MTV Video Music Awards

[Woops]

Though like majority of other awards shows, it's another popularity contest and noticeable for celebrities to make bigger fools of themselves (more or less as usual).


Personally, they're OK, though should've been dropped by the late '90's since the network doesn't even focus on music anymore. Also their nominations have always been very hit & miss considering glaring omissions and and obivious favoritism the network had at the time. Also it's now mostly based on voting for several years now (yeah, "Viewers' Choice" dropped).




Favorite "Video of the Year" winners

close second: The Cars "You Might Think" (1984)


5. Dire Straits "Money For Nothing" (1986)

Early computer graphics featuring two department store workers moving appliances and featured the famous "MTV" logo (ironically, the song was about the anti-establishment).  Honestly a-ha "Take On Me" has aged better, which was also nominated for 'Video of the Year' that year. (though won 6 awards itself and two more for another).

4. INXS "Need You Tonight/Mediate" (1988)

One of my favorites, which starts off with the cover of "Kick" coming to life with many photocopy images of the band. The "Mediate" portion payed homage to Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues". Good video, though mostly due to seeing it on '80's retrospects in the 1990's.



3. TLC "Waterfalls" (1995)

Great special effects, which the singers morphing was similar to "The Abyss", and an important message of avoiding crossing the wrong path.


2. Neil Young "This Note's For You" (1989)

Perhaps the only nomination/winner for a video from the awards that was banned due to product placements, which poked fun at celebrity endorsements from Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and the often spoofed Calvin Klein ads. While the song's OK, the video is among the funniest.


1. Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer" (1987)

As of now, it hold the record of winning the most awards (9) in a single year. The creative stop motion clip was very innovative. Plus, there's probably weren't any videos with poultry dancing randomly.


As for performances, there's several from Madonna's infamous "Like A Virgin" from 1984, Bon Jovi's acoustic rendition of "Livin' On A Prayer/Wanted Dead Or Alive" in 1989, Paula Abdul "Straight Up/Cold Hearted/Forever Your Girl" from 1989 and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers' "Give It Away" from 1992.

[Out of the Blue]

That show changed a lot from the first one in 1984 to the shows of the early 90s.  In the 90s it started to become more than a little suspect.  When it started out it was more or less legitimate but as time went on it started losing that.  I wouldn't be surprised if they have the cast of "Jersey Shore" host it.

[Woops]

Wait, seriously?!?!   

source

VMA ratings: Biggest MTV audience ever
by James Hibberd

Lady Gaga is going to have to host the show next year to top this. MTV’s annual Video Music Awards just scored its biggest audience ever last night — 12.4 million viewers.

Not only are those record-setting numbers for the VMAs, but last night’s show was also the most-watched single telecast in MTV’s history. The viewership is up 9 percent from last year’s show and stands as the most-watched non-sports cable telecast of the year

MTV's history? Isn't that a tad exaggerating? Then again, this is the same network that doesn't even acknowledge it's own anniversary. Yet alone air mainly reality shows.

[Out of the Blue]

I think somebody fudged the numbers on this one.  Even if it was the highest rated show in MTV history that's not saying much and maybe it's the proof to MTV that people still care about music more than contrived "reality" shows.

[Woops]

source

MTV says its annual show honoring the top music videos attracted 12.4 million viewers Sunday night, a nine percent growth from last year and a network record - at least since 1993, when Nielsen and MTV began keeping viewership records.

Since 1993, when the Nielsen & MTV (supposedly)  began keeping viewership records...though I recall a 1988 NY Times article that talked about MTV's ratings and rise of programmings from music based/genre specific programs (ie "Yo! MTV Raps", "Headbangers Ball", "Club MTV") to experimentation with game shows and such (ie "Remote Control", "House of Style", "Liquid Television").



source

Now MTV is undergoing a fundamental transformation, embracing many of the philosophies and program types of traditional commercial television. To be sure, the network will still center on music videos, and their frenetic images will still influence television and Hollywood. But MTV has also introduced a half-hour dance show and a game show, and in the coming months it will try its hand at two staples of mainstream television, a critics' review show and a late-night talk show, a sort of ''Tonight Show'' for TV babies.

Prompting all this change are economic factors straight from the world of traditional commercial television - pressure to maintain revenue growth and to increase ratings, which at MTV dropped significantly three years ago and have remained roughly constant since.

The talk show mentioned sounds like the  short lived "Mouth to Mouth", which I can't find much info besides a few YouTube clips. The "Critic's Review Show" very much could've been "The Big Picture".

Prompting all this change are economic factors straight from the world of traditional commercial television - pressure to maintain revenue growth and to increase ratings, which at MTV dropped significantly three years ago and have remained roughly constant since.

While it may appear jarring in retrospect, there was competition from  adult contemporary VH1, TBS music block "Night Tracks", USA "Night Flight", and UHF/local channels that aired music videos such as U68 in New York.  Honestly, don't think a music channel would work with just random music videos 24/7.

But in moving away, even slightly, from its music programming, MTV risks alienating its core audience

So true. Especially with a certain show that made it's debut in 1992 that signaled the beginning of the end for the channel.

Also it went from a wide variety to just rap, R&B, and alternative.

[Out of the Blue]

I was a part of MTV's original audience and they alienated me 20 years ago.