Five Ways MTV Could Relive Its Youth at Age 30

On Aug. 1, 1981, with the help of the Buggles and their song "Video Killed the Radio Star," MTV launched into orbit. That means that MTV is turning 30. That's nearly a generation older than those in its 12-to-18 target demographic. Break out the dentures and Depends!

Seriously though, MTV is far different now. Really, with the boost of Jersey Shore and the 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom  shows, it's a different animal from when the channel was 27. When people talk about its changing face, the "Play videos again!" critique is never far from the discourse; yet, it's hard to see how straightforward music-video programming would fit in to a YouTubed world. Plus, MTV already has a bunch of offshoot stations like MTV Jams to do just that.

That said, it would be nice for MTV to relive what it once did well as a general pop-culture authority.

Check out five suggestions of themes the network could revisit to cover its age spots...  read full article

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The Grind -- Trailer for The Grind
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Aired: 1/1/2009
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Second trailer for Grind gives a quick compilation of scenes from the film.
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Posted: 10/7/2011
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While the rest of his high school graduating class is heading to the same old grind of college, skateboarder Eric Rivers (Mike Vogel) and his best friends, Dustin (Adam Brody), a goal-oriented workaholic, and misfit slacker Matt (Vince Vieluf) have one last summer roadtrip together to follow their dream of getting noticed by the professional skateboarding world - and getting paid to skate. When skating legend Jimmy Wilson's (Jason London) skate demo tour hits town, the boys figure that as soon as he sees their fierce tricks, he'll sign them up for his renowned skate team immediately, right? Unfortunately, the guys are intercepted by Jimmy's road manager (Dave Foley) and they can't get their foot in the door, much less their boards. But they do get some free advice: keep skating, stay true to yourself, and stay in the game - if you're good, you'll get noticed. Following their dream - and Jimmy's national tour - Eric, Dustin and Matt start their own skate team, reluctantly sponsored by Dustin and his college fund. After recruiting laid-back ladies man Sweet Lou (Joey Kern) to join their crew and provide the wheels for their tour, team 'Super Duper' launches the ride of their lives in an outrageous road trip from Chi-town to Santa Monica. The professional scene doesn't exactly welcome 'nobody' skaters, but these outsiders stick together through extreme misadventures. In their quest to go pro, they meet professional vert skating champions Bucky Lasek, Bob Burnquist and Pierre Luc Gagnon, skate pro Bam Margera and his crew Preston Lacy, Ehren 'Danger' McGhehey and Jason 'Wee Man' Acu a, as well as sexy skate chick Jamie (Jennifer Morrison) as they grind handrails across America and force the skateboarding world to give 'em a piece of the action.
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Posted: 10/7/2011
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Five Ways MTV Could Relive Its Youth at Age 30

On Aug. 1, 1981, with the help of the Buggles and their song "Video Killed the Radio Star," MTV launched into orbit. That means that MTV is turning 30. That's nearly a generation older than those in its 12-to-18 target demographic. Break out the dentures and Depends!

Seriously though, MTV is far different now. Really, with the boost of Jersey Shore and the 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom  shows, it's a different animal from when the channel was 27. When people talk about its changing face, the "Play videos again!" critique is never far from the discourse; yet, it's hard to see how straightforward music-video programming would fit in to a YouTubed world. Plus, MTV already has a bunch of offshoot stations like MTV Jams to do just that.

That said, it would be nice for MTV to relive what it once did well as a general pop-culture authority.

Check out five suggestions of themes the network could revisit to cover its age spots... read more

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Premise: Take an `American Bandstand'-style format and put it on MTV in the 1990s, and you get this: college kids dancing as suggestively as possible, wearing as little as possible.

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