CanCult.ca

Dave Bidini laments the decline of MuchMusic.

But, circa 2008, MuchMusic has aged worse than anyone could have expected. It has mutilated itself to the point that there are very few videos programmed anymore; instead, OC reruns, sad pop star reality shows, gossip and style dailies and the failed life journey of Scott Baio dominate a television station that does little to address or articulate the tastes of young Canadians. Occasionally, shallow (and likely mandated) events dealing with topical issues appear on the programming grid (this week, an hour debate on climate change was being promoted), but otherwise MuchMusic is an idea gone awry. Over time, a bold notion has been reduced to feeding the teenage nation’s intellect with visual dross rather than fortifying it with challenging art and music and serious-minded hosts.

(Image from Shky’s Flickr stream.)