1. [1]
The MTV launched on
August 1st 1981, froms it
base in New York. it
started as music video
channel that is guided by
on air hosts known as
VJʼs (Video Jockeys).
In this case study I will go
from the debut of MTV all
the way to its breaking the
colour barrier.
Although the debut of the music channel was on the 1st August
1981, but the arrange meant of MTV dates further back to
1970s.
The creator of MTV, Robert W. Pittman, who later became
president and chief of MTV Networks. In the 70ʼs Pittman had
tested the music format by hosting and producing on a show on
WNBC.
Pittman then later changed his idea with a little persuasion from
the head of departments at WNBC. John Lack had help
promote a TV series called PopClips, this then over the years
lead to the creation of MTV.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock and Roll” were the official words
that kicked started the era of MTV. These words were spoken
by John Lack, straight after this went to the MTV opening
scene.After the opening the first music video was shown, Video
Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles. For the first day of MTV
they had managed to play 87 music videos.
DEBUT
THEOPENINGThe first idea was to have the famous words
“one small step” Neil Armstrong, however due to
Armstrong refusing MTV to use it the idea was scraped.
Yet they managed to use the Apollo 11 landing clip
because of it being public footage.
The MTV opening sequence was a montage of the
Apollo 11 moon landing, with the MTV logo changing
colours, fonts and textures.
VJʼs is abbreviation of Video Jockeyʼs, this term taken from DJʼs (Disc Jockeyʼs). As MTV
believed that the hosts would play music videos not records, which brought in the term Video
Jockeyʼs.
MTV had taken the idea of VJʼs from the radio show top 40. This lead to them hiring five men
and women to host MTV and to Introduce the video that were being played. The original five
were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn.
All the original VJʼs became famous through hosting their own radio show or hosting TV shows.
All, but J.J. Jackson who died from a heart attack in 2004, are now hosting a radio a show on
Sirius XM Radio called 80ʼs on 8.
VJ’S
THEHISTORYOFMTV
INTRO

2. [2]
The VJʼs didnʼt have much air time due to the music videos took up the bulk of the MTV. As MTV
became popular and recognisable the record companies saw a promotion opportunity, from then
on they started putting in their logo into music videos. This added a system to which the gained
publicity.
This could have lead to the start of advertising the latest items in music videos so that the
companies could get funding to create these music videos. On that I have noticed recently is
Erase Me by Kid Cudi Ft Kanye West, it has a large amount of scene of Kid Cudi and friends
getting drunk on Jack Daniels.
THECHANGEOFMTV
During the early years of MTV, very few Black artists had their music video shown on the
channel. Those who were on MTV included Eddy Grant, Tina Turner and Donna Summer. One
black artist video that MTV rejected was Rick James's "Super Freak",this was due to MTV
believing that this type of music didnʼt fit in with the genre that they had at the time. The
exclusion of Jamesʼs music video angered him to the point where he campaigned for the addition
of more black artists on to MTV. This also lead to David Bowie to also questioned why MTV had
a lack of black artists whilst doing an on-air interview with VJ, Mark Goodman.
Before 1983, even Michael Jackson struggled to receive airtime on MTV. Eventually to resolve
the struggle and finally "break the color barrier," the president of CBS Records, Walter Yetnikoff,
announced to take away MTV's ability to play any of the record label's music videos. After a while
MTV began showing the "Billie Jean" video regularly in 1983, forming a partnership with Jackson
and helping other black music artists.
It is believed that Billie Jean was the video that broke the colour barrier. The video also became
the video that got the, then struggling, music video channel to become highly successful. The
video is also believed to be the reason MTVʼs change in focus from a genre of rock to pop and
RNB, which allowed other artists such as Prince, Janet Jackson And Whitney Houston to break
into the rotation of music videos.
BREAKINGTHECOLOURBARRIER
Other than braking the colour barrier in the amount of music video that have black people in.
MTV have changed in a large amount.
The original purpose of MTV was to be a music video channel that playʼs music videos 24/7,
which is guided by an on-air person known as VJs. " Although the idea of playing music videos
24/7 was abandoned in the first decade of the 2000s. However MTV still promotes and plays
eight hours per day of music videos on its TV channel. Also internationally, the station continued
to support a broad selection of music videos including 4 channels in the UK that broadcast 23
hours of music videos per day.
Justin Timberlake quoted at the 2007 Video Music Awards that MTV needed to ʻplay more damn
videos!ʼ while he gave his acceptance speech. However by 2008 an average of just three hours
of music videos per day were shown on the channel. MTV blamed this on the rise of internet and
the convenience of viewing music videos that the individual wantʼs to see.
FEWERMUSICVIDEOS

3. [3]
TVSHOWS
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, MTV placed a stronger focus on displaying reality TV shows
and related series, like The Real World and Road Rules in the 1990s. With the reality shows
came the game shows such as Singled Out, and such as Loveline and The Jon Stewart Show.
Towards the late 90s MTV started to move further into shows, they began to focus on prank/
comedy shows. These include The Tom Green Show and Jackass. As they did this they also
added to their collection of game shows with The Blame Game, webRIOT, and Say What?
Karaoke.
The next round of these shows came in approximately the late 1990s, as MTV shifted its focus
to prank/comedic shows such as The Tom Green Show and Jackass, soap operas such as
Undressed, and game shows such as Real World/Road Rules Challenge, The Blame Game,
webRIOT, and Say What? Karaoke. A year later, in 2000, MTV's Fear became one of the first
scare-based reality shows and the first reality show in which contestants filmed themselves.
They also kept to MTV musical roots by doing reality shows on the lives of musicians. The most
famous one of these is the show The Osbournes, a realty show based on the everyday life of
Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, as well as his family Sharon, Jack and Kelly Osbourne.
The show became one of the networkʼs biggest success stories.
In 2003, MTV added a prank show called Punk'd, hosted by Ashton Kutcher who plays pranks
and sometimes use current event to make it realistic on to the various celebrities. They also
added another show Pimp My Ride, a show about adding functional modifications to cars and
other vehicles.
In 2005 and 2006, MTV continued its focus on reality shows, with the debuts of popular shows
such as 8th & Ocean, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, NEXT, Two-A-Days, My Super
Sweet 16, and Parental Control. Another popular show was Viva La Bam, featuring Bam
Margera.