ABSTRACT
This work is a study in the production of culture. It is as much about media economics and politics as about the product itself. MTV is the third major breakthrough in music broadcasting, the first being when Todd Storz gave birth to “Top Forty” radio in 1955 and the second being the advent of “free form” or “progressive” rock at KMPX in San Francisco in 1967. The early broadcasting innovations molded the state of rock music exposure for nearly twenty years. Then came MTV. MTV began as the third of four Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Company (WASEC) channels. The channels were created by two of America’s largest conglomerates-American Express and Warner Communications Inc.
