ABSTRACT
On August 1, 1981, when the cable network MTV—Music Television—aired its first broadcast in select U.S. markets, cable television was for many homes a luxury item. Radio remained the most crucial medium in “breaking a hit” and the music video was still a relatively unknown quantity. Within two years, however, MTV and cable had expanded nationally and become a driving force within the industry, helping to make stars of those artists who could adapt to and take advantage of the new medium. Like any station, MTV, which was initially modelled on an Album-Oriented-Rock (AOR) radio format style, thrived because it was able to create a specific identity—but one that was also embroiled in controversy. The following excerpts from Greg Prato’s oral history of MTV’s early years reveal some of the struggles and tense debates that arose regarding the network’s programming decisions and its video content. Would MTV, as an overwhelmingly white rock station, play the videos of black pop stars such as Michael Jackson (1958–2009)? Were women to be relegated to the roles of sex objects, most noticeably in the videos for popular heavy metal “hair bands”? Drawing on a variety of perspectives and conflicting accounts, ranging from video directors, MTV video jockeys (VJs), and MTV CEO Bob Pittman to the musicians themselves, Prato’s interviews capture both the seismic impact that MTV had during the 1980s and the contested historical terrain it inhabits to this day.
