Strategic Weaknesses:
The constant reruns of outdated shows are holding MTV back. Also, the lack of the musical entertainment offered by Music Television does not bode well for MTV. This is huge departure from it’s original core competencies. They once excelled in putting new bands on display, but in recent years has shown no support for grassroots music. They are often following behind the trends and successes of other shows on different networks, giving them a disadvantage to building an invested viewer base. The increase in reality television shows has turned away some viewers who are more interested in scripted shows with a continuous plot. Shows like Teen Wolf and Scream have a strong, dedicated fan base. The viewers will tune in to MTV
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Group: Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO, YouTube, E!, Oxygen, Freeform
Moderator: What do you like about those?
Group: Recommendations, pick what you want, money (free), convenient, personalization of playlists, all types of music
Moderator: How do you perceive those channels of entertainment?
Group: Netflix offers everything, not just one in particular, likes Freeform and acting is good x2, does not like reality channels
Moderator: What are they doing better than MTV?f
Group: Acting is 110% better, no diversity/variety on MTV, quality of shows is much higher on Netflix, some reality channels were pre-established, but since MTV switched, it lost it’s audience
Moderator: Why did you stop watching
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Didn’t want to keep up with it, couldn’t watch b/c too inappropriate
Moderator: What would you like to change about MTV?
Group: Bringing back music shows, TRLs, top 20 countdown, bring back music atmosphere, offer diversification with a broader audience, better quality shows with better acting, accessibility of shows b/c current online wait time
Appendix 2: Outline of Focus Group
1. Warm up/introduction to focus group
Fill in the blank (sentences) exercise.
Have you heard of MTV?
Have you watched MTV in the past?
Do you currently like to watch MTV? If so, how much?
What words do you associate with MTV?
If MTV was an animal, what would it be? Why?
If MTV was a person, what kind of personality would he/she have? Explain.
2. Topic discussion:
What shows/types do you watch?
On what platform/media do you watch your shows?
Are you a fan of music? What genres? Where do you listen to your music?
Who are MTV’s biggest threats/competition?
What do you like about those?
How do you perceive those channels of entertainment?
What are they doing better than MTV?
Why did you stop watching MTV?
What would you like to change about MTV?
Do you like our idea? What do you like about it?
3. Wrap-up and final thoughts:
Summarize
Review
Sipple, L. (2011). The appeal of reality television for teen and pre-teen audiences. Journal of
Banks, Jack. Monopoly Television: MTV's Quest to Control the Music. (Colorado: Westview, 1996), p. 34.
It would be hard for one to dispute the fact that MTV has influenced every pop culture trend since its birth in 1981. One could even say that MTV is pop culture. No other media network holds in the palm of its hand the power to control popular cultural evolution the way MTV does. What other media network has influenced and helped shape public opinion, filmmaking, newsgathering techniques, presidential politics, and world politics like MTV has? In addition to that, MTV can take credit for reconstructing the music industry (Rushkoff 126). One would be hard pressed to find a person who does not enjoy some type of music. Thus, "Music" television was built on a foundation that was virtually united by the whole world, and its popularity was inevitable. MTV chose popular music as its beating heart, instead of classical music or jazz. Young people around the country could now see their favorite music icons 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a result, the young people of America were given a national/international platform to share their common voice, a voice that to this day wants to be heard. Since MTV has such a large hand in shaping the young minds of today, it is important that both parents and children are aware of the impact MTV has in their daily lives.
Historically, MTV was created and first aired on television August 1, 1981. The first words spoken on the hit series were by one of MTV’s creators, John Lack: “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll. Because the network initially began as a program in which video jockeys aired free music videos, the first ever video to be shown was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. A few years later on September 14, 1984, MTV hosted its first ever Video Music Awards. Today, this awards show dominates all top social media, and is one of the main reasons that the network currently exists. Cyndi Lauper and Madonna were the first two “famous” recording artists to appear on the awards show. Gaining immediate viewers from nearly all of the households in New Jersey, record companies started to open their eyes to the idea that MTV could potentially revolutionize and generate more money than ever off of the music videos that were aired. As the idea that MTV was promoting through these music videos became more popul...
