Music on Music Television...novel idea

I haven't really watched MTV since I was in college, and even then, it was just to check out the newest videos by my favorite artists (usually not "the kids' " favorite, unfortunately). Last night I gave into the temptation to channel surf on over and see what all the "Video Music Awards" hype was about.

First check: Britney Spears performing. Couldn't care less.

Second check: Sarah Silverman "warming up" the crowd. Would rather dip my hand in acid than watch.

Third check: Justin Timberlake accepting one of the night's awards and challenging MTV to play more music videos.

Now that's a novel idea, Justin -- though not a new one. It's been a long-running gripe of viewers everywhere that the channel's schedule is primarily made up of reality TV shows (that have little if anything to do with music, by the way).

Really, though, I'm not enough into the popular music scene to have a vested interest in what MTV shows. This is why I have a CD collection. But I do know that you have to be up before 9 a.m. or after 1 a.m. to catch a consistent showing of music videos on this channel. Isn't that just the slightest bit odd? I've figured this out after years of skimming through the entertainment channels and landing on MTV (and VH1 for that matter) just long enough to see what almost always turns out to be some configuration of a dating show.

Do you honestly think this is what viewers just CANNOT get enough of? Dating shows?

So come on, MTV and VH1 -- play some music. If not for me, at least for "the kids."