Feb 18 WHAT DOES THE 'M' IN MTV STAND FOR?

Feb 18
WHAT DOES THE ‘M’ IN MTV STAND FOR?

This week, an important news item was carefully kept out of mass circulation: the unveiling of MTV’s new logo. You’re asking yourself: Why would MTV ever stray away from publicity? They never have in the past! Well, perhaps MTV is worried you might notice the slight difference between the old and new logos: The new one is missing the words: “MUSIC TELEVISION.”

On one hand, one must congratulate MTV for at least admitting they don’t play any music anymore. The only music you’ll hear is in background at the bar when J-Woww and Snooki (did I spell those right?) are fighting on ‘Jersey Shore.’ So in this respect, bravo, MTV!! The once MUSIC network is now the MORON network. But for many of us, this random February day in 2010 will be a television milestone. Especially for those of us who remember the ‘launch’ of MTV back in 1981. After junior high school, we would scramble to whichever friend’s house had cable TV. We’d watch our beloved VJ’s Martha Quinn and J.J. Jackson. We’d anxiously count down the days for the release of new Michael Jackson and Duran Duran video. For us, MTV was the coolest channel EVER.

The problem is that MTV will always try to be the coolest network of teens. Hence, it is forced to keep up with the times. Ten years ago, it was Beevus and Butthead who pulled in the viewers. Before that it was Pauly Shore and a host of other semi-rebellious hosts that held sway in the teen ratings. And today, music videos are in realm of You-Tube and I-tunes. Television is the home of raunchy reality shows.

Perhaps the best sign that MTV cared desperately for its teen demographic came a couple of years ago, when the network turned 25 years old. MTV barely celebrated and also did its best to keep the item out of mass media circulation. No concerts or countdowns or anything. Why?

Because every teen knows that being twenty-five is…like…soooo OLD!!