Once Dave passes out after a few too many drinks, his friend Mike dresses him up in women’s clothing. Mike takes pictures and posts them on the Internet.
What does Dave do to seek revenge? He calls up Ryan Dunn.
Welcome to the world of MTV. The new show “Homewrecker” is hosted by Dunn, who became famous after appearing on the MTV shows “Jackass” and “Viva La Bam.” Dunn helps friends get revenge by redecorating rooms in a notorious fashion. Mike’s room gets turned into a spa, complete with a woman getting her corns removed and a man relaxing in a mud bath.
The picture leaves MTV viewers wondering where the music went.
MTV was launched in August 1981 by Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment Company, when creators thought music videos would be a low-cost form of advertising for record companies. The network started out with continuous showings of videos, differing from other networks that focused on half-hour or hourlong programs.
The network started out by airing “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. Indeed, MTV transformed the music industry by changing the way music stars were born. The three-minute clips helped mold the popularity of Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince. The network even employed video jockeys, or VJs, taking on the likes of radio disc jockeys.
When Viacom bought MTV in 1985, the network showed a narrow range of rock and pop, but soon branched out to other genres, such as heavy metal with “Headbangers’ Ball” and rap with “Yo! MTV Raps.”
In 1985 MTV launched VH1, a station similar in format that kept its focus on soft rock. Soon international MTV spin-offs started in Europe and Asia while MTV began to air news, sports, sitcoms, documentaries, cartoons, game shows and reality TV shows.
Viewers today are lucky to catch any music videos at all on MTV. The best bet is Total Request Live, which airs clips less than 30 seconds long and has viewers requesting songs while the video plays.
MTV isn’t too worried about the music – it’s all about the money. The network has a tough time sticking to its initial devotion to music as it must cook up something new each season in order to attract the elusive 12-to-34-year-old market.
“It’s difficult for MTV to target the teen market, which is very fluid,”
Horizon Media Senior Vice President of Research Brad Adgate said in May. “Once something becomes too popular, it goes out of vogue with teens. MTV always has to reinvent a new programming genre.”
MTV has continued to recreate and recycle old shows by replacing them with similar shows and characters. “Homewrecker” came from “Viva La Bam,” which came from “Jackass,” which came from “The Tom Green Show.” Examples that stretch further into MTV history include dating shows from “Singled Out” to “NEXT” and makeover shows from “Becoming” to “MADE.”
More recently, reality shows revolving around celebrities and their families bombarded the network with shows like “The Osbournes,” “Newlyweds,” “The Ashlee Simpson Show” and “Meet The Barkers.”
Complaints concerning MTV’s lack of music videos began in the mid-1990s and continue into the 21st Century as MTV shifts even further away from music. “Beavis and Butthead” in the ’90s at least played videos like Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” while the duo offered their asinine commentary.
While MTV has abandoned its original mission, the question is: Does it really matter?
The approach has worked as MTV has become one of the most profitable networks in television and is one of the few mediums to reach young audiences (the average MTV viewer is 20). Viewers – 87 million to be exact – have proved they want mindless television. “Real World: Las Vegas,” anyone?
However, for those who want music, options exist. Launched just two years ago, Fuse TV came out with the goal of playing “more music, less crappy TV” – an obvious bash against MTV. Fuse, which is not currently available on basic cable, now has 37 million viewers.
MTV has launched its own series of offshoot networks like MTV2 – the real competition for Fuse – that focus more on music videos and music-related shows.
If MTV suddenly played a variety of music videos all the time, viewers and bands would still find time to complain. Being played on MTV means a band or singer has achieved the ultimate conquest in reaching stardom. Would bands in certain genres such as punk really want to be on MTV? (Cough, cough, Green Day.)
The future does not look bright. MTV’s Web site includes casting calls for “Room Raiders” and for new shows asking: “Is it your dream to be a beauty queen?” or, “Guys, do your friends think your sister is beyond hot?”
Viewers will have to turn to other sources such as Fuse for music videos. Music fans can also turn to other mediums for music videos such as the Internet, with sites like MySpace, and MP3 players, with the newest iPod capable of storing up to 150 hours of video.
These technologies will prove what MTV did in the ’80s and ’90s: Music stars can be born in new ways thanks to new mediums.
While the complaints will continue over MTV, it will continue to evolve into a less music-oriented network that should take the “Music” part out of their title.
But, ah, who cares? Just be a good viewer and watch Dunn turn someone’s room into a sweaty locker room.

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