Retro TV Friday: 2003 at the start of MTV's Spike channel - it's not what you think it is

PHOTO CREDIT: PAUL KOLSTI

Here's my thoughts from 2003 over the development of what is now the Spike channel, which I've despised for all 14 and a half years since it "unofficially" began, mainly because of a friend whose family members were executives at CBS cable operations in Charlotte when it was shut down in order to create the adult-oriented channel.  Enjoy this "retro television" thought from early in the century.

And you wonder why adult-oriented television is now too prominent today.

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I was reading the wires of Fox News when I read a quirky news story about film producer Spike Lee, who sued MTV in an eventually futile attempt to stop them from changing MTV National (formerly The Nashville Network) to Spike TV.

When I originally read of the name “Spike TV,” I associated it with volleyball of both the traditional indoor game and the burgeoning outdoor (two-man, beach, or as it's called by the NCAA now for women only, sand) game, with the obvious reference of course to spikes, as shown in the volleyball phrase, “Bump, set, SPIKE!,” and discussions on issues such as the game, the players, NCAA, FIVB (International Volleyball Federation), scoring (most federations have switched to the FIVB standard rally to 25, although the NCAA made their games rally to 30, although in all codes rally to 15 in the final game), recreational coaching tips, how the game is played, the libero, a defensive specialist who is restricted to playing in certain positions, cannot make certain hits other players can hit, and wears a different jersey, which would please a few friends at church who are volleyball players.

No, it is not.  Instead, it's a planned ADULT MALE channel, and with the channel slots (Edward Gaylord-owned) The Nashville Network (later CBS-owned The Nashville Network) earned in the early to mid-1990's with Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, Ralph Emery, Lorianne Crook, Charlie Chase, and the great outdoors, Spike TV will erase 20 years of Edward Gaylord's family legacy.  Worse yet, the slots they had are being HANDED to Spike TV, AND Gospel music's top video music channel collapsed after The Nashville Network needed a West feed in 1999 (for NASCAR when CBS was considering a big - MTV's acquisition later ended CBS plans, as we learned;  keep in mind this was written before the big LaRoche turn, when musically I changed after voice).  Now MTV National is gone too.  An ADULT channel gets a basic cable slot on many systems?  Give me a break, drop Spike TV, hand over (another now-defunct channel I shall not name) in that slot.

One sad story after another.  Something's wrong with music videos . . .

As for Spike TV, it further destroys the empire of Edward Gaylord, now run by his children after his death last month (at the time of writing in 2003), and erases 20 years the old Nashville Network of Ralph Emery, Windsor (CT) Town Councilman Michael K. Joy (when he was a host for the channel, he was working as a town councilman in that city), Elzie Wylie Baker Jr, Eli Gold, Lorianne Crook, Charlie Chase, Gary Chapman (who won Male Vocalist in 1996, shortly before Ed Gaylord announced he was the host of the channel's top show, and won a biggie which his then-wife didn't win in her career), and other live characters.

The Edward Gaylord legacy is also nearly gone:

• Grand Ole Opry
• WSM
• WWTN

Under Colin Reed, the Gaylord empire has dropped its entertainment for hotels.

Why is basic cable tolerant to letting Spike TV, an adult male channel, on the air as a basic station?  It's all about things such as the Spike TV Video Game Awards, with awards for best violence, bleep games, and the rest of this trash, and the WWE, and more adult programming which is not suitable for public consumption, such as Striparella?

I don't understand.  Spike TV puts the nail in Ed Gaylord's legacy, and worse yet, is a way to push adult television on basic cable.  This smut is one more reason we won't see big name singers such as Sandi Patty, Kathy Troccoli, Steven Curtis Chapman, 4 Him, Point of Grace, and others on the air any time soon.  CBS/Nashville let them on Gary's show.  MTV stopped all of the allowing of Christian artists from airing on television.  Now Spike TV is all adult, all the time.