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Cities Stocks Weather Movies Coupons Travel Blogs Health Horoscope Maps ASIA EUROPE Classifieds Yellow PagesThis article is about the original U.S. music television channel. For all of MTV\'s sister channels in the U.S., and all international MTV channels, see List of MTV channels. For other uses, see MTV (disambiguation).
| MTV (Music Television) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owned by | MTV Networks (Viacom) |
| Sister channel(s) | VH1, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, Nickelodeon, others |
| Website | MTV.com |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 331 |
| Dish Network | Channel 160 |
| AMC 11 N/Central America/Carribean | 4060 H / 29270 / 3/4 Channel 830 (Transponder 18) |
| AMC 10 N/Central America/Carribean | 3920 V / 29270 / 3/4 Channel 735 (Transponder 11) |
| SKY Latin America | Channel 701 |
| Cable | |
| Available on many cable systems | Check local listings for channels |
MTV (Music Television) is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on August 1, 1981, the original purpose of the channel was to show music videos.CNN - MTV changed the music industry on August 1, 1981 - July 31, 1998 Today, MTV broadcasts a variety of pop culture, youth culture, music videos and reality television shows aimed at older adolescents and young adults.
Since its premiere, MTV has revolutionized the music industry. Slogans such as "I want my MTV" became embedded in public thought, the concept of the VJ (video jockey) was popularized, the idea of a dedicated video-based outlet for music was introduced, and both artists and fans found a central location for music events, news, and promotion. MTV has also been referenced countless times by musicians, other TV channels and shows, films and books.
MTV has spawned a handful of sister channels in the U.S. and dozens of affiliated international channels around the world. MTV\'s moral influence on young people, including examples of censorship and social activism on the channel, has been the subject of debate for years. MTV\'s choice to focus on non-music programming has also been contested relentlessly, demonstrating the channel\'s continued impact on popular culture.
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MTV\'s pre-history began in 1977, when Warner Cable (a division of Warner Communications, and an ancestor of WASEC, Warner Satellite Entertainment Company) launched the first two-way interactive cable TV system, Qube, in Columbus, Ohio.
The Qube system offered many specialized channels, including a children\'s channel called Pinwheel which would later become Nickelodeon. One of these specialized channels was Sight On Sound, a music channel that featured concert footage and music oriented TV programs; with the interactive Qube service, viewers could vote for their favorite songs and artists.
Robert Pittman had test driven the music format by producing and hosting a 15 minute show, Album Tracks, on WNBC, New York, in the late 1970s. Pittman\'s boss, WASEC COO John Lack, had shepherded a TV series called PopClips, created by former Monkee-turned solo artist Michael Nesmith, the latter of whom by the late 1970s was turning his attention to the music video format.Scotsman.com Living
HBO also had a 30 minute program of music videos, called Video Jukebox, that first aired around the time of MTV\'s launch and would last until late 1986. Also around this time, HBO would occasionally play one or a few music videos between movies.
SuperStation WTBS launched Night Tracks on June 3, 1983 with up to 14 hours of music video airplay each late night weekend by 1985. Its most noticeable difference was that Black artists received airplay that MTV initially ignored. The program ran until the end of May 1992.
Shortly thereafter NBC launched its music video program called Friday Night Videos which was considered network television\'s answer to MTV. It ran from 1983 to 2002.
It should also be noted that in his book The Mason Williams FCC Rapport, Mason Williams states that he pitched an idea to CBS for a TV show that featured "video-radio" where disc jockeys would play avant-guarde art set to music on the air. CBS quashed the idea, but Williams premiered his own musical composition "Classical Gas" on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, where he was head writer. The book in which this claim is made was first published in 1971, ten years before MTV first came on the air.
