34 years ago today....The birth of MTV

[Lawnboy13]

On Saturday, August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, MTV launched. The original five MTV VJs in 1981 were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn.

 

List, in order of all the videos played that 1st day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_music_videos_aired_on_MTV

 

the launch of MTV

 

[Lawnboy13]

I spent SO MANY hours watching this during the 80's. Today it's nothing but a joke, only 3 hours of videos.

[Hellbird]

I still remember when they refused to play any rap because they said it wasn't Rock and Roll. Unfortunatley for MTV, it has turned into everything they didn't want it to be. It's a non stop list of reality shows and hardly any music anymore. Sad what happened to MTV over the years.

[B-Ball-fan]

I spent SO MANY hours watching this during the 80's. Today it's nothing but a joke, only 3 hours of videos.

 

They originally were so instrumental in turning the world on to new bands, and in doing so almost single handedly revolutionized the entire 80's sound.

 

I don't know how they lost sight of how important they were to that decade, and although we now have multiple other ways to discover new bands, they still could, if they had any sense, be influential still by presenting a one stop shop to be exposed to what's happening in the music scene, or what sounds are on the horizon.

 

If it ain't broke don't fix it, but they had to go and break it.

 

I once stayed glued to the tube watching, and now I can't even tell you the last time that I watched.

[littleluck55]

And about 20 years ago was the death of MTV. I can remember sitting in class in the 80's and drawing the Mtv logo on my notebooks. Are there any pure music video stations any more?

[swamprat]

 

[Jumper_Dad]

First video to be played twice: The Who, "You Better You Bet" (this was also the first video to be played three, four and five times)

I would have bet that The Pretenders and "Brass in the Pocket" would have had this title, seems as if that video was on every time I watched MTV.

[DragonFire]

Modern MTV. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

 

Seriously, the station is hideous. That's not a new "I'm an old man" development. I have no idea when something broke on MTV, but it was before I was an adult. The explosion of reality TV destroyed that network. For a time MTV2 became a bit of a haven, and then it too was destroyed by reality TV. I honestly don't know how it's even still a network.

[mcpapa]

I don't think I've watched for 25 years or so.

 

[Jumper_Dad]

 

 

The Real World killed MTV

[swamprat]

And about 20 years ago was the death of MTV. I can remember sitting in class in the 80's and drawing the Mtv logo on my notebooks. Are there any pure music video stations any more?

 

Fuse was for a while, but they've succumbed to the "Reality TV" junk, too.

 

Unless I can find a game of interest on, I've gotten to where I just don't watch TV at all anymore. I read more, now, than I ever have.

[swamprat]

The Real World killed MTV

 

The Mother of all "Reality TV", in more ways than one. :sssh:

[B-Ball-fan]

I had a couple of friends who were glued to The Real World, and I thought that it was tremendously dull and couldn't see what the appeal was. They bought into the idea that they were so "In" by watching, I just thought that they were "out" of their minds.

[theguru]

Cool thread.

 

I normally set my DVR to record the actual videos when any of the stations that play videos schedule them.

 

Also the VH1 Top 20 with Shannon Coffey and the CMT Hot Country Countdown are good ones to DVR.

 

My absolute favorite is Epic Awesome Videos on Palladia.

[Lawnboy13]

I would have bet that The Pretenders and "Brass in the Pocket" would have had this title, seems as if that video was on every time I watched MTV.

 

For me it was

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIM_8d188kA