Sitting in my Eilat hotel room after a long day in the scorching heat, my eyes are gazing east across the Red Sea – Jordan and Saudi Arabia in the distance. There is a gigantic Jordanian flag fluttering in the wind, marking the city of Aqaba. At the moment, though, I’m leaning on the arm of the couch with pad in hand. The boob tube is tuned to MTV Europe, one of a few all-English stations on these airwaves. And it’s awesome. This version of the channel is essentially a replica of what the station was in its eighties heyday. There are random logo animations, far-out culture spots, and of course, plenty of videos to satiate the appetite. The latter, we obviously never see anymore, except in the wee hours of dawn. But you didn’t need me to tell you that.

In the hour since I started watching, there have been limited Veejay interruptions and even fewer commercial breaks. Plus, the nonstop music selection is incredibly deeper than its stateside parent. Here, Eurobeats and techno-pop reign supreme, not hip hop or Emo. In this sitting alone, a healthy regimen of pop – Enrique, Justin, Timbaland, Madonna, Stereo MC’s, and Robyn [link]. It is no doubt a viable cross-section of transatlantic tastes.

Despite the oft-proclaimed death of video airplay, MTV Europe is proof that such programming still exists. If only MTV and the cable companies could agree on a feed of the European affiliate in current cable bundles. Thus, let this piece of prose become an open petition. We are sick of Gossip Girls and Real World (their monotonous reruns too), and desire a return to basics. Please make us proud!

Last 5 posts by Elie Z. Perler

• Coming to a Festival Near You//Linking Buddies - August 7th, 2008
• Don't Be a Terror Victim - July 23rd, 2008
• All Girl Summer Fun Band Returns - July 18th, 2008
• Giveaway Galore//Linking Buddies - July 16th, 2008
• Tuned In - New H2O - June 23rd, 2008