MTV - History and Background
Key People: Christina Norman
Launch Date: August 1st 1981Past names: Sight and Sound
This channel has now become less in being a music-orientated programme, and has emerged in to showing different television shows aiming at its primary audience of adolescents and young adults.
In 1977, MTV was created, where Warner-Amex Cable, which is a joint venture between Warner Communications and American Express launched the first two-way interactive cable TV, name Qube in Columbus, Ohio. This particular channel Qube, became specialized in doing children’s channels, which later on was called Nickelodeon.
Broadcasting for MTV began on August 1st 1981 as a process of Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Company, which is joint with another two companies called Warner Communications and American Express also known as WASEC. MTV is based on the British syndicated radio show of the same name.
The channel was launched by Bob Pittman, who later became the president and chief executive officer of MTV Networks. This channel went to air at 12:01 am, with the words of John Lack saying “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll!”, whereby the original MTV theme song, (a crunching guitar riff created by Jonathan Elias over the footage of the moon landing)
Many technical problems had occurred during the first release of this channel for example:
· The screen would go black when someone at MTV inserted a Video Tape into the VCR.
· The first music video shown on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles
· Fresh-faced young men and women were hired to host the show’s programming and to introduce the videos that were being played, so that the target audience of young adults can relate to the hosts.
· VJ’s and DJ’s were also hired to introduce videos, whereby the VJ’s became celebrities in their own right.
· MTV logos were created by numerous animation studios, including work by artistis named as Steve Fiorilla and Ken Brown.
2. Many musicians appeared on MTV, where they became more popular
3. Madonna rose to fame on MTV in the 1980’s
· Now Madonna is the most successful video performer in MTV history, and to this day she uses MTV to market her music.
In 1984, Warner and Amex attempted to take some cash out of their WASEC investment. These companies denied WASEC and in the end was name MTV Networks Inc.
· In 1984 also MTV produced its first Video Music Award
· MTV shifted towards heavy metal and rap music, whereby they released another Network named VH1 (Video Hits One), and showed more popular music than MTV.
- MTV own Nickelodeon.
1986
In 1986, MTV Networks Inc. was attained by Viacom Inc and therefore renamed MTV Networks, which is still part of Viacom today.
1987
In 1987, Viacom itself was the target of a successful hostile takeover by National Amusements.
1987 – 1999
In the past, MTV featured only music videos but as time passed they introduced a variety of other shows. Some of these shows are within the genre’s of animated cartoons, reality shows, prank/comedy shows and soap/operas.
· Beavis and Butthead
· The Real World
· Punk’d
· Undressed
By the second half of the 1990s, MTV programming consisted primarily of non-music programming.
2004-2006
2004
Viacom bought MTV base. MTV announced that they would be airing it in Africa.
2006
MTV is debating whether to launch MTV to Ukraine to become the emerging music market.
25th Anniversary
On August 1st 2006, MTV celebrated its 25th anniversary.
On their broadband video channel, MTV overdrive, MTV executives it allowed people to view the very first hour of MTV.
Also putting a yearbook together from the year 1981 to 2006 of the popular videos.
Racial Discrimination
In the early years MTV was condemned for the acts that were featured nearly all white. MTV said that there were acts from artists such as Diana Ross and The Jacksons.
In its early years, MTV was criticized for being discriminatory, since the acts it featured were nearly exclusively white. MTV executives countered by claiming that there were few—if any—promotional videos available from black and other minority acts, although artists such as Diana Ross and The Jacksons had been making music videos before MTV existed.
Some critics from 1981 to 1985 complained that the channel frequently aired videos. White acts with Motown and Philly soul influences, and heavy airplay on black radio—but not the black artists with whom they shared the R&B and dance charts.
Subsequently, MTV delved heavily into black musical acts, developing several hip hop music-themed programs. This changeover has alienated and confused many people, where MTV had become something called reverse racism.
Diversification
MHD – Music High Definition is a high definition channel that MTV launched on January 16th 2006.
MTV.com, the website of the channel, expands on its broadcasts by bringing additional content to its viewers. Its notable features include its podcasts, including MTV News RAW, which interviews various musical artists; MTV Overdrive, a video steaming service supported by commercials. Additionally there are movie features, profiles and interviews with recording artists and even clips from MTV television programs.
SLOGANS
"M-m-m-m T-t-t-t V-v-v-v"
"Not on TV, on M-TV"
"Best Watch Your MTVs"
"MTV News: You Hear it First"
"I love my MTV"
POLITICAL INFLUENCE
In the 1990s and early 2000s, MTV promoted annual campaigns "Fight For Your Rights" and "Speak Out/Stand Up Against Violence" to bring forth awareness on America's crime, drugs and violence issues.
On April 6, 2001; the only time in MTV's history the network ceased regular programming for 24 hours as part of the year's Hate Crimes awareness campaign. On that night, MTV aired a made-for-TV movie Anatomy of a Hate Crime, based on a true story of the 1999 murder of 21-year old Matthew Shepherd, a gay college student in the town of Laramie, Wyoming.
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