After taking some time to think about the vast amount of music videos I have seen over the course of my life I was hard pressed to label one as my favorite. Instead I thought about which music videos stood out to me the most. So when I say that the Blind Melon video No Rain is a music video that remains vivid in my memory, it does not mean that it is my favorite video, but rather one of the most memorable. I also have to acknowledge the Pearl Jam video for Jeremy, which is another video that left an impact on me as an adolescent.
Today the current state of MTV programming is that of a television station that has transitioned from playing music videos to having a vast lineup of reality shows. Shows like The Jersey Shore, and True Life have taken the place of MTV programs like TRL, and YO! and have essentially turned MTV into a station that is geared to a younger age group. To me it feels as though MTV is targeted more towards youths, teens, and young adults ranging in ages from 12 to 21. In fact the last time I remember watching MTV was to catch my first episode of The Jersey Shore ever. So to me it is a somewhat disappointing that music videos on MTV are basically non-existent. MTV has added additional networks like MTV2, which are more inclined to play music videos. But I can still recall when Justin Timberlake took the time during his acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards to remind people that MTV has stopped playing music videos, and to encourage them to start airing more of them.
"Multiple-winner Justin Timberlake imploring MTV to play more music videos. "Play more damn videos," he said. "We don't want to see the Simpsons on reality television. Play more videos!" (http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20055499,00.html)
I'm with Justin Timberlake when it comes to this comment. MTV has lost the generation that they initially targeted with their now famous "I want my MTV!!" ads. This to me has led to a cheapening of MTV's programming, and as someone who used to avidly watch MTV as a youth, I no longer have a need to watch the network.
As MTV continues to grow and evolve, I would hope that they would adjust for the changes in the informational revolution that has seen the Internet become our predominant media form. People like myself now get my music video experience from sites like YouTube, which allow me to watch whatever music video - wherever, and whenever. The station is not based on music anymore, instead it is "young television." I think that MTV needs to take the direction of trying to get back the target audience it first catered to, which they have now lost because of the saturation of media accessibility through different new media forms. They have already started to do this by reintroducing shows like Beavis and Butthead, but this is just the start. If they can get the attention back of the market segment which they have now lost, they can continue to grow and evolve in the future so that they make sure they do not once again lose the audience of 12-21 year olds over which they currently have a stronghold.