On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., MTV: Music Television launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," spoken by original COO John Lack. Those words were immediately followed by the original MTV theme song, a crunching guitar riff written by Jonathan Elias and John Petersen, playing over a montage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. MTV producers Alan Goodman and Fred Seibert used this public domain footage as a conceit, associating MTV with the most famous moment in world television history.[citation needed]
Appropriately, the first music video shown on MTV was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. The second video shown was Pat Benatar\'s "You Better Run". Sporadically, the screen would go black when someone at MTV inserted a tape into a VCR.http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/01/mtv.at.25.ap/index.html
At launch time, the official subscriber count across the U.S. was 3,000,000 (the actual number was 500,000), but the immediate impact would have argued that every young adult\'s television in the country was tuned to MTV.
The early format of MTV was modeled after top 40 radio. Fresh-faced young men and women were hired to host the network\'s programming and to introduce videos that were being played. The term VJ (video jockey) was coined, a play on the acronym DJ (disc jockey). Many VJs eventually became celebrities in their own right. The original five MTV VJs in 1981 were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J. J. Jackson and Martha Quinn. In 2005, this group (except for J.J. Jackson, who died in 2004) became hosts on Sirius Satellite Radio.Sirius Satellite Radio: Big \'80s
The early music videos that made up the bulk of MTV\'s programming in the 1980s were often crude promotional or concert clips from whatever sources could be found. As the popularity of the network rose, and record companies recognized the potential of the medium as a tool to gain recognition and publicity, they began to create increasingly elaborate clips specifically for the network. Several noted film directors got their start creating music videos, including Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and David Fincher.
A large number of rock bands and performers of the 1980s were made popular by MTV. Such acts ranged from new wave bands as The Police, The Cars, EurythmicsErlewine, Stephen Thomas (2000). Eurythmics - Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.,Culture ClubErlewine, Stephen Thomas (1999). Culture Club - Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.,The Fixx, Split Enz, Ultravox and Duran DuranErlewine, Stephen Thomas (2007). Duran Duran - Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. to hard rock or heavy metal bandsLane 2006, p. 126 like Van HalenErlewine, Stephen Thomas; Prato, Greg (2002). Van Halen - Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-19., RATTErlewine, Stephen Thomas; Prato, Greg (2002). Ratt - Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-19., Def LeppardErlewine, Stephen Thomas (2006). Def Leppard - Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-19., Prince, and Bon Jovi. The network also rotated the videos of "Weird Al" Yankovic, who made a career out of parodying other artists\' videos.Ankeny, Jason (2007). Weird Al Yankovic - Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
Also, MTV played some classic rock acts from the early days including David Bowie, Journey, John Mellencamp, and Hall & Oates.
The hard rock band Kiss publicly appeared without their trademark makeup for the first time on MTV in 1983. Madonna rose to fame on MTV in the 1980s. Madonna is one of the most successful video performers in MTV history, and to this day she uses MTV to market her music.
The first African-American to perform on MTV in the 1980s was Michael Jackson, as his 17-minute long music video for "Thriller" went into heavy rotation on MTV.Huey, Steve (2007). Michael Jackson - Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. According to The Austin Chronicle, Jackson\'s video for the song "Billie Jean" was "the video that broke the color barrier, even though the channel itself was responsible for erecting that barrier in the first place."Beets, Greg. "Blow Up Your Video", The Austin Chronicle, 2001-08-03. Retrieved on 2008-01-30. Jackson is often credited for putting the struggling cable channel on the map "with pioneering videos such as \'Thriller\', \'Billie Jean\' and \'Beat It\'", said ABC News."Why Are Michael Jackson\'s Fans So Devoted?", ABC News, 2005-02-23. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
In 1984 the network produced its first MTV Video Music Awards show. Seen as a fit of self-indulgence by a fledgling network at the time, the "VMAs" developed into a music-industry showcase marketed as a hip antidote to the Grammy awards. The first awards show, in 1984, was punctuated by a live performance by Madonna of Like A Virgin, which sealed the VMAs as a music awards event second to none. In 1990, Janet Jackson ripped off her top, to expose, no, not her breast, but a black bra. In 2003, the VMAs featured a Madonna-Britney Spears kiss that was widely regarded as a sort of "passing of the vanguard". In 1992, the network would add a movie award show with similar success.
