Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Maybe they should go back to, well, playing music?

As MTV approaches its 30th anniversary this year, the once iconic channel has long since changed its programming schematic, mostly for the worse. There are no more VJ's, not much time is given to music videos, and the schedule is largely made up of reality shows and movies.

Inevitably, sooner or later, the idiots in charge would slip and get themselves in hot water with the usual rabble-rousing watchdogs with nothing better to do than whine and complain in the name of morality. Case in point: MTV's new Monday night soap, Skins, based on a British program of the same name, has become the latest target of the Parents Television Council (PTC), which is raising complaints about the content of the show, which they say promotes drug use, alcohol use, and, of course, sex, among teenagers. Worse, the PTC claims some of the show's cast are under 18, and shouldn't be in this position, so add child labor/pornography issues to the list of complaints.

Predictably, the PTC has called on advertisers to boycott the show, and so far, 5 have, including Taco Bell & Subway. If Skins aired after 11 pm (ET), maybe it's not such a problem, but it is airing at 10 (ET), opposite such shows as Hawaii Five-O and WWE Monday Night Raw, which means it already has an uphill climb in the ratings as it is. The PTC maintains that children who should be in bed by 10 are watching the show with their parents and/or older siblings, demonstrating the lax discipline that has been one of society's ills in recent years.

Personally, I don't give a rat's butt, since I watch Raw, and have no interest in what I now refer to as "Empty-V". They're better served doing everyone a favor and moving Skins either to a later time, or to sister network Logo, which, in this writer's opinion, would be a better location. Then, MTV can finally start preparing for its 30th anniversary by doing the right thing for their viewers and going back to what brought them to the dance in the first place. Let the music play!

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