The problem is based in the fact that Gen Y is entering the stage where they're really creating pop culture for themselves and those younger than them. Anything that is really and truly pop, not artificial pop, is based on the work of people age 25 and under.

Because the Boomers and Gen X have such a death grip on upper management positions (and, truth be told, the desire to not listen to Gen Y OR to hear what they want to hear, what they know, and what's easy) mainstream pop culture in general is dying. There are no icons. There are no posters. Icons and posters require mainstream institutions. In fifteen years, Gen Y will a) have started to take control of those institutions that already exist (due to having finally worked their way up the ranks), and b) have built up their own mainstream pop institutions. But for now, we're stuck. All anyone can do is wait out the continuing period of trash culture created by old people for people they don't inherently "get."

This is why MTV sucks, and will continue to suck for the next 6-8 years. MTV is considered too valuable to place into the hands of twenty-somethings, which is, ironically, the only place where it would gain any real value.

Corporate pop culture has all of the resources it needs: it just so happens that those people are languishing in low-level positions where their ideas are ignored. These people could run a network, and very quickly become proficient at it. They're ridiculously well-educated over-achievers, it's no problem.

The problem with mainstream culture is that the doors are virtually closed to upper management positions, sans a demonstration of a "killer app" in hand.