MTV also created an award show for Europe after the success of the VMAs. The "MTV Europe Music Awards", or the EMAs, were created two years after the VMAs\' premier, in 1994. However, despite MTV being an American show, the EMAs are not shown live in America, nor is the full version of the awards ever shown on MTV. The edited version is usually shown, shrunk down to an hour, on MTV (around 2 weeks after the original airing in Europe), and then the full version on MTV2. At the 2007 EMAs in Munich, this caused quite a hubbub, because many European acts were edited out, and instead only American/English acts were shown. Among these acts left out were Tokio Hotel and The Bedwetters, who won huge European awards.
In 1985, Viacom bought Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, which owned MTV and Nickelodeon, renaming the company MTV Networks. Within a few years, music videos were no longer the center-piece of the programming. Conventional \'TV shows\' would soon replace VJ-format music video programming.
Before 1987, MTV featured almost exclusively music videos, but as time passed they introduced a variety of other shows. Some of these new shows, such as 120 Minutes, still featured music videos. However, many of these shows were originally intended for other channels.
In 1987, MTV introduced an after hours show, called Headbanger\'s Ball. This popular show featured heavy metal music and news regarding metal music. It was abruptly canceled, with no warning, in January 1995. It featured several hosts, notably Riki Rachtman and Adam Curry. Headbanger\'s Ball remains an iconic identifier of underground music.
In 1988, MTV debuted Yo! MTV Raps, a hip-hop/rap formatted program. The program continued until August 1995. It was renamed to simply Yo! and played for one hour from 1995 until 1999.
Non-music video programming began in the late 1980s with the introduction of a music news show The Week in Rock, which was also the beginning of MTV\'s news division, MTV News. Around this time, MTV also introduced a dance show Club MTV, a game show Remote Control, and music-based specials such as MTV Unplugged, an acoustic performance show.
These new shows would be just the beginning of new genres of shows to impact MTV. As the format of the network continued to evolve, more genres of shows began to appear. In the early 1990s, MTV debuted its first reality shows, The Real World and Road Rules.
In a continuing bid to become a more diverse network, focusing on youth and culture, as well as music, MTV introduced animated shows to its line-up in the early 1990s. The animation showcase Liquid Television (originally a BBC import, later acquired and produced by MTV) was one of the networks first programs to focus on the medium. In addition to airing original shows created specifically for MTV, the network also occasionally aired episodes of original cartoon series created by sister-station Nickelodeon (Nicktoons) in the early 1990s. MTV has a history of cartoons with mature themes, notably Beavis and Butthead, Æon Flux, Grimmy, Celebrity Deathmatch, and Daria. Although the channel has gone on to debut many other animated shows, few of MTV\'s other cartoon series have been renewed for additional seasons, regardless of their reception.
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.
On September 11, 2001, when the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center occurred, MTV (along with sister cable channel VH1) suspended all of its programming and went into a simulcast of sister network CBS\' news coverage of the events until 11:00 pm that night. The network later joined a plethora of other broadcast media that took part in a Celebrity Telethon to benefit the 9/11 victims.
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 quit calling itself Music Television. At the 2007 Video Music Awards, Justin Timberlake challenged MTV to "play more damn videos!"
In 2000, Martin Kunert and Eric Manes\'s MTV\'s Fear became the first \'scare\' based reality show and the first reality show in which contestants filmed themselves. The show ran for three seasons and spawned numerous imitations, such as Scare Tactics.
In 2002, MTV aired the very first episode of another radical reality show, The Osbournes, based on the everyday life of former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, his wife Sharon, and two of their children, Jack and Kelly. The show went on to become one of the network\'s biggest ever success stories and kick-started a musical career for Kelly Osbourne, while Sharon Osbourne went on to host a talk show on U.S. television.
In 2003, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, another popular reality TV show that follows the lives of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, a music celebrity couple, began airing. It ran for four seasons and ended in early 2005 and they later divorced. The success of Newlyweds was followed in June 2004 by The Ashlee Simpson Show, which documented the beginnings of the music career of Ashlee Simpson, Jessica Simpson\'s younger sister. In the fall of 2004, Ozzy Osbourne\'s reality show Battle for Ozzfest aired.
