of 2006, MTV and United Way of America collaborated to promote Storm Corps, an organization to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina as an "alternative spring break" activity.[41]

However, such efforts have been criticized as ineffective because of MTV's focus on recreation during its spring break promotion.[42] In response, MTV claimed it was unfair for the Parents Television Council to claim that the network was corrupting youth solely based on its "Spring Break" programming, explaining that its president "attempted to inaccurately paint MTV with this brush of irresponsibility", the PTC's report "underestimates young people's intellect and their level of sophistication", and MTV does not use any obscenities in any of its programs.[43]

However, the PTC later claimed that MTV still continued to be extremely profane despite that statement, citing the numerous bleeped obscenities that still remained on MTV programs.[44] PTC then-president L. Brent Bozell III even went as far as to question if MTV standards and practices executives even "watch what they're broadcasting", thus submitting its MTV research to members of the U.S. Congress and Federal Communications Commission.[45] The PTC also claimed that MTV's efforts to promote use of the V-Chip, which blocks certain programs based on TV Parental Guidelines ratings, was a "sham" because the network failed to use the proper content descriptors such as "L" (language).[44] However, over the years, MTV has used descriptors in its programs, such as in Battle for Ozzfest,[46] Run's House,[47] and Yo Momma[48]

Recently, MTV has devoted airtime to reruns of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, which the PTC has selected as "Best Show of the Week" several times during its run.[49] Additionally, the MTV shows Beauty and the Geek (syndicated from The CW),[50][51] I'm From Rolling Stone,[52] Juvies[53] Made,[54] Run's House,[55] The Shop,[56] Trick It Out,[57] and True Life[58] have been morally praised or approved.

