Recently, MTV has become known for a particularly provocative VMA performance. When people say MTV in 2013, they either think of Miley Cyrus’ racy performance or, ironically, a lack of actual music. In the 32 years since its launch, MTV has become a vastly different network. Back in 1981, Kennesaw students enjoyed the beginning of Music Television.
An article in an October, 1981 issue of The Sentinel, titled “Move Over for MTV,” stressed how revolutionary it was to be able to see bands perform in your own living room. When it began, MTV was an estimated $15-$20 million television operation available exclusively to cable television subscribers. It was the first all-music stereo television channel, starting a revolution in audio/video entertainment.
Having launched in August 1981, MTV was still attempting to gain viewership when the article was published. The article discussed how the station hosted numerous national contests in an attempt to raise interest in the station. One major contest was for a “One Night Stand” with the Rolling Stones. Countless MTV subscribers sent in self- addressed post cards to win “a round-trip on MTV’s private L-25 Learjet with three friends to see the Stones live at New Orleans Superdome.” Other contests held during MTV’s early days featured top of the line “fantasy” trips and state of the art audio and video equipment.
The rise of MTV had a large cultural impact on popular music. Prior to the station’s launch, record stores only tended to sell what was airing on the radio, leading to very limited musical interest. Only a couple of months after the launch of MTV, record stores in areas where the station was available began to sell music that radio stations were not playing. In effect, MTV in the ‘80s played the same role that YouTube does for today’s music scene.
The article also mentioned a few of the special programs shown on the channel during the first months of airing.
One program followed Mick Fleetwood, drummer and founder of Fleetwood Mac, as he journeyed to Ghana to “mix rock with African rhythms.”
In an interesting special that would likely not be aired on MTV today, the station actually played the entire Niel Young album “Rust Never Sleeps.” Programs like these show just how music-oriented the station was during its early years. It was purely dedicated to presenting new and hot music to its viewers.