In 2007, MTV aired the reality show A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, chronicling MySpace sensation Tila Tequila\'s journey to find a companion. Tequila\'s bisexuality played into the series-males and female contestants were vying for love.
On August 1, 2006, MTV celebrated its 25th anniversary. On their web site, MTV.com, visitors could watch the very first hour of MTV, including airing the original promos and commercials from Mountain Dew, Atari, Chewels gum, and Jovan. Videos were also shown from The Buggles, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, and more. The introduction of the first five VJs was also shown.
Additionally, MTV.com put together a "yearbook" consisting of the greatest videos of each year from 1981-2006. Along with that, music.mtv.com offered a special online viewing of the top music video of each year since 1981. MTV itself only mentioned the anniversary once on TRL. The main highlight of the day on the channel was The Real World.
In 2005 and 2006, MTV continued its focus on reality shows, with the debuts of popular shows such as 8th & Ocean, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, Hanging With Myke Hype, NEXT, Two-A-Days, My Super Sweet 16, and Parental Control. In addition, in recent times, the channel has re-aired other programs from Viacom-owned TV networks, such as BET\'s College Hill, CW programs America\'s Next Top Model, Beauty and the GeekMTV.com - On-Air - MTV Week at a Glance, and Hidden Palms, and VH1 programs I Love New York and Flavor of Love. MTV.com - On-Air - MTV Week at a Glance Other programs from non-Viacom networks include reruns of the shows Fastlane (from FOX)MTV schedule for the week of Oct. 20, 2002 and Life As We Know It (from ABC).Life As We Know It: Natural Disasters - TV.com MTV has also begun showing movies targeted toward the teen/young adult demographic on Friday evenings, including My Boss\'s Daughter, Shaun of the Dead, and Napoleon Dynamite. The channel has also broadcast several of its own productions of its film-producing division MTV Films, such as 8 MileMTV Schedule for Jan. 13, 2007, Crossroads, Jackass: The MovieMTV Schedule for July 18, 2007, and Super Sweet 16: The Movie.
Beginning in August 2007, MTV brought viewers an "Artist Of The Week," which aired during their commercials and at the end of their shows. This feature has already included (in order) August 6-12: Team Facelift, August 13-19: Paramore, August 20-26: Rodrigo y Gabriela, August 27-September 2: Nelly Furtado, September 3-9: Mark Ronson, September 10-16: Aesop Rock, September 17-23: Minus the Bear, September 24-30: Foo Fighters, October 1-7: Chromeo, October 8-14: Rilo Kiley, October 15-21: Beastie Boys, October 22-28: Tegan and Sara, October 29-November 4: Common, November 5-11: Silversun Pickups, November 12-18: Alicia Keys, November 19-25: Kenna, November 26-December 2: M.I.A., December 3-9: Boys Like Girls, December 10-16: Against Me!, December 17-23: Wyclef Jean, December 24-30: Flyleaf, December 31-January 6: Cobra Starship, January 7-13: Kate Nash, January 14-20: Matt White, January 21-27: Keyshia Cole, January 28-February 3: The Bravery, February 4-10: Bad Brains, February 11-17: Lupe Fiasco, February 18-24: Dr. Cornel West, February 25-March 2: Janet Jackson.Breakin\' Back In The Day | Video | MTV\'s Artist of the Week 10.29.07: Common | MTV
Today, MTV\'s main source of music video programming is still 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. A hip-hop music video show, Sucker Free, also airs regularly. On most days, music video rotation continues in the early morning hours. MTV.com - On-Air - MTV Week at a Glance 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 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
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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\'s 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 that criticized MTV for these reasons was Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, with the song "MTV - Get off the Air", from the album Frankenchrist. Although it could be said that MTV simply gave airtime to the most popular acts in a given country, it is also possible that these acts became popular simply because of the exposure that MTV gave them.
