Music Television: Modern Phenomenon or Passing Fad? Essay -- Media Mus

Music Television: Modern Phenomenon or Passing Fad?    Dr. Pitton’s Comments: This student was asked in this essay to write about the causes of a modern phenomena. In active prose, she did an excellent job both of detailing the popularity of music television in today's society and offering a variety of creative and innovative reasons for this effect.    MTV promotes a romanticized teen lifestyle, reflecting the images of famous artists that differ with the realities of the â€Å"Generation X† lifestyle. While some view the station as â€Å"illustrated radio† or an entertainment network for viewers’ pleasure, others more accurately consider it as an advertising enterprise that endorses products and promotes attitudes (O’Neil 12). Whether or not MTV critics agree with these â€Å"messages† that, the network sends out, it has become a huge franchise generating large profits and great popularity. MTV’s entertainment, commercialism, and messages satisfy and influence many types of viewers, giving us, the viewing audience, a better understanding of the immense popularity of Music Television (MTV). As the entertainment mogul, MTV jumpstarted careers and dictated nearly every move in pop-culture. Its â€Å"children† range from Madonna to Britney Spears. With 1988’s â€Å"Yo! MTV Raps,† it brought hip-hop into the mainstream; with 1992’s â€Å"The Real World,† it laid the groundwork for reality television. By the mid-80’s, as group of competitors enticed MTV’s young audience, the network reinvented itself. The anchor in 1987 was the pop-trivia show â€Å"Remote Control.† Even with all the shows that have stemmed out of MTV, their music videos are still a major priority. Commercialism is as showing too much regard for pro... ...ie Allen says, â€Å"MTV made us look at the sound of music† (83). Works Cited Allen, Bonnie. â€Å"The 1980’s.† Essence Dec. 1989: 82-84 Daspin, Eileen. â€Å"Davis Horowitz: I Want My MTV† Management Review Oct.1985: 19-20. Denisoff, R. Serge. Inside MTV. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1989. Dupler, Steven. â€Å"New MTV Prez: No Big Changes Planned At Channel.† Billboard 27 May 1989: 55. Hamerlinck, John. â€Å"MTV and Morality.† The Humanist Jan./Feb. 1995: 43. Hedegaard, Erik. â€Å"New MTV Channel Aims For Older Audience.† Rolling Stone 11 Oct. 1984: 38. Newman, Melinda. â€Å"MTV Spreads The News.† Billboard 18 Feb. 1989: 55. ---. â€Å"MTV Taking A Harder Look At Vids?† Billboard 18 Nov. 1989: 1. Smith, Glenn. â€Å"MTV Parlors.’ Popular in Taiwan.† Billboard 16Sep. 1989: 63. â€Å"Viacom Buys MTV.† Fortune 30 Sep. 1985:10-11.