by Nick Somoski

Created on: May 23, 2009

Who remembers when MTV launched way back in 1981? It was August, and the world was changed at midnight when MTV officially hit the airwaves. We saw the music videos of The Buggles and Pat Benatar, with the original "VJ's" on-air. And throughout the next decade, MTV became home to the careers of many artists, while showing music videos all day, every day.

But now, it's just become sad to see what this once innovative network has turned into. They have gone from airing 24 hours of music videos to a mere 3 hours, if that, in the wee hours of the morning. What happened?

Well, it was really a simple thing that happened to MTV. Television nowadays is all about making money. And showing nothing but music videos wasn't making the network the money they wanted. With making money comes bringing in the ratings. And, while fans to this day are demanding more music videos, it just won't be happening. Music videos don't generate the ratings, which doesn't generate money for the network anymore.

What does generate ratings, though, are the reality shows MTV has become all about. Since introducing their first reality shows, The Real World and Road Rules in the early 1990's, MTV has revolutionized their standing in pop culture. These reality shows were the first real signs of income for the network. Not only that, they became an institution on the network, and led the way for a schedule full of reality.

MTV followed with shows like Singled Out, Punk'd, and The Osbournes, which have disputably given the network it's most success to date. And seeing this success, MTV realized that by making the entire schedule reality-based, they could become an unmovable force. And to a point, they did.

At the turn of the century, MTV continued to introduce new reality shows. And to this day, shows like The Hills, A Shot at Love, and Laguna Beach remain the face of the network. They've earned their spot on the Nielsen list, and they continually bring in high ratings. And because of this, MTV will never go back to airing music videos.

I personally haven't watched the network for years. I was in high school when MTV first launched, and I remember it being the sensation of the school year. Everyone was talking about their favorite music videos and all these new bands that MTV helped to launch. It was an undeniable success, and if MTV were to go back to airing music videos, I have no doubt they'd still be a success.

But, times have changed, as did MTV. Their new focus is reality television, which is successful for them. It's what's making them the most money, and as long as they're making money, why change things? I will say, though, that I will probably never watch MTV again. I think airing music videos at 3am is a slap in the face to the fans that watched the network from the beginning, and I only wish that someday, we'll see music videos become the next face of this ever-changing network.

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