Because of the quick-style editing of many music videos, such editing, when used in feature films, has come to be known as "the MTV style", even when the film in question has nothing to do with music.[citation needed]
Since its inception, critics of MTV have claimed that the channel\'s programming promotes bad behavior, including violence and recreational drug use, to the youth of America by embracing the behaviors of certain celebrities who are not good role models. Bozell, L. Brent III (2001-03-01). ‘Merchants of Cool\' Not So Hot. Mediaresearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved on 2007-07-18. Bozell, L. Brent III (2001-07-26). Snapshots of MTV at 20. Mediaresearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved on 2007-07-18. Some critics have even claimed that MTV is "pornography for children."Chronicle of a Meandering Traveller: Federal Tax Dollars Used to Produce Sex Video for Children
In 2004, MTV faced criticismBozell, L. Brent III (2004-02-03). The Super Bowl Sinkhole. Mediaresearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. in the wake of the Super Bowl XXXVIII half time show. This infamous halftime show, which was produced by MTV and shown live on CBS, featured the partial exposure of one of Janet Jackson\'s breasts after co-performer Justin Timberlake tore off part of Jackson\'s wardrobe. Afterwards, the NFL indicated that MTV would not produce future Super Bowl halftime shows or any NFL-sponsored public event.
In July 2005, MTV drew heavy criticism for their 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. MTV, VH1 to Air Live 8 Performances Uninterrupted. MTV.com. MTV News (2005-07-07). Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
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 2004Williams, Casey (2005-02-01). MTV Smut Peddlers: Targeting Kids with Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on []. and 2005.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 on [].http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/release/2005/0811.asp Consequently, the PTC launched a campaign against MTV in 2005PTC campaign against MTV, also asking advertisers to stop buying airtime on MTVBozell, L. Brent III (2004). Letter to MTV Sponsors. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-07., referring to them as "Corporate Sponsors of MTV Sleaze" and challenging them "to Defend Their Sponsorship of Teen-Targeted TV Smut".Parents Television Council (2005-03-30). "PTC Releases Top Ten Corporate Sponsors of MTV Sleaze and Challenges Companies to Defend Their Sponsorship of Teen-Targeted TV Smut". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-08-08. 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 Brent Bozell asserted that MTV claims to reflect teen culture but claims with PTC research they are actually "manufacturing" it.Bozell, L. Brent III (2005-02-04). MTV Knows No Shame. Mediaresearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved on [].
The council also described MTV\'s focus on programming over music as a "showplace of smut, being consumed by raunchy teen \'reality\' programs such as Laguna Beach, the interminable The Real World and the moronic and execrable Jackass; game shows like Yo Momma (in which contestants are rewarded for the most creative insult), and "humor" programs such as Celebrity Deathmatch, which uses Claymation techniques to portray graphic violence and gore in its depictions of various minor celebrities battling one another." Gildemeister, Christopher (2006-09-18). Cable Creeps Away from its Mission. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-28. Other out-of-network shows that have been broadcast on MTV have also been significantly criticized by the PTC; those shows include FastlanePTC List of Best and Worst Shows of 2002-2003 season, Life As We Know ItWinter, Tim (2004-10-15). PTC E-Alert. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. PTC evaluation of "Life As We Know It" Bozell, L. Brent III (2004-10-28). Teen Sex-Addict Stereotypes. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. Bowling, Aubree (2004-10-10). Life As We Know It -Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. Bowling, Aubree (2004-11-08). Life As We Know It - Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-01., America\'s Next Top ModelPTC evaluation of "America\'s Next Top Model" Bozell, L. Brent III (2004-07-08). Depressing Reality Show Sleaze. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. Bozell, L. Brent III (2006-01-05). TV\'s Ickiest Moments of 2005. Retrieved on 2007-08-01., and Hidden PalmsShirlen, Josh (2007-06-08). Worst TV Show of the Week - Hidden Palms on CW. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. Shirlen, Josh (2007-07-06). < Worst TV Show of the Week - Hidden Palms on CW. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. Additionally, MTV shows that have been named "Worst Cable Content of the Week" by PTC have included the Human GiantWhite, Keith (2007-06-02). Worst Cable Content of the Week - "Human Giant" on MTV. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-10-31., Scarred, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, 2006 MTV Movie AwardsPTC cable choice campaign page from June 14, 2006, and The X Effect.
