Why I’m Ending My Open Boycott of CMT . . . For Now
No, I’m not going soft, and I’m certainly not endorsing CMT or any of its programs or online properties. I can list dozens of other better alternatives to CMT for your country music and lifestyle needs, and the Viacom-owned entity would probably come near the bottom of the list of recommend media sources. There’s still ample bad blood to be had with CMT for those who hope for the preservation of country music’s roots, the uplifting of rural-dwelling people, and fair representation of what it’s truly like to be “country.” CMT’s various “redneck” shows spread stereotypes and misrepresentations, and last year they laid off the vast majority of their journalistic media staff which at one point constituted one of the best country music newsrooms in the business. If boiled down to one word, the way to describe CMT would be “filth.”
But just like with country radio, and with country music’s major labels, all you ask for is just a little bit of effort, one or two healthy alternatives, and at least an acknowledgement of the people who believe that country music should actually sound like country music, and that the legacies of the legends of the genre should be preserved on television, especially by a channel whose initials are CMT.
I understand, it’s hard out there in the television world. With Netflix and other streaming alternatives, cable networks are getting eaten alive, and everyone is dealing with a ratings crunch. But that doesn’t give you the right to alienate entire segments of the country music public just so you can score big with the Millennial crowd.
Shortly after the launch of CMT’s Jersey Shore-style reality TV show Party Down South, Saving Country Music began to observe an open boycott and information moratorium against CMT and all its various satellite properties, meaning I wouldn’t link to any of their articles, display or embed any of their videos, mention them unless it was in a critical manner, and I even ceased covering their CMT Awards with live blogs, even though that coverage was crass in nature. The idea of inadvertently drawing any more attention to CMT made me sick after watching the filth and negative stereotyping displayed on Party Down South and other programs.
What did my stupid little personal CMT boycott accomplish? Jack nothing probably, but it was the principle of it all. How about the biggest country music media entity show a little bit more respect to Southern culture and country music?
In the new program lineup CMT announced recently, there’s not much that looks interesting, enriching, fulfilling, or wholesomely entertaining. Billy Ray Cyrus in a scripted show about being a washed up Elvis impersonator? Please. The second season of Kellie Pickler’s reality show? Love Kellie, but come on. Their upcoming Crossroads schedule is terrible. Luke Bryan with Jason Derulo? Thomas Rhett with Nick Jonas? What happened to the series’ iconic collaborations of the past?
Yet CMT has announced that after the current season, Party Down South is ending for good. Even with the show being one of the network’s highest rated ever, it still never came close to pulling in Jersey Shore numbers, or making major celebrities of the cast members. CMT bet big on the series, willing to take its lumps from sites like Saving Country Music and from celebrities like Ben “Cooter” Jones of Dukes of Hazzard fame for the big payday. But Party Down South never materialized into a major show, and meanwhile it ran off some of CMT’s core viewers.
Also, CMT has a new 8-episode miniseries in the pipeline called “Million Dollar Quartet” based off the famous Sun Studios moment, and multiple documentary projects on country legends upcoming. Last year the cable channel ran a well-received documentary on Johnny Cash, and on the Urban Cowboy venue Gilley’s. I didn’t watch either of them because I was dutifully observing my boycott (and don’t have cable anyway), but the reviews were decent.
CMT was putting out effort, and lo and behold, they found out the public was receptive. The documentaries did well because there is still tremendous love and interest in legends like Johnny Cash, and as long as you promote the programs and give them the right opportunity, they will succeed.
Whenever classic country is given an opportunity, it tends to surprise folks at the reception. And that’s all we’ve ever asked, is just a little attention, and a place at the table. Huge corporate media entities like CMT and country radio are never going to be the ideal to what traditional or independent country fans want. But they can at least try a little, and that’s what CMT has done lately, at least to an extent. There’s still much more to do, but it’s a start.
So as soon as Party Down South ticks off the air, I will hereby suspend my CMT open boycott that few if any were paying attention to, and even less cared about, which in the end means I can resume my full-throated criticism of their crappy programs and poor decisions like before, and maybe pay attention to the few decent shows they put the effort towards each season.
So there’s that.
March 9, 2016 @ 9:54 am
All growing up I was the weird kid with the weird music. I’ve never expected the mainstream media to provide for my cultural needs. I grew up hearing a lot of Classical, Swing, and Traditional Country–and of course, my fave was all the Pop of the day.
When I was a kid, my Daddy told me, “No one thought the Big Bands would end, but they did, and so will that stuff you’re listening to today.” He was right.
I can’t get upset when the world around me doesn’t provide what I expect or want. That’s up to me.
With the Internet, I have access to every great piece of music every created, so as I learned so many years ago, I have no interest in trying to force the “clueless” around me to conform to my “enlightened” vision of how thing should be.
They never will.
March 9, 2016 @ 10:26 am
“Give that man a cigar!”
I wholeheartedly agree with what you’re saying and have stated similar beliefs myself. That said, you kind of glossed over Trigger’s ultimate point with this article: it’s not about conformity, it’s about having a voice. It’s easy to be indignant when you’re the victim, but if we were to force every music fan that had differing tastes from ours to listen to what we like we’d be no better than they are, “good” music or not. The issue isn’t necessarily pop country or stereotypes, it’s the all-out war against alternatives.
March 9, 2016 @ 3:53 pm
That’s poetry. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
March 9, 2016 @ 6:50 pm
“With the Internet, I have access to every great piece of music every created, so as I learned so many years ago, I have no interest in trying to force the “clueless” around me to conform to my “enlightened” vision of how thing should be.”
