Was Twisted Sister Fun For the Whole Family?

The NY Times looks at the broad array of digital "subchannels" out there, such as LATV, ABC News Now and RTN, and how they stand to benefit as broadcasters increase their channel panorama with the digital switch approaching.

I’d venture to say you won’t learn a whole lot from the article if you read the TV trades–it’s written more for consumers than industry types. One bit that I took issue with was when reporter Eric Taub looks at the Tube, and what went wrong with that music network. 

In 2006, Taub writes, the Tube Music Network started a music video subchannel that aimed to recreate MTV’s early, family-friendly days…

Family-friendly? OK, compared to the images kids consume today, the early days of MTV seem downright Mayberry-esque–Huey Lewis isn’t one to inspire fear or anxiety in anyone. But let’s keep in mind that parents were pretty freaked out by a lot of what MTV was airing back then, whether it was Billy Idol’s pierced, sneering mug or the cross-dressing front "man" from Culture Club, or anything involving the band Ratt. 

MTV was pretty subversive back then; to call it "family-friendly" confuses it with VH1.