Up To Date

For One Kansas Professor, MTV Music Videos From The '90s Are A Window Into American Stereotypes

By Steve Kraske,

Mackenzie Martin, Chris Young

Published September 17, 2020 at 3:09 PM CDT

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Music researcher Brad Osborn began compiling a list of MTV's "buzz worthy" videos after giving a conference presentation on teaching music theory.

The TV network was "like the internet before anyone had the internet," said music researcher Brad Osborn, and its series of "buzz-worthy" music videos was an influential tastemaker.

Osborn's research uncovered a lack of diversity and abundance of stereotypes in music videos.

Brad Osborn, associate professor of music theory, University of Kansas

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Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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Chris Young

Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.

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