November 11, 2008

MTV Take Notes























Dear Viacom,

These are the Jonas Brothers. 

They dress nicely. They behave well. They are role models to their fans. They dont advocate teenage sex. Their lyrics are clean and age appropriate. They are HUGELY popular in the United States and around the world. They are making Disney TONS of money. Your music and programming choices should be reflective of their marketing model. Watch them and take note. They are a trend you should follow. 

November 5, 2008

RAND Study Links Sexual TV Content and Teen Pregnancy

A new study released just this month from the RAND Corporation links viewing of sexual content on television to subsequent teen pregnancy. 

Translation: Teens who see lots of sex on TV are more likely to experience their own teen pregnancy. 

What a shocker! 

Viacom's very own pregnant teen:
Jamie Lynn Spears is one of the stars of Nickelodeon, which is Viacom's channel for children. She just had her first baby at 16. She's a child giving birth to her own child. 

The study's lead author states that: 
"Adolescents receive a considerable amount of information about sex through television and that programming typically does not highlight the risks and responsibilities of sex."

The study goes on to say that: 
"Our findings suggest that television may play a significant role in the high rates of teenage pregnancy in the United States."

Most important part of the study:
"The findings hold implications for broadcasters, parents, and health care providers."

MTV and Viacom need to realize they are influencers in our society. Right now they are influencing in a negative way. This needs to be stopped. 

November 3, 2008

Following The Money Case Study: Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit was completely the doings of MTV and Viacom. No one else can take credit for their success, which also means they get all the blame for Limp Bizkit's negative effect on America's youth. 


America first got to know Limp Bizkit at Woodstock 1999, which was covered by MTV.  They debuted their popular song "Break Stuff". Not only was this the main theme of the song, but it also caused the fans to take action themselves. 

Following their Woodstock appearance, they were discovered by Jimmy Iovine, Co-Chairman of Interscope Records. He claims his job is to just find what America's kids are craving and packages it to them. But instead, he is always searching for the rawest of raw materials to feed to children. I would say this is corrupting America. He claims its just a popular movement and he just wants to be a part of it. I say stand up for what's right and good for the world.

Then, when an Oregon radio station refused to play their raunchy lyrics, Interscope Records PAID the station to play the song 50 times! 

Limp Bizkit then produced a music video, all funded by Interscope Records of course. This video then premiered on MTV's Total Requests Live (TRL). 

Did I mention, Interscope Records is owned by Viacom, which is MTV's parent company as well. So when Interscope gets Bizkit's video on TRL to drive up sales, everyone benefits. MTV gets more viewers to watch the music video, and Interscope sells more records because viewers saw the band on TRL. Its all one big profit loop for Interscope, MTV, and ultimately Viacom. 

This also exposes MTV's fraud with TRL. That show was supposed to be based on what the viewers/listeners were requesting. This was obviously not the case because MTV is more focused on showing videos from artists under Viacom labels, than genuinely show what viewers want. Total fraud! (Side note: On Oct. 31, 2008 MTV announced their decision to cancel TRL)

MTV and Viacom are totally, one hundred percent behind this group, broadcasting their messages to America's youth. What are those messages? See for yourself... 




November 1, 2008

Sex... With Mom and Dad


Sex ... With Mom and Dad. This is of one of MTV's newest shows. When this title appeared on my TV guide I just about fainted. Sex? With Mom and Dad? The minute I saw this I felt a deep disappointment. This is where our country is going? I couldn't believe it. 

On MTV's website they describe it as a somewhat therapeutic show. A show where families can break down the walls that surround the topic of sex. A show that "proves that if families can talk about sex, they can talk about anything - ultimately breaking down barriers and improving relationships in the process". 

The one... Correction.... The only episode I watched was not as nice and wholesome as the description implies. 

The episode involved a 19-year-old guy who's mother felt his sex life was a bit excessive. The two of them visited the show's doctor, Dr. Drew, who gave them an exercise. 

The two of them were to go on a tour of all the places that her son had had sex. Her son proceeded to take his mother to all his favorite sex spots. Rooftops, the family's kitchen table, even the back seat of his mother's car! And at each location, the description of his activities was somewhat graphic. 

My question is how could the executives at MTV put a show like this on the air, when their target audience has shown to be 12-year-olds. 12-YEAR-OLDS!!!

Because of shows like this, I blame MTV and the executives at Viacom for overly sexualizing our youth culture. They should be ashamed of themselves.