LAT: MTV Stung by Live 8 Criticism (AOL "defining moment in online music")

[DeepModem Mom]

MTV Stung by Live 8 Criticism
By Geoff Boucher and Chris Gaither, Times Staff Writers


Bruised by harsh criticism and soft ratings, MTV executives Wednesday acknowledged missteps in their broadcast of last weekend's Live 8 concerts and hinted that they might retool the program and show it again.

Some kind of do-over is "not the craziest idea," said MTV Executive Vice President Van Toffler, who quipped that the Allman Brothers song "Whipping Post" best described his office's post-show morale.

Ratings released Wednesday show that the eight-hour live broadcast of Live 8 performances that aired Saturday on both MTV and sister station VH1 had an average viewership of only 2.2 million viewers — less than the average audience for the Saturday afternoon airing of the 1999 film "Toy Story 2" on the Disney Channel.

MTV's handling of the concerts — staged in London, Philadelphia and eight other cities — was faulted for frequent cutaways from key musical moments to go to commercials, offstage banter or less compelling performances elsewhere....

***

Unfortunately for MTV, its performance also was juxtaposed with a widely praised showing by AOL, which offered comprehensive coverage on its music website....Ken Ehrlich, who produced the Live 8 show in Philadelphia and is a veteran producer of the Grammy Awards, said the AOL event would be remembered as a defining moment in online music consumerism....



http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mtv7jul07,0,70800...

[htuttle]

1. Who watches MTV to listen to music nowdays?

I didn't think they did music anymore.

[otohara]

3. Well I Tried For Live 8

and it sucked BIG. Cutting away to their stupid personalities who would ramble on while the music played behind them. Horrible coverage - every Live 8 blog was filled with posts cursing MTV. It's no wonder people ran to their computers.

I would watch again if it were commercial free.

[dubyaD40web]

9. MTV did suck.

As for AOL, they did a great job. I downloaded all the files from the AOL site and they are awesome. No stupid VJ's, commercials or anything!

[VolcanoJen]

25. Sucky indeed.

I spent that entire afternoon in the DU Lounge kvetching about MTV's crap coverage! AOL kicked ass, for once in its life, that day.

[DFWdem]

26. In related news...

MTV stung for sucking altogether

[Carla in Ca]

39. They used to be great

Then we switched to VH-1, until they went downhill.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

2. You know the broadcast will be bad

when you see uncut performances by the Black Eyed Peas and cut performances by the Who, Pink Floyd, etc.

I mean, Black Eyed Peas are ok, but let's face it, in the annals of the music world they will be soon forgotten.

[Moochy]

16. But but.. Seger had succes with "Like a rock"

But BEP are in the commercial music sell-out hall of fame now!!

I've seen them in 3 different commercials in the past 6 months, dressed like they stowed away in Ceelo's costume trunk.

Nothing says you have to look cool while being popstars I guess.

[rocktivity]

4. To be fair, it WAS a summer holiday weekend

so it was extra unrealistic of them to expect people to spend the entire day glued to their TV sets. But I agree that VH1 had WAY too many cutaways and commericals--and what I saw of Live 8 was between sets of an all-day hard rock festival. I had been home, I definitely would have watched the webcast.


rocknation

[NashVegas]

8. Remember Live Aid Mach 1?

Full 20 minute sets from just about every featured artist. Even people like Paul Weller, who wasn't exactly burning up the US charts, got their due.

I would imagine MTV was afraid to make a judgement call; 8 shows, who do you decide to air and not to air among the second tier acts? Viacom has a shitload of channels, they could have used one for each show.

[short bus president]

19. I could've told them...

air the musicians, not the fucking yammering "veejays." Every time we turned it on, there was some fluff-headed nobody yakking it up about "oh, you should hear the wonderful performance going on behind us right now!" JUST SHOW THE FUCKING PERFORMANCE ALREADY, and it might not hurt to have footage of those goddamned "veejays" bound and gagged between musical acts. Obnoxious twits.

[Marnieworld]

5. I was livid

I was appalled when they would cut away in the middle of songs to show unknown people talking about the concert. It was a show about a concert instead of a concert. The performances should have been sacred. When they cut away from Floyd I told my husbancd that all involved should be lined up and shot. Thank goodness for the BBC. They showed the concert without graphics or talk like a C-Span thing, and in HD. We've since downloaded a DVD of the concert. MTV should replay it and repent.

[otohara]

10. Live Aid Was Commercial Free

If I remember correctly it was on one of our PBS stations and it was repeated a couple of times -

[KansDem]

6. Wha...?! What happened to "Feces in the Face is Fun" programming?

* STATE: MTV apologizes after teens sue
SANTA MONICA (AP) -- MTV apologized Thursday to two 14-year-old girls who said they were splattered with feces when an act defecated on stage during a taping of the music channel's "Dude, This Sucks" show.
<http://cgi.modbee.com/state/state_story.cgi?story=N2001... >

There used to be several articles about this incident available, but not so any more. I don't know why. Perhaps there is so much controversy coming out of MTV that this is just one more in a long series of stories about it's ill-conceived ideas.

