Thirty years ago, you were just a scrawny kid whose only say in your family involved what kind of junk food your mother may consider bringing back home from the grocery store. So when your parents opted not to get cable TV, you were contentedly confined to watching TV programs on the limited number of free channels that your family had access to. You thought it was alright because at that time, you didn’t really know the infinite possibilities that the newly introduced cable TV and satellite dishes may bring to your living room.
Now that you’re so much older and more financially secure, there’s only one thought gnawing at your mind as you try to relive that wonderful moment in your youth back in the 80’s when you wished your mom was cool enough to let you watch the pilot episode of one of the phenomenal pop culture icons of the Gen X era that you so proudly belong to.
On August 1, 1981 at exactly 12:01 am, MTV Networks, a New York based American network, aired its first episode of MTV (Music Television), a TV program originally created to play music videos on television “guided by on-air hosts known as VJs”* or video jockeys, the TV counterpart of the radio DJs.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock and Roll”.
Of course, you missed those monumental words from John Lack as he launched your generation’s unifying and impactful musical haven on TV along with the program’s first images showing its program logo on a flag superimposed on the montage of one of the most famous moments in world television, the historic landing of Apollo 11 on the moon. It seemed to be an appropriate though a bit ambitious parallelism to what MTV would eventually achieve as a popular and influential media vehicle over time.
The first music video broadcast on MTV was “Video Killed The Radio Star” by the Buggles followed by Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run”. Legendary rock band Led Zeppelin’s “Carouselambra” was played as background music to the program’s closing credits. Interestingly, MTV was not yet technologically savvy on its first broadcast as it showed “black screens” between videos when the network’s staff inserted video tapes into the then utilized VCRs. Moreover, during its debut, only a few thousands of people through a single cable system in northern New Jersey had access to the program.
For areas that could pick up MTV’s broadcast, the music channel’s program’s effect on record sales for local record stores strengthened in succeeding months after its pilot episode. All of a sudden, sales of records of musicians not enjoying airplay in local radio stations but were being shown on MTV went up. More notably, a host of TV networks followed MTV’s lead and created their own music video programs which lasted on air for years including HBO’s Video Jukebox, TBS’ Night Tracks, NBC’s Friday Night Videos and VH1, formerly the Cable Music Channel owned by TBS but was later sold to MTV.
As music is the universal language and the symbolic voice of a generation, MTV’s early influence on its target market, comprised largely by young viewers labeled as the twentysomethings or Generation X, was tremendous. MTV soon became one of the most sought-after media vehicles particularly in the 80’s and the 90’s for musicians from different music genres as a launching pad for their respective musical endeavors.
MTV was largely responsible for the extensive popularity of various bands and performers in the Gen X era including British and American bands Duran Duran, The Police, Culture Club, Bon Jovi, Deff Leppard, Journey, Rolling Stones, Ultravox and Van Halen who were part of the many musicians who benefited from the TV exposure.
Though you did not see the historical pilot broadcast, you easily picked up the trend that the television network was imprinting in the music arena and the world in general.
In 1983, two significant events happened on MTV. One, the band Kiss appeared without make-up for the first time in the history of the band’s theatrical performances. Two, Michael Jackson’s video of the hit “Billy Jean” was aired on MTV breaking what people in the industry called the “color barrier” which also marked the end of the station’s airing of pre-dominantly rock-oriented videos. Jackson’s heavy rotation in the MTV video loop paved the doors for other black artists such as Whitney Houston, Prince, Janet Jackson and Tina Turner to get more exposure. In 1985, MTV united the world by airing the phenomenal Live Aid concerts which were simulcast in Europe and the U.S. to raise funds for the famine in Ethiopia. MTV allotted 16 hours to cover the colossal musical event which was participated in by hundreds of musicians of that particular era and had an “estimated global audience of 1.9 billion across 150 nations” who watched the live broadcast. Subsequently, MTV aired other benefit concerts such as Live 8 and Live Earth in the mid-2000’s.
Over time, MTV branched out from rock music to other genres such as new wave, pop, soul, alternative, metal, rap, hip-hop, experimental, techno and R&B. It has already helped launch the musical careers of the now legendary artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, U2, Journey, Metallica, Guns N Roses and a host of other musicians, most of which rose from obscurity to musical prominence. It has also expanded its program classifications by airing reality TV shows such as Real World and Road Rules and other non-music related programs aside from the music videos that it originally merchandised.
Though MTV has weathered major criticisms ranging from censorship to program formats from the time of its birth to its present day broadcasting, the network has served as the musical voice of the various generations that it catered to, the most prominent of which were the X and Y Generations.
It has been 30 years now since John Lack made his historic proclamation. Fortunately, music is still relevant in 2011. You assess your grown up self and grab your TV’s remote. Immersed in your techno-proliferated environment, you may be in your late 30’s blessed with the convenience of technology which includes your smart phone and the brilliant internet ... your modern-day video source You Tube which offers more variety and control with regard to video selections but hey … you’re a true blue son of the X Generation so sans your mullet haircut and red bandana headband but with a fair amount of sentimental and youthful pride, you solemnly proclaim .... "I Still Want My MTV ... that one from the 80's."
Source : Wikipedia
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