The original job of the VJ was to introduce music videos and serve as the mediator between the audience and the content the channel played. However, as the station quickly grew, VJs became entertainment journalists in their own right and were enlisted to interview the bands, artists and, later on, television and film stars who made promotional stops at the network.
The origins of the VJ stem from the New York nightclub HURRAH, the first venue to use video along with DJ music. However, when MTV launched in 1981, VJs, like DJs in radio, became the face of the new network. The original five VJs were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn. Numerous others have been VJs on the groundbreaking channel throughout the years, including Kennedy, Carson Daly, Matt Pinfield, Daisy Fuentes, Vanessa Minnillo, Jessee Camp and Pauly Shore. Most recently, with many music video networks like MTV and VH1 opting to air reality series more often than music videos, VJs have taken a smaller role as the face of the network.
VJs helped to define the attitude and image of MTV throughout the years. The first batch of VJs were supposed to represent a variety of musical tastes and ethnicities, and throughout the years, on all stations, various VJs have been chosen for specific shows based upon their appearance and musical tastes. Because the format was so successful in MTV's early days, other music video stations, like VH1, Fuse and Canada's Much Music have adapted the VJ host style for their own niches. As the faces of MTV and other networks, VJs became celebrities themselves and helped to define trends and tastes for generations of teens.
Most VJs only stay on the air for a few years, though some extremely popular VJs stay with the channel for just over ten years. Most VJs move on to successful broadcasting careers in radio or entertainment television while others have gone on to star in reality shows or host their own late night talk shows.
There are MTV stations all over the world, and wherever you find MTV, you find VJs. Current and former VJs worldwide include Denise Keller, Utt Panichkul and Sarah Meier for MTV Asia; Darren McMullen, Jason Dundas and Lyndsey Rodrigues for MTV Australia; Cyrus Broacha, Sophie Choudry and Mini Mathur for MTV India; Boo, KTa and Akiko for MTV Japan; and Carol Ribeiro, Jimmy London and Marina Person for MTV Brazil.