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

[Hellbird]

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.

I can tell you exactly when it broke. It happened when they had the first Real World.

 

From then on they thought they created a new format that would get even bigger ratings and that is when they jumped the shark.

[Sandman]

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

 

 

Nice thread.

 

Quick poll. Nina or Martha?

 

I was all in with Martha.

[Sandman]

Loved me some MTV once upon a time. The station changed pop culture, and I'd argue culture in general many ways before it became a cesspool of, whatever.

 

They did, however, have their "heavy rotation" songs. A few have been mentioned some I still remember:

 

Brass in Pocket was played every 15 minutes. Hated the song, like it now.

 

Billy Jean may have been played once or twice, as was Beat It. Thriller was announced like 12 hours in advance.

 

Big Time was played every 8 minutes I think. Still hate the song.

 

Madonna got more than decent air-play, but Open You Heart was the one that sticks out. Three times an hour maybe. I didn't care, Madonna was hot in the video.

 

MTV played a lot new artists, but may have given too much clock to some folks that were a bit old. Steve Winwood's career was reinvented thanks to MTV (no problem with that. Those tunes are still okay). Rod Stewart's Forever Young was only played a billion and three times. Still hate the song. The dude from Genesis, with the song about his father or fatherhood? Really they played that like 25 million times a day. I wasn't in.

 

Note: All times may be exaggerated by my then young mind. Just what it seemed at the time.

[Lawnboy13]

Loved me some MTV once upon a time. The station changed pop culture, and I'd argue culture in general many ways before it became a cesspool of, whatever.

 

They did, however, have their "heavy rotation" songs. A few have been mentioned some I still remember:

 

Brass in Pocket was played every 15 minutes. Hated the song, like it now.

 

Billy Jean may have been played once or twice, as was Beat It. Thriller was announced like 12 hours in advance.

 

Big Time was played every 8 minutes I think. Still hate the song.

 

Madonna got more than decent air-play, but Open You Heart was the one that sticks out. Three times an hour maybe. I didn't care, Madonna was hot in the video.

 

MTV played a lot new artists, but may have given too much clock to some folks that were a bit old. Steve Winwood's career was reinvented thanks to MTV (no problem with that. Those tunes are still okay). Rod Stewart's Forever Young was only played a billion and three times. Still hate the song. The dude from Genesis, with the song about his father or fatherhood? Really they played that like 25 million times a day. I wasn't in.

 

Note: All times may be exaggerated by my then young mind. Just what it seemed at the time.

 

are you thinking this song?

 

[Jim Schue]

14 spins of eight different videos by REO Speedwagon.

[Hangman]

I haven't had MTV since Suddenlink and Viacom failed to come to an agreement last year. Haven't missed it at all. But I do have fond memories of watching it growing up, before The Real World and Road Rules ruined everything.

[PigSkin Junkie]

I don't know what you guys were watching but the most over-played vido ever was:

 

 

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

[Sandman]

are you thinking this song?

 

 

Nailed it. That's the one.

[HammerTime]

I used to come home from school everyday and watch TRL with Carson Daly back in the late 90's and early 00's.

[Lawnboy13]

I used to come home from school everyday and watch TRL with Carson Daly back in the late 90's and early 00's.

 

When I would come home from high school it was NOTHING BUT videos, those were the days.

[mcpapa]

For me it was

 

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

 

For me it was Duran Duran. "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf".

[Lawnboy13]

For me it was Duran Duran. "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf".

 

Early on, I agree 100%

[Hangman]

I used to come home from school everyday and watch TRL with Carson Daly back in the late 90's and early 00's.

 

It always blew my mind that TRL was a top 10 countdown on for hours per day and they couldn't find the time to show the videos in their entirety... Some they didn't even play, just talked about.