[otohara]

13. That's Disgusting -

Link not working

[KansDem]

15. Yeah, I noticed that too, but posted anyway...

Used to be several links to this story, but not now. Don't know why.

Here is the story as it appeared in the Sacramento Bee. Tried the sacbee.com website but no luck. Had to get this story off a "rival political website."

SANTA MONICA (AP) --

MTV apologized Thursday to two 14-year-old girls who said they were splattered with feces when an act defecated on stage during a taping of the music channel's "Dude, This Sucks" show.

"This is a terrible incident. It was unintended and we regret that it happened," Brian Graden, the cable channel's president for programming, said in a statement.

He added that the episode would never be aired and that he had taken steps to see that such an event never happens again.

"We are sorry if these women were hurt. It is certainly never our intention to hurt anyone," he said.

Graden said the network had just learned that the girls are suing MTV, adding that the company "will respond accordingly through the legal process."

The teen-agers said they were standing next to a stage on Jan. 21 at the Snow Summit Ski Resort in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, watching a two-man act called Shower Rangers during videotaping of a "Snowed In" segment of the MTV show.

"Without warning or explanation the two Shower Rangers turned their backsides to the audience, both opened a flap on the back of their shorts, exposing their naked buttocks," the girls' attorney Gloria Allred said.

"Before they could say or do anything, the Shower Ranger whose buttocks faced them bent over, spread the cheeks of his buttocks and emitted a spray of fecal matter," the lawyer said.

Monique Garcia and Kelli Sloat of Big Bear Lake are seeking unspecified general, compensatory and punitive damages, claiming intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and battery.

"All of a sudden I was smelling something disgusting and I started to gag. I looked around at my friends. They were covered in something. As I looked down at myself, I realized I was, too," Garcia said during a news conference at Allred's office.

"We believe that subjecting children without their knowledge and consent and without notice to their parents to such an outrageous and indecent act is completely unacceptable and intolerable," Allred said.

The teen-agers "want to send a message that this type of act goes far beyond the bounds of decency and that neither MTV nor any television network should ever allow any similar disgusting incident to take place in the future," Allred said.


Here's another reference to the story from antimusic.com, "The sh*t literally hits the fans at MTV filming."
http://www.antimusic.com/news/2001/april/item3.shtml

[eissa]

7. I stopped watching years ago

No, it's not because I got old and tired of the music (well....maybe some of the music!) But it seemed that they played less music and instead focused on repeats of Spring Break (soft porn), and stupid shows with increasingly irritating hosts.

[Neshanic]

11. "Video Killed the Radio Stars" How prophetic.

"Internet Killed the Crap MTV Network"

[Tyrone Slothrop]

12. In all fairness,

Toy Story 2 is a pretty kick-ass movie.

[0rganism]

21. Yeah, that was my thought too

Heck, if you're gonna lose to something, lose to something good.

[BooScout]

14. MTV was stupid and greedy.....

Their VJ's were quite simply idiots and for them to talk all over the songs with their stupid comments was beyond belief.

If the VJ's weren't raving about something then MTV would cut away to commercials. It was extremely shoddy treatment of the entire event by MTV and they get no slack for me. They owe the world an apology for their crass commercialsim of a world wide tragedy. They should have damned well known better....an "acknowledgement of missteps" is not near enough as far as I am concerned and a "do-over" is just plain assinine.

[1932]

17. MTV wouldn't have gotten it wrong if it were a pro-globalization fest.

Is anyone surprised that a multinational corporation couldn't get high ragtings for a concert whose theme is more equitable wealth distribution?

[rocktivity]

18. For the second time today, I am forced to say "Toro turd!"

..."Knowing what I know now, I probably would have made the decision to go commercial-free," (MTV Executive Vice President Van Toffler) said.

...In retrospect, he said, MTV should not have placed such a high priority on showing so many acts, at the expense of airing complete sets by key artists.

MTV could have easily shown all the acts, and even those little informercials, if they had slashed their commerical time in half and had the VJs talk BETWEEN the sets.

Live 8 did strive to be everything to everybody (except hard rock fans). In terms of personal musical taste, you can't help but like some acts more than others. But your real problem, Mr. Toffler, is that too many of today's acts wouldn't exist at all if MTV didn't. Too many of them built their fame on music videos in which they are accompanied by break dancers and choirs and tight clothes and six-pack abs and backing tracks and special effects and stlyish outfits and sexy closeups. When you have to drag all that stuff onto a live stage because you'd melt down faster than a wicked witch without it, you shouldn't be surprised if you don't come off too well. Acts like Pink Floyd and U2 and Bon Jovi came off better not because they've been doing it longer, but because they built their fame during a time when you were EXPECTED to have talent!


rocknation

[JusticeForAll]

33. I am laughing out Loud...toro turd...

I saw the first time you said it in the other thread!

J4A

[WillyT]

36. Also... They Could Have Split Coverage Between MTV And VH1 !!!

Like NBC has done with the Olympics, or ESPN and ABC.

Instead, they had two channels covering the exact same thing.

