MTV Generation

Brooke Heitz
LifeStyles Reporter

On Aug. 1, 1981, John Lack said six little words that changed the history of television as we once knew it: "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll."

A few moments later, MTV aired its first music video ever, "Video Killed the Radio Star."

Some people believe the early days of MTV brought in a new generation of

TV watchers. What began for many record companies as a promotional spot soon became a moneymaking pit. According to an article by Gary Burns for the Museum of Broadcast Communications, the first music videos aired were provided free of charge by the record companies because it was free advertising for their clients and record company name.

What made MTV stand out was its constant flow of videos. Unlike other TV stations at the time, MTV did not have individual and discrete programming and this appealed to some generations.

Eye-catching videos caught the attention of a younger generation. The combination of storylines, illusions, lip sync and direct address to the camera was a novelty in the early '80s, according to Burns.

A new art form was discovered and its content was sometimes bold and controversial, dealing with issues of violence, sex and other sensitive topics.

Duran Duran is just one of the success stories of early MTV. As of 1981, Duran Duran was making interesting, videos according to some, but was not getting any radio time. In areas where MTV was aired, Duran Duran became increasingly popular. Many other success stories exist with artists such as Madonna, Prince, Peter Gabriel, U2 and Michael Jackson.

Many record companies boasted that MTV helped increase their sales by more than 20 percent in 1982, according to Burns.

In 1986 MTV started to see a decline in ratings due to the music selection of mostly hard rock. During the late '80s, MTV programming switched to a more blocked and set type of programming like most other TV channels.

MTV quickly became popular once again all over the world as the channel set up satellite stations in Europe for the first time. MTV also became more popular as it diversified its music style. Rap became popular and MTV helped promote it. MTV even added a show called "Yo! MTV Raps." This is when MTV made the big move from just playing music videos to adding other shows to the schedule.

At the present time, MTV's increasing popularity still holds. Burns noted that MTV and VH1, another music video station, are still going strong in the TV market. Other channels such as Country Music Television and Black Entertainment Television cannot compete with MTV in a limited way. By only playing country music or music by black artists, CMT and BET are not able to compete with the wide variety that MTV and VH1 offer their viewers.

Also adding a bonus to MTV's list is the number of popular shows it has created. "Total Request Live," "The Real World," "Road Rules" and "Jackass" are just a few of the popular shows that attract viewers of all ages.