The American Family Association has also prominently criticized MTV for its negative moral influence AFA - Boycott MTV, even going as far as to describe MTV as a "pro-sex, anti-family, pro-choice (i.e., pro-abortion), drug culture" and pro-Israel.Fancher, Bill (2004-06-14). Rock For Life Vows to Expose MTV\'s Anti-Family Agenda. afa.net. American Family Association. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. Focus on the Family, another pro-family group, has released a spoken-word CD titled Confronting the MTV Culture to persuade parents to counter the "dangerous messages" of MTV. Confronting the MTV Culture - Culture & Media - Teens - Parenting - Focus on the Family
In response to this initial criticism, since the early 1990s, MTV restructured its programming to incorporate moral behaviors that might influence their 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.ThinkMTV - Features - Alternative Spring Break 2006. MTV.com. MTV (2006-03-20). Retrieved on 2007-06-03.
However, such efforts have been criticized as ineffective because of MTV\'s focus on recreation during its spring break promotion.Bozell, L. Brent III (2006-03-16). Spring Break: Hazardous to Your Health?. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-06-03. 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 Bozell "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. Eggerton, John (2005-02-01). PTC Doesn\'t Want Its MTV. Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
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. Parents Television Council (2005-08-11). "I Want My Foul TV". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-30. 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. Parents Television Council (2005-08-16). "MTV\'s Defense of its Offensive Language is Offensive". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-10-25. 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). However, over the years, MTV has used descriptors in its programs, such as in Battle for OzzfestThe Battle for Ozzfest homepage notes that the show was routinely rated "TV-14-DL"; the show was included in PTC\'s research., Run\'s HouseWheat, Alynda (2005-10-24), "What to Watch", Entertainment Weekly: 142 The article noted that an episode of Run\'s House to air that week would be rated "TV-PG-L"., and Yo MommaYo Momma has been given "TV-14-DL" ratings.
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.So far, PTC has named 5 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. Additionally, the MTV shows Beauty and the Geek (syndicated from The CW)Parents Television Council evaluation of "Beauty and the Geek"Hipps, Jill (2005). Beauty and the Geek - Television Review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-03. , I\'m From Rolling StoneFilucci, Sierra (2007). I\'m From Rolling Stone - Television Review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-03., JuviesFilucci, Sierra (2007). MTV Juvies - Television Review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-03. MadeChaney, Elisabeth (2005). MADE - Television Review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-03., Run\'s HouseHipps, Jill (2005). "Run\'s House" Television Review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-01., The ShopMaher, Lucy (2005). The Shop - Television Review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-03., Trick It OutMaher, Lucy (2007). Trick it Out - Television Review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-03., and True LifePavao, Kate (2005). "True Life" Television Review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. have been morally praised or approved.
On the other side of the moral influence debate, MTV has also come under criticism for being too politically correct and sensitive, censoring too much of their programming. Many of MTV\'s shows were altered or removed from the channel\'s schedule. Additionally, many music videos aired on the channel were censored, moved to late-night rotation, or banned entirely from the channel.
MTV has a long history of promoting social, political, and environmental activism in young people.
In 1992, MTV started a pro-democracy campaign called Choose or Lose, to encourage up to 20 million people to register to vote, and hosted a town hall forum for Bill Clinton.MTV\'s traveling "Choose or Lose" vehicle brings politics. Salon. http://www.salon.com/media/media960923.html In the 1990s and early 2000s, MTV promoted annual campaigns known as Fight For Your Rights, with the slogan "Speak Out/Stand Up Against Violence", to bring forth awareness on America\'s crime, drugs and violence issues.