Two channels, more coverage, ability for viewers to go to the acts they prefer, etc.......

[SemperEadem]

20. MTV has lost touch with what the "M" in their name used to mean

Once they begun embracing fashion as being more important than the quality of music they air, they lost all touch with their function. Meanwhile, the litmus test became how 'hawt' your anorexic, emaciated size 0 butt looked in those Dolce and Gabbana's and not how good of a singer or songwriter you were.

MTV manufactures boring 'talent' into stars--those 'stars' buy into their own manufactured hype and forget that a computerized studio is not where your mettle is tested: live performance is where your mettle is tested. Most of them can't even sing on key or without an accompanying voice track.

MTV has dumbed down the esteem of musicians everywhere by what they choose to promote. They elevate the vocalist who needs 3 voice tracks to boost their cacaphony all the way up to singer status.

[Zodiak]

22. word!!! n/t

[Robeson]

23. I didn't realize MTV still played music. Or at least not the last time..

...I watched it.

[Mad_Dem_X]

24. Hubby and I couldn't wait to see Pink Floyd...

MTV cut away 3/4 thru the first song, and we were pissed. Fortunately, we found the entire set on AOL.

MTV bites!

[Parche]

27. live ate

They cut away from one of the greatest reunions ever....
when Pink Floyd was rockin on stage, they cut away before the
songs were finished, it pissed me off, it was poorly done,
I would rather have heard Pink Floyd, then any rapper on.

[phillinweird247]

28. MTV Get Off The Air !!

They seem to have lost their way.

Pink Floyd was the only act I saw and they cut away in the middle of it.
I almost fell out of my chair.

Quiet MTV Beach house is on!

[rocktivity]

34. Welcome to DU, Phillinweird!

rocknation

[DeepModem Mom]

50. Hi, phillinweird247 -- welcome to DU!

[bspence]

29. XM Radio had great coverage

You could just turn the channel to hear a different city. It was great!

[nibbana]

30. Would someone please remind me what the "M" stand for?

[Old Vet]

31. MTV= Rap / VH1 some music...........

Its to bad, I turned on mtv and saw two dumb-asses playing around while the bands were playing. Its to bad, MTV use to be cutting edge. Now its so depressing to watch, RIP MTV.

[SoCalDem]

32. The exact reason that viewing of olympics broadcasts have dropped

People actually want to watch the EVENT......not the lame commentary ABOUT it.. Why is that so hard to understand?

[Scairp]

47. Yep

It's either the lame commentary or a sappy expose about how some underdog athlete overcame being a double orphan or something equally tragic. Of course, ever since the truth has come out about poor Little Orphan Oksana Baiul not really being an orphan after all, you gotta wonder if any of the those hard luck stories they highlight are true.

[lateo]

35. MTV just plain sucks these days...

[tenshi816]

37. Hey DMMom!

Maybe the MTV guys should come see how the BBC Glastonbury coverage is handled in the UK. We don't go to Glastonbury because I don't think I could handle crowds quite that size anymore, but the coverage of it in the UK - 3 days of Glastonbury! - is great for those of us who can't attend. I think they get it just about right for those of us who weren't quick enough to get tickets.

I love the BBC.

Edited so you would know I was saying hello to you in the subject line, not shouting at you.

[DeepModem Mom]

43. Agreed, tenshi816!

We've lived in the UK, and there are many things we in the US could learn from how they do quite a number of things there.

[rocktivity]

38. You can see ALL the Live 8 performers on demand at AOL

I guess they really HAVE changed. Or maybe not--Macintosh users will have to use their Safari browsers! Looking at how each of the acts came across live is a very instructive experience.
link


rocknation

[Cha]

44. I've been watching and listening

the last couple of days..ever since matcom gave us that brilliant link.

I saw most of Berlin's concert last night until 2am. Now I'm listening to London(Hyde Park).

I saw Sting earlier and when he played "Every Breath You Take"..he had blair, bush, and the world leaders up on screen and he was singing "We'll be watching you".."Every Vow you break, Every step you take!"!

They showed bush with his "heil bush" salute..it's incredible!

Edit~ I'm glad I didn't know about it on mtv or vh1.

Saw a little teaser on abc and now I have the ultimate link on the net.

[rocktivity]

46. Here's a link to an index of six of the cities

I've been listening to Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb and Deep Purple's Hush and Highway Star all evening. How old is Hush? DON'T ANSWER THAT!!!
link


rocknation

[Cha]

48. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you..

Rocknation!

In my travels on that site I hadn't found Paris and Rome, yet!!

Got to get this to my sistah, too

Off to hear more Round The World Concerts!

[ScamUSA.Com]

40. kind of a challenge to broadcast live from 6 locations

I think they did an OK job.

[Medium Baby Jesus]

49. Haha funny

You're kidding, right?

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

41. Guess they got my nasty email!? Bwahahaha!

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

42. MTV = MORAN TELEVISION

[mountainvue]

45. MTV's coverage

sucked. I watched AOL. I think MTV missed a big opportunity. They probably didn't want to pay for the broadcast rights.