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What Year was MTV Launched?

MTV (Music Television), the world's first music video channel, not only changed modern popular music, it had a profound effect on the world's social state and pop culture. At a time when cable television began appearing in more American homes, MTV put faces to the voices kids heard on the radio, making icons out of out artists.

  1. Creating MTV

    • MTV was the brainchild of Robert Pittman, a 27-year-old executive with Warner Satellite Entertainment who had the idea of a cable channel that played music videos the way radio stations played songs. Pittman was eventually named CEO of MTV Networks.

    Premiere Date

    • MTV premiered on cable stations on Aug. 1, 1981. The channel went on the air with the famous promo showing an Apollo rocket launching and an astronaut planting an MTV flag on the moon.

    First Videos

    • The first music video played was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. The second music video played was "You Better Run" by Pat Benetar.

    First Video Jockeys

    • The first video jockeys for MTV's premiere were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn. Video jockey, or VJ, became a common term.

    Early Success

    • It was estimated more than 2 million viewers watched MTV at some point during its premiere. It now has a worldwide audience of more than 250 million.

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