Smith, S. L. (2005). From Dr. Dre to dismissed: Assessing violence, sex, and substance use on MTV. Critical
boundaries, which meant that no one knew how MTV would impact artists' careers or just
MTV single handedly created stars, who may never have gotten the chance without the advent of music video. A prime example of this is Madonna. I dare not infer Madonna is not talented, however it is her image more than her voice that sells albums. Throughout the years we have seen Madonna in all different stages. She constantly re-invents herself. From the material girl to the material mom, Madonna has perfected the use of music video and marketing. Without MTV she may never have attained the success she enjoys.
Sommers-Flanagan, R., Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Davis, B. (1993). What’s happening on music television: A gender role content analysis. Women and Health (Vol.18 Is.4, p. 45–53)
When the documentary was produced, media exposure was limited to private and expensive mediums such as television, movies and radio. These outlets were plagued with marketing agendas designed to sell products under the guise of authentic music and entertainment. Formerly non-existent cultural archetypes such as the boy band, pop diva, and gothic artist were created and promoted by corporations with the intent to profit from their fame. This systematic fabrication of teenage culture was achieved through the monopolization of popular media by people and companies with money. This created a narrow and one-dimensional mainstream cultural media, limiting the prefere...
It shows everything from the insecurities a person possess to their social conflicts and sexual habits and deviations. The sexual habits that are put on display for the world are seen by these young audiences. MTV is marketed to twelve to thirty-four year olds with the majority of the audience being fourteen to seventeen years old. In Chozick’s article, it is said that MTV “sheds it’s skin” every now and then in an attempt to keep up with the times and market to the new viewers within their target audience age range. This is why some shows end or are cancelled and they get replaced by shows with a completely different concept.
The celebrity gossip industry has affected our assumptions about entertainment. Usually, we assume that entertainment is just for fun, entertainment is only a reflection of our culture, and entertainment is a personal choice. Nowadays, entertainment is not just for fun. Celebrities entertain us in many ways, but sometimes we do not enjoy what they do yet we still watch them. For instance, many teen idols have had meltdowns. Although it is not fun to...
Reality television has been around since 1948. Over the past decade, reality TV has seen a dramatic rise in popularity. Today, you can turn on the television and there is a chance that a reality TV show will be on. Reality television is a big part of American’s lives today. There are reality shows starting from relationships, drama, entertainment, to cooking, fitness, sports, and many more. According to a recent study by the Girl Scouts Institute, “Forty-seven percent of girls and young women say they are regular viewers, with thirty percent saying they sometimes watch it." It also reports, “eighty-six percent believe these shows often put girls against each other to make the shows more exciting, and seventy percent say they make people think it is ok to treat each other badly.” Reality television has affected society greatly by encouraging violent behavior, it elevates imprudent personalities, and depicting women of their values.
Throughout history, there have been many different genres of television shows. A genre that has affected society the most is Reality TV. Reality Television has changed television because it tells society about things like sex and violence. These have not been put on air in the past. But some situations they air are not exactly as real as it may look. For example, even though all the dangerous, extreme moves wrestlers use may look real, it is staged and scripted. Also many writers like to incorporate racial and sexist stereotypes in their shows. With all that put together, Reality TV sends the wrong message to its viewers. Reality Television has a negative impact on society because it is scripted, writers use too many stereotypes to define a character, and it sends the wrong message to its viewers.
One of the main reasons for watching reality TV is to provide people with entertainment. To an extent, the majority of society has a desire to explore what goes on in the world around them. People like watching drama that occurs on public television. “Insults, temper tantrums, selfishness, gross behavior, and plain old stupidity- these are the main ingredients for most of today’s reality TV shows. Guess who is watching them? Millions of viewers just like you” (Cohen). “Viewers cannot seem to get enough of the torture, embarrassment, temptation, and above all, drama of other regular, everyday people being placed in unrealistic settings and manipulated for the world to see” (Pontius). These two quotes state that the reason that the majority of our society watches these shows, is that they are entertained by the supposed reality that is portrayed.