References

  1. ^ Bozell, L. Brent III (2001-03-01). "'Merchants of Cool' Not So Hot". Mediaresearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ Bozell, L. Brent III (2001-07-26). "Snapshots of MTV at 20". Mediaresearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Denisoff, R. Serge (1986). Tarnished Gold: The Record Industry Revisited. Transaction Publishers. p. 362. ISBN 9780887386183. Retrieved 2008-10-25. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ asd
  5. ^ "Why it took MTV so long to play black music videos". Jet. October 9, 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  6. ^ Bennett, Joy T. (2007-12-01), "Michael: The Thrill Is Back", Ebony, retrieved 2008-03-30
  7. ^ "Censorship & Scandals: Beavis & Butt-head".
  8. ^ Mike Judge (2005). Beavis and Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection Volume 1 Taint to Greatness the Journey of Beavis and Butt-head (Part 1). {{cite AV media}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help)
  9. ^ a b Williams, Casey (2005-02-01). "MTV Smut Peddlers: Targeting Kids with Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol" (PDF). Parents Television Council. Retrieved 2008-01-11. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) p. 8. In this case, a reference to crack cocaine was removed from the video for "My Band" by D12.
  10. ^ "I Want My Foul TV" (Press release). Parents Television Council. 2005-08-11. Retrieved 2006-04-16.
  11. ^ Kuhn, Katherine (2007-09-07). "So You Think You Can Rate a TV Show? - "The Hills"". Parents Television Council. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  12. ^ "Today, everyone wants their MTV". Censor This. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  13. ^ Prato, Greg. "Jesus Christ Pose" review. Allmusic
  14. ^ Cave, Damien. MTV Under Attack by FCC. Rolling Stone: February 23, 2004
  15. ^ MTV Smut Peddlers, pp. 6, 8. The report mentioned that "nigga" was censored out of the videos "Freak a Leek" by Petey Pablo (p. 6) and "My Band" by D12. (p. 8).
  16. ^ "Making the Band 2 Episode Summaries". ParentsTV.org. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  17. ^ "think - Discrimination -> Racism". MTV. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  18. ^ Nuzum, Eric (2001). Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America. HarperCollins. pp. 91–92. ISBN 0688167721. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ Amos, Shawn (2008-09-24). "MTV's First Day Was MTV's Best Day". GetBack. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  20. ^ "On-Air - MTV Week at a Glance". MTV. 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  21. ^ Castina (May 28, 2008). "Pete Wentz MTV "F'N MTV" Premiere June 13th". PopCrunch. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  22. ^ Orloff, Brian (2007-09-09). "Rihanna, Justin Timberlake Win Big at VMAs". People. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  23. ^ Miller, Judith (1992-10-11). "But Can You Dance to It?: MTV Turns to News". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  24. ^ Bozell, L. Brent III (2001-07-26). "Snapshots of MTV at 20". MediaResearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  25. ^ Bozell, L. Brent III (2004-04-02). "MTV-Pandering Kerry Digs Rap Music". MediaResearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  26. ^ Very Different Visions by Jonah Goldberg
  27. ^ "MTV, VH1 to Air Live 8 Performances Uninterrupted". MTV.com. MTV News. 2005-07-07. Retrieved 2007-06-02. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ Williams, Casey (2005-02-01). "MTV Smut Peddlers: Targeting Kids with Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol" (PDF). ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  29. ^ "I Want My Foul TV: More Evidence Proving Cable Industry Campaign to Promote Responsibility is a Sham". ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. 2005-08-11. Retrieved 2007-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "PTC campaign against MTV".
  31. ^ Bozell, L. Brent III (2004). "Letter to MTV Sponsors". Parents Television Council. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
  32. ^ "PTC Releases Top Ten Corporate Sponsors of MTV Sleaze and Challenges Companies to Defend Their Sponsorship of Teen-Targeted TV Smut" (Press release). Parents Television Council. 2005-03-30. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  33. ^ "Top Ten Best & Worst Cable Shows of the 2001/02 TV season". ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. 2002-08-01. Retrieved 2007-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Bozell, L. Brent III (2005-02-04). "MTV Knows No Shame". Mediaresearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved 2007-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Gildemeister, Christopher (2006-09-18). "Cable Creeps Away from its Mission". Parents Television Council. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
  36. ^ White, Keith (2007-06-02). "Worst Cable Content of the Week - "Human Giant" on MTV". Parents Television Council. Archived from the original on 2007-06-02. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  37. ^ PTC cable choice campaign page from June 14, 2006
  38. ^ "MTV Boycott Information". AFA. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  39. ^ Fancher, Bill (2004-06-14). "Rock For Life Vows to Expose MTV's Anti-Family Agenda". afa.net. American Family Association. Archived from the original on 2007-02-11. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  40. ^ Samad, Jack. "Confronting the MTV Culture". Focus on the Family. Retrieved 2008-10-25. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ "ThinkMTV - Features - Alternative Spring Break 2006". MTV.com. MTV. 2006-03-20. Retrieved 2007-06-03. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  42. ^ Bozell, L. Brent III (2006-03-16). "Spring Break: Hazardous to Your Health?". ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved 2007-06-03. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  43. ^ Eggerton, John (2005-02-01). "PTC Doesn't Want Its MTV". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2007-07-30. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  44. ^ a b "I Want My Foul TV" (Press release). Parents Television Council. 2005-08-11. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
  45. ^ "MTV's Defense of its Offensive Language is Offensive" (Press release). Parents Television Council. 2005-08-16. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
  46. ^ The Battle for Ozzfest homepage notes that the show was routinely rated "TV-14-DL"; the show was included in PTC's research.
  47. ^ Wheat, Alynda (2005-10-24), "What to Watch", Entertainment Weekly, p. 142 The article noted that an episode of Run's House to air that week would be rated "TV-PG-L".
  48. ^ Yo Momma has been given "TV-14-DL" ratings.
  49. ^ So far, PTC has named five episodes of So You Think You Can Dance as "Best of the Week" from 2006 and 2007, according to its list of "Best and Worst TV Shows of the Week" from those years.
  50. ^ "Parents Television Council evaluation of "Beauty and the Geek"".
  51. ^ Hipps, Jill (2005). "Beauty and the Geek - Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  52. ^ Filucci, Sierra (2007). "I'm From Rolling Stone - Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  53. ^ Filucci, Sierra (2007). "MTV Juvies - Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  54. ^ Chaney, Elisabeth (2005). "MADE - Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  55. ^ Hipps, Jill (2005). ""Run's House" Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  56. ^ Maher, Lucy (2005). "The Shop - Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  57. ^ Maher, Lucy (2007). "Trick it Out - Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  58. ^ Pavao, Kate (2005). ""True Life" Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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