Why is no music ever presented properly on television

A.� To paraphrase Doctor Johnson, presentation of music on television is like a dog walking on its hind legs�- it's not that it is done badly, but that one is surprised to see it done at all.

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Q.� Exactly, so why is it that TV programme makers can't seem to put music onto television in a way that works

A.� To be fair, music on television has improved immeasurably over even the last twenty years, and it still has certain built-in problems, which are almost impossible to overcome.

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Q.� There seems to be two points there.

A.� There is: Music has always been perceived as the property of youth, and until quite recently, television programmes were made by 'adults' who regarded youthful entertainment as faintly sinister, and not something with which they particularly wanted to be involved.

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In tandem with the reluctance of programme makers to address the issue of entertainment for younger viewers, specifically music-based programmes, there has always been the medium of television itself, which certainly doesn't lend itself to music reproduction in any meaningful way.

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Q.� What's the problem

A.� Basically, it's one of technology. Pop music is all about style, attitude, and noise, and it's big on all three. Television, until recently, was unable to produce sound in simple stereo,� much less a quality level that sophisticated stereo sound recording deserved. Add to that the lamentable visual reproduction of most music via television, and you can see that it was never going to be a popular concept with programme makers, or viewers�- even those who would have liked to watch their favourite bands on television.

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Q.� But things are better now

A.� They have improved over the last few years, and again for a number of connected reasons. The first is the advent of the multi-television household. The increase in availability of inexpensive portable televisions meant that a large number of houses had a viewing choice, because viewing was no longer restricted to the main television in the living room of the home, logically dominated by the majority of the family viewing choice. Young people were able to obtain portable sets for bedroom use, and this led to a demand for more youth-oriented programming, which saw the creation and rise of what became known as 'youth' television through the 1980s.

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Add to that the simple fact that the 'adults' who made television programmes were now comprised of the previous 'younger generation' who were cheated out of it in their teens and twenties. The scheduling difficulties which saw music marginalized into late night / early morning time-slots ceased to matter with the rise in domestic video recording, which meant viewing could be saved for a more appropriate time�- apart from shows designed specifically for the returning pub and club clientele, usually focusing on dance and club culture.

Q.� But the technology was no better!

A.� True, but even sub-standard reproduction of music was better than none at all, everyone grows into, and out of Top Of The Pops, and that is the only constant in music television in nearly forty years. When you think that a programme like the BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test was considered ground-breaking and revolutionary in its day, even though it was filmed in what looked like a BBC basement, with pipes everywhere, and it presented a frustrating moving target in the viewing schedules, it was still what passed for the cutting edge of music presentation. All that changed with the arrival of The Tube.

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Q.� What happened then

A.� Channel 4 had the bright idea of providing a youth TV programme with young, non-professional presenters and cutting-edge bands. The result was a legend. Ex-Squeeze keyboard player Jools Holland and Record Mirror writer Paula Yates fronted the show from 1982�- 1987, and a new blueprint for music presentation on television was created. What the show lacked with low-fi un-professional presentation, it made up for in hi-fi hip guests, just about anyone in popular music was paraded through the studio�- television producers finally realised that music television was bigger business than they first thought.

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Q.� So where are we now

A.� Technically, we are certainly further forward. The advent of wide-screen televisions and proper stereo sound have been a major plus for music fans�- at least their art form can be shown with something approaching the excitement of the real thing. Programme-wise, Jools Holland has been rehabilitated after his disastrous expletive used during a live teatime trailer for The Tube which abruptly ended its, and his, TV tenures. Now, Jools presents the critically acclaimed Later series on BBC2, which has the better�idea of presenting a series of bands playing live in a 'round robin' setting, with a live audience which works about as well on television as music can.

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Q.� So music on television is never really going to succeed

A.� Probably not�- as Bruce Springsteen always said of his concerts, it is about being there, and television will never be a substitute for the live experience.

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