Sting is a very interesting dude. I have always enjoyed what he has done in many areas of creativity. A Teacher originally with a deep interest in philosophy. It would be a mistake to judge him on the police alone. They were a very good pop band but I think he came into his own as a soloist. A passionate Yoga practitioner, writer he has also appeared in a few films.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gi4uJsXImNE&mode=related&search=
I found this in youtube. there is lots of his stuff there.

Les,
it is more a case of not knowing the work than dismissal. I don't know much of the music from the 1980s--apart from hearing Blondie. know nothing of Talking Heads, and very little of Elvis Costello .

I'm trying to recover a sense of what happened, as I have no idea of how New Wave music was linked to, or evolved out of punk.Was it just marketed as a more commercial or chart-friendly version of punk?

My understanding is that New Wave music tended toward experimentation, lyrical complexity, or more polished production. It involved a post-modern belief in creative pastiche and a continuation of Pop Art’s satire and fascination with manufacturing. Presumably it is pop music approached as an art form.

I propably saw the music on the MTV network when it was airing music videos--eg.,INXS