Elitism.
I built Saving Country Music on the premise that everyone has the right to good music, just as they have a right to good food and clean water.
Makes me real sad how many folks missed the underlying point of this article, similar to the recent article about Blake Shelton’s comments on country music. Presenting ideas to spark discussion has been replaced for cultural tribalism and reactionary hatred. But I guess we can expect nothing less in the midst of a Presidential election.
March 9, 2016 @ 11:25 pm
I got the impression that the quotations were intended as a sarcastic jab at such notions. Or at least that’s how I interpreted them, which led to my initial response. If I missed the boat, I need to backpedal the other way. I don’t support elitism at all, but I DO support shooting off one’s mouth based on assumptions of other peoples’ intent like I did earlier 😉
March 9, 2016 @ 11:42 pm
That response wasn’t for you Acca Dacca. And I probably blew my lid a little bit. It seems sometimes I only get credit for the articles I don’t write, and it gets under my skin sometimes.
March 10, 2016 @ 8:12 am
“Elitism” ?
“reactionary hatred” ?
That’s a bit over the top, Trigger. Even for you.
I did understand your article, and I apologize for failing to very clearly relate my words to yours, rather than the underlying idea I believed they conveyed.
It won’t happen again.
March 10, 2016 @ 10:23 am
I overreacted.
March 10, 2016 @ 11:14 am
Hi Kyle,
I have enjoyed your site for at least 5 years now, and I love and appreciate your passion for the Old Ways. I believe I have that same passion.
But Time marches on, and it leaves Old Farts like me behind. I’m in my 60’s, and I’m faced with a whole lot more looking back then looking forward.
And alas, I am significantly beyond the coveted 18-48 age Marketing Demographic.
The world is not, nor has every been, what I want it to be, and Radio & TV exist to solely make money, not to give me for free the things I may believe I am entitled. The Free Market does not owe me anything, and the kids who fuel that Market despise pretty much everything that I love and deem to be precious.
But we are very fortunate to have at our fingertips, all the great music we could ever want. And it’s dirt cheap!
Spotify is more cost-efficient than Satellite Radio, with the advantage of On-Demand listening.
Taking advantage of what is offered is not Elitism. It’s simply smart.
In the immortal wisdom of one of the worst presidents in US history, “Life is unfair.”
So be it.
March 9, 2016 @ 12:09 pm
Does it count as a boycott if you just don’t watch because there’s nothing on there you care to see? Because if so, I’ve been boycotting CMT for several years.
March 9, 2016 @ 1:49 pm
I don’t even have cable so I was never able to watch CMT. But they do much more than just the cable channel. They used to have a huge country journalism apparatus. Remember CMT Edge? The debuted a video from The Cactus Blossoms a couple of weeks back, but I wasn’t going to pay attention to it. Stuff like that.
March 9, 2016 @ 1:11 pm
PDS = Human worm pile.
March 9, 2016 @ 1:11 pm
They are just following the trend like Blake and all the others, cmt always puts out little documentaries about Johnny Cash or outlaws just to re-establish their roots. All this amounts to is trying to turn our type of music into pop culture fodder. No matter what you say about elitist, bandwaggoners, music snobs ect; the less people know about something the more pure it is. I dare anyone to argue against that point. Once money and fame come into the picture, the truth becomes dilluted. Mass appeal is what attracts money and fame.
Screw CMT for eternity. They already blew it; also party down south is how a lot of southern teenagers act really… Really. No really.
March 9, 2016 @ 8:13 pm
They are doing what every network or label should be doing, making as much money as possible regardless of the content. Those executives get paid to make as much money as possible. That network is doing what it should be doing, I have no problem with it.
March 9, 2016 @ 3:10 pm
In other news, it was on this date March 9th 2005 when Chris Ledoux passed away.
Rest In Peace Cowboy.
March 9, 2016 @ 5:48 pm
Haven’t really cared much for CMT, I watched Kellie’s reality show a couple of times because I really couldn’t find nothing else on. But, other than that, nothing I really care about.
March 9, 2016 @ 11:26 pm
I don’t watch CMT.
March 10, 2016 @ 4:38 am
Trigger – I’m currently watching the CMC Music Awards – the country awards show that aired tonight, put on by Australia’s CMT equivalent – CMC. Florida Georgia Line are presenting an award, and the long haired guy just quoted goddamn Aristotle. It just about made me sick.
March 10, 2016 @ 5:23 am
I will watch whatever is good. I don’t recall watching any CMT.
I believe in boycotts on principle. I boycotted NBC and my local NBC station when NBC fucked over Conan O’Brian. I wrote a couple emails to the station. I contacted a couple of their sponsors. I stopped when I watched his new show on TBS and saw that in 2 of three cases he sucked. So I ate a little crow and slowly slipped back to watching NBC.
But I absolutely refuse to watch any show that runs that soulless KitKat commercial, with that god-awful earworm-wanna-be jingle. Give me a break indeed.
–commented on, but not discussed
March 10, 2016 @ 2:27 pm
Trigger, so since you’re doing this, can I get your thoughts on the All Time Top 40 list they did during your boycott?
March 10, 2016 @ 3:11 pm
I definitely support you boycotting Cmt. I haven’t watched that station in years. I can’t pinpoint exactly when they started sucking, but I know the vibe definitely changed. That being said, I also support you in not boycotting them. But I will not watch until I hear from this site. Let me know how it goes.
March 11, 2016 @ 8:01 pm
I don’t like CMT because they put bunch of garbage shows on it that have nothing to do with country music.