25 Years of MTV

[This article was originally published in August to mark MTV's 25th anniversary.]


August, 1981. Reagan’s presidency was just hitting stride. NASA’s new space shuttle program wowed the world. And cable TV brought a new sensation into American homes: a 24-hour channel featuring video clips of pop and rock music stars performing their songs, plus news items from the popular music world. It was called “Music Television,” better known by its acronym: MTV.

MTV was an instant success. Youngsters all over America clamored for it, and soon it was part of every basic cable package in the country. I was just entering my teen years, a huge music fan. To me and my junior high school friends, MTV was the greatest thing since the microwave oven. Lots of our parents, however, thought it was a tool of the devil.

As it turns out, our parents were right.

August, 2006. MTV has now been part of American culture for 25 years. It has redefined the music industry, spawned an entire category of TV channels (think VH1, CMT, BET, etc.), and made household words of names like Sting, Prince, Madonna, Bono, and Eminem. According to Nielsen Media Research, MTV is the most recognized network among people ages 12 to 34. About 75% of teenagers watch MTV, consuming an average of more than six hours every week.

MTV has changed a lot over the past quarter-century. As its popularity grew during the ’80s and ’90s, the network added more feature programming to its lineup. And the focus of that programming slowly shifted from music to lifestyles and social issues. Eventually the fare included game shows, talk shows, documentaries, cartoons, political interviews, dramas, sitcoms, and even the original “reality” show, The Real World, now in its 17th season. Today barely half of MTV’s air time has anything to do with music.

As the content evolved, so did its emphasis. Clear­ly, today’s MTV aims not just to entertain kids, but to shape their view of the world. And that’s the problem. Because the world view that MTV pushes is one where rebellion, obscenity, alcohol/drug use, and unrestrained sex are all normal and good. Where such behavior should be not just tolerated, but encouraged; not just encouraged, but celebrated.

In 2004, researchers with the Parents’ Television Council studied MTV’s programming during just one week — 171 hours total. They found that MTV’s levels of sexuality, profanity, and violence (day or night) were far higher than those of prime-time network TV (the 9-11 pm slot). For instance, an average hour of MTV contained nearly twice as many sexual scenes (sex, various forms of nudity, and/or verbal sexual dialogue) and more than four times as many instances of profanity (“bleeped” or otherwise) as the 10 o’clock hour on broadcast networks. Remember, most 10 o’clock network shows are aimed at adults; MTV is aimed at kids.

There’s more — you can read the entire PTC report at www.parentstv.org — but I trust you get the idea. This is what three-fourths of America’s teens watch for nearly an hour every day.

And if you believe this barrage of coarseness and sensuality doesn’t affect the way young people think, wake up. According to the PTC report, “research shows that watching MTV changes the attitudes and perceptions of young viewers.” For instance, one study found that “seventh and ninth graders were more likely to approve of premarital sex after watch­ing MTV for one hour.” One hour?

I know some younger readers will think I’m getting worked up over nothing. I know some parents will think I must be exaggerating. But the facts speak for themselves. I’d tell you to watch MTV for a few hours and see for yourself, but I really can’t do that in good conscience. If you do, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Young Christian, what’s your standard going to be for deciding how to dress, talk, think, and act: MTV or the word of God? Take the pledge of David: “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes” (Psalm 101:3)? Follow Paul’s instruction: “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, what­ever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Christian parent, what will you do? Will you stand by and let your kids become victims of the MTV mind set, or will you get involved and point them to a better way?