On April 6, 2001, MTV voluntarily ceased regular programming for 24 hours as part of the year\'s hate crimes awareness campaign. On that night, MTV aired a made-for-TV movie Anatomy of a Hate Crime, based on a true story of the 1998 murder of 21-year old Matthew Shepard, a gay college student. After the film and a discussion, MTV went dark and showed names of hate crime victims.
MTV also aired a documentary covering a trip by the punk rock band Sum 41 to the Democratic Republic of Congo, documenting the conflict there. The group ended up being caught in the midst of an attack outside of the hotel and were subsequently flown out of the country."Rocked: Sum 41 in Congo" War Child Canada. 2001–2006.
In recent years, other politically diverse programs on MTV have included True Life, which documents people\'s lives and problems, and MTV News specials, which center on very current events in both the music industry and the world. One special show covered the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, airing programs focused on the issues and opinions of young people, including a program where viewers could ask questions of Senator John Kerry.Sherman, Tom, "The Real Story of the Youth Vote in the 2004 Election." Underscorebleach.net, 2004-11-04. Retrieved on 2006-04-14. MTV worked with P. Diddy\'s "Vote or Die" campaign, designed to encourage young people to vote.Vargas, Jose Antonio, "Vote or Die? Well, They Did Vote." Washingtonpost.com, 2004-11-09. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
MTV\'s most recent activism campaign is think MTV, which discusses current political issues such as same-sex marriage, U.S. elections, and war in other countries. The slogan of the program is "Reflect. Decide. Do." As part of think MTV, the channel also airs a series of pro-environmental ads called Break The Addiction, as a way of encouraging their viewers to find ways to use less fossil fuels and energy.
In 1985, MTV saw the introduction of its first true sister channel, VH1, short for Video Hits One. Today, MTV Networks still operates VH1, which is aimed at celebrity and popular culture programming, as well as CMT, which targets the country music market.
The advent of satellite television and digital cable brought MTV greater channel diversity, including its current sisters channels MTV2 and MTV Tr3s, which initially played 24/7 music videos and now focuses on other music-related programming. Two additional channels, MTV Hits and MTV Jams, play music videos exclusively. MTV also broadcasts mtvU, a college-oriented channel on campus at various universities.
Recently, MTV Networks launched MHD (Music: High Definition), a high definition channel that features programming from all three of the major music-themed channels owned by MTV Networks: MTV, VH1, and CMT.
In 2005 and 2006, MTV launched a series of channels for Asian Americans. The first channel was MTV Desi, launched in July 2005, dedicated toward South-Asian Americans. Next was MTV Chi, in December 2005, which catered to Chinese Americans. The third was MTV K, launched on June 27, 2006, and targeted toward Korean Americans. Each of these channels featured music videos and shows from MTV\'s international affiliates as well as original U.S. programming, promos, and packaging. All three of these channels ceased broadcasting on April 30, 2007.
MTV.com, the official website of MTV, expands on the channel\'s broadcasts by bringing additional content to its viewers. The site\'s notable features include an online version of MTV News, podcasts, and a video streaming service supported by commercials. There are also movie features, profiles and interviews with recording artists and even clips from MTV television programs. In 2006, MTV.com went through a massive change, transforming the entire site into a video-based entity, in the style of the former MTV Overdrive service. In 2007, MTV.com reverted to a traditional HTML-based web site design.
MTV (UK) operates 16 channels solely in the United Kingdom. MTV Networks and Viacom have launched numerous native-language MTV-branded music channels to countries worldwide. These channels include, but are not limited to, MTV Greece, MTV Canada, MTV Ireland, MTV Russia, MTV Spain, MTV Austria, MTV France, MTV Germany, MTV Europe, MTV Portugal, MTV Adria, MTV Hungary, MTV Denmark, MTV Finland, MTV Italy, MTV Netherlands, MTV Norway, MTV Poland, MTV Arabia, MTV Romania, MTV Lithuania, MTV Latvia, MTV Estonia, MTV Sweden, MTV Asia, MTV Japan, MTV Indonesia, MTV China, MTV Korea, M
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