It wasn't just Gen Xers and Millennials who have fond memories of MTV. Some of us who are part of the tail end of the Baby Boom also do -- MTV launched shortly after I started college and it was available on our local cable system within a year of its launch. I have very fond memories of the excitement of watching those early music videos on MTV, and also on Nite Flight (on USA).
After I graduated college, I watched MTV less but I still did tune in for the music videos from time to time. And I remember the first season of "The Real World" -- and in retrospect, I agree that it marked the beginning of the end for MTV in the same sense that the launch of the Fox Network marked the end of independent broadcast TV stations.
Out of curiosity, I looked at the MTV schedule and see that they are running those reruns of "Ridiculousness" for at least 50 or 60 hours per week. I find it hard to believe that can be attracting much of an audience. Frankly, if they went back to showing old music videos from the 80s and 90s, I can't imagine that the audience would be any smaller. But better yet would just be killing it off completely. Looking at that schedule made me think of the last time I walked into a Sears store -- you see something that is still being kept alive but just needs to be put out of its misery.
There are always replacements and changes as time goes on. When MTV started, Social Media was in its infancy and none of the music and video streaming services had yet to appear. No longer are people (especially young) tied to a cable or satellite delivery system and the "home box" to enjoy far more than MTV ever thought of providing. Online entities such as MySpace and AOL have likewise faded into history. We keep moving forward, yet we can keep our memories.
I was never. fan of videos or MTV, but it's really sad that it's just about gone. And there were some videos I liked a lot, everything. from Cannonball by The brewers to Sleater-Kinney's You're No Rock And Roll Fun. Somewhat RIP.
It wasn't just Gen Xers and Millennials who have fond memories of MTV. Some of us who are part of the tail end of the Baby Boom also do -- MTV launched shortly after I started college and it was available on our local cable system within a year of its launch. I have very fond memories of the excitement of watching those early music videos on MTV, and also on Nite Flight (on USA).
After I graduated college, I watched MTV less but I still did tune in for the music videos from time to time. And I remember the first season of "The Real World" -- and in retrospect, I agree that it marked the beginning of the end for MTV in the same sense that the launch of the Fox Network marked the end of independent broadcast TV stations.
Out of curiosity, I looked at the MTV schedule and see that they are running those reruns of "Ridiculousness" for at least 50 or 60 hours per week. I find it hard to believe that can be attracting much of an audience. Frankly, if they went back to showing old music videos from the 80s and 90s, I can't imagine that the audience would be any smaller. But better yet would just be killing it off completely. Looking at that schedule made me think of the last time I walked into a Sears store -- you see something that is still being kept alive but just needs to be put out of its misery.
Somewhere in my past there was a "I Want My MTV" T-shirt, and I'm a Boomer. I loved 80's pop and rock.
There are always replacements and changes as time goes on. When MTV started, Social Media was in its infancy and none of the music and video streaming services had yet to appear. No longer are people (especially young) tied to a cable or satellite delivery system and the "home box" to enjoy far more than MTV ever thought of providing. Online entities such as MySpace and AOL have likewise faded into history. We keep moving forward, yet we can keep our memories.
I was never. fan of videos or MTV, but it's really sad that it's just about gone. And there were some videos I liked a lot, everything. from Cannonball by The brewers to Sleater-Kinney's You're No Rock And Roll Fun. Somewhat RIP.