ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the types of content considered objectionable and examples of specific videos initially rejected by MTV for unsuitable content. It reviews MTV's standards for videos, both stated and unstated. MTV has an elaborate screening process for deciding which videos will be added to its playlist. The channel must sift through a great quantity of music videos, receiving thirty-five to forty video clip submissions per week by November 1989. The production standards of clips are scrutinized for technical problems that make them unsuitable for airplay. Other criteria for evaluating video clips are unacknowledged, such as the preference for clips by artists signed to major labels. The chapter shows that MTV rejected videos for excessive violence when a clip graphically depicted bodily mutilation, such as The Rolling Stones' Neighbors video with visual scenes of a dismembered body in a suitcase. MTV acts as a powerful censor on the content of popular music and music clips.
