When it comes to live television, it’s rare that anyone gets to make like a Teletubby and shout ”Again, again!” But that’s exactly what MTV and VH1 plan to do this weekend after their initial broadcasts of Live 8 drew low ratings and a spanking from critics who derided the networks’ decision to regularly interrupt coverage of the historic charity concerts with commercials and backstage banter.
On Saturday, July 9, VH1 will air commercial-free concert highlights from 10 am-3 pm; MTV will pick up the torch from 3-8 pm.
MTV Executive Vice President Van Toffler told the Los Angeles Times that the networks’ office morale was akin to the Allman Brothers song ”Whipping Post” after MTV’s and VH1’s identical eight-hour coverage on July 2 drew average respective audiences of only 1.4 million and 762,000, not enough to rank among the week’s top 40 cable programs. (AOL, meanwhile, reported some 5 million unique users caught part of its streaming coverage of all 10 Live 8 shows; the Internet provider is offering on-demand coverage by artist, and by city, as well. Full disclosure: AOL and EW.com are both divisions are Time Warner.)
Now that MTV and VH1 have seen the Live 8 light, do you think they might also contemplate running the occasional music video in its entirety, without a talking head blaring over the top? Or is the Live 8 redux just a one-time display of good taste?
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I can’t help but feel they’re gonna screw it up again.
They didn’t know they were screwing it up by talking over performances and cutting away at key moments? I call bullsh*t!
MTV hasn’t been relevant since 1992 or so. Maybe if they would just get back to playing the music, things might be different.
They’re even screwing up MTV2 now by showing more and more and more shows rather than videos.
As long as they don’t screw with VH1 Classics…
Okay – they totally got it right today. THANK GOD. This is exactly how the show should have been the first time. Just great performances back to back to back with no bs in the middle.
AND they played 2 Bjork songs!! I nearly falled off my couch in disbelief. Way to go, MTV! (If only they squeezed in a Brian Wilson song or two…)
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