MTV's Music Programming Ignoring Stylistic Boundaries

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Sep 10, 2099 Source: The Baltimore Sun Submitted By: Video Music Award contenders reflect diversity J.D. Considine, The Baltimore Sun Thursday, September 9, 1999 There's no common musical thread between the Backstreet Boys' clean-scrubbed, heavily choreographed teen pop and Korn's crunchy, attitudinal hard rock. Nor does Lauryn Hill's sophisticated, socially aware R&B bear much resemblance to Will Smith's brash-and-catchy hip-hop or to the slick, razzle-dazzle sound of Ricky Martin's hits. Yet all five are contenders for best video of the year at MTV's Video Music Awards show at 8 p.m. Thursday. That MTV's ballot for the best in music video would draw from such a wide range of music says much about the channel's strengths. At a time when radio is clinging desperately to musical formats that seem to grow narrower with each passing week, MTV is mixing it up with little regard for stylistic boundaries. The music channel's play list has room for the soulful pop of Mariah Carey's ``Heartbreaker,'' the boogie-guitar- driven rap of Kid Rock's ``Cowboy,'' the Latin pop of Enrique Iglesias' ``Bailmos'' and the funky alt-rock of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' ``Scar Tissue'' -- and that's just in the Top 10. It doesn't matter if an act is as famous as Santana or as unknown as Bif Naked -- if MTV's programmers think their audience might be interested, the band gets played. And the amazing thing is that it works, a point driven home daily by the jumble of pop styles presented on ``Total Request Live,'' a show in which MTV's viewers decide what videos get shown. ``I tell you, some people shake their heads and go, `Man, I don't get this,' '' says Tom Calderone, MTV's senior vice president for music and talent programming. Indeed, there are older viewers and music-business types who are baffled by the way a show like ``Total Request Live'' can leap from nasty Limp Bizkit to the sweet teen pop of Christina Aguilera without missing a beat. But the kids at home understand. ``I think, for the state of music right now, (the show) has exposed so many genres of music,'' says Calderone. As a result, he adds, viewers ``don't feel that everything is put into nice little tightly wrapped boxes. And that is such a plus for us now, that on `Total Request Live' you can have Kid Rock, the Backstreet Boys, Korn and Jay-Z all on the same show. And it's all being requested by people who love music. ``I'm just so excited by the musical climate for the channel right now. And it really isn't represented in any other media, other than here, and that gives us a certain advantage.'' Especially in the ratings. Right now, MTV is reaching more viewers than at any time in its 18-year history. For the last two quarters, the channel has been No. 1 on cable with viewers between the ages of 12 and 34, and is holding that lead through the third quarter -- a demographic advantage that puts MTV well ahead of such cable outlets as USA, TNT and CNN. The depth of that audience's enthusiasm can be seen on a daily basis in Manhattan's Times Square, where dozens -- sometimes hundreds -- of young people congregate outside MTV's offices in hopes of being caught on camera during MTV's broadcast of ``Total Request Live.'' Getting that kind of on-the-streets craziness was the whole idea, says MTV President Judy McGrath. ``We pretty much decided to make `TRL' as lively and live as we could,'' she says. ``Go after the audience who really loves the current music and will call (to make requests).'' Changing the look and feel of ``Total Request Live'' was part of a channel-wide makeover aimed at sharpening and enlivening MTV's programming. ``We really tried to change the channel up, play to the audience that was available . . . and really sell the music,'' says McGrath. In essence, MTV wanted to put the focus on its two greatest assets: Music, and music fans. But rather than program the channel based on assumptions about what ``the kids'' wanted, MTV went to its audience directly, encouraging them to call ``Total Request Live,'' featuring them heavily in shows like dance-oriented ``Global Groove'' or the an nual ``Spring Break'' specials, and doing audience-level programming like ``Fanatic,'' in which fans get to interview the stars. For MTV, risk is good -- especially when celebrities are involved. That's why shows like the Video Music Awards are ratings bonanzas for the channel. ``For the VMAs, there's got to be a sense of danger,'' says Calderone. ``There's got to be a sense of `What are they going to do?' We challenge ourselves internally to make sure we come up with those moments, so people talk about the show not only the next day, but for weeks on end.'' Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: markus http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Submitted by: cheap oem software zBQ9cm Hello! Read the pages not for the first day. Yes, the connection speed is not good. How can I subscribe? I would like to read you in the future!... Comment on this item. Next Item: 'N Sync Joins Britney, Backstreet Boys At Jive Prev Item: Seattle Backstreet Boys Ticket Promtion Turns Ugly