History of MTV
As its viewership and popularity among teenagers grew, and with the eventual rise of internet-based services and platforms rendering its original format obsolete, MTV gradually scaled down its music-centric programming from the 1990s and through the 2000s.
Reality shows and documentaries have since made the bulk of MTV's original programming, while the channel has also produced scripted comedies, adult animation, and teen dramas.
[1] In 1979, executives at the newly formed Warner-American Express Satellite Entertainment Company felt teenagers were an overlooked and potentially lucrative audience, and hoped to develop a television format to target them.
[4] Pittman's boss, Warner executive vice president John Lack, had shepherded PopClips, a TV series created by the former Monkees member Michael Nesmith, whose attention had turned to the music video format in the late 1970s.
[10] A shortened version of the shuttle launch ID ran at the top of every hour in different forms, from MTV's first day until it was pulled in early 1986 in the wake of the Challenger disaster.
[14][15] MTV later moved studio facilities to Unitel Video's complex located on 57th Street (ironically located across the street from the CBS Broadcast Center, owned by future corporate sibling CBS) in 1987, remaining until 1995 when MTV chose to begin producing studio content in-house.
[16] "MTV has paved the way for a host of invaders from abroad: Def Leppard, Adam Ant, Madness, Eurythmics, the Fixx and Billy Idol, to name a few.
[18] They were joined by Carolyn Baker (original head of talent and acquisition),[19] Marshall Cohen (original head of research),[20] Gail Sparrow (of talent and acquisition), Sue Steinberg (executive producer),[21] Julian Goldberg, Steve Lawrence, Geoff Bolton; studio producers and MTV News writers/associate producers Liz Nealon, Nancy LaPook and Robin Zorn; Steve Casey (creator of the name "MTV" and its first program director),[22] Marcy Brafman, Richard Schenkman, Ronald E. "Buzz" Brindle, and Robert Morton.
MTV's five original VJs in 1981 were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J. J. Jackson and Martha Quinn.
The VJs were hired to fit certain demographics the channel was trying to obtain: Goodman was the affable everyman; Hunter, the popular jock; Jackson, the hip radio veteran; Blackwood, the bombshell vixen; and Quinn, the girl next door.
[29] The VJs recorded intro and outro voiceovers before broadcast, along with music news, interviews, concert dates and promotions.
[30] Rock bands and performers of the 1980s who appeared on MTV ranged from new wave to soft rock and heavy metal including Adam Ant, Bryan Adams, Pat Benatar, Blondie, the Cars, Culture Club,[31] Def Leppard, Dire Straits (whose 1985 song and video "Money for Nothing" included the slogan "I want my MTV" in its lyrics), Duran Duran,[32] Eurythmics,[33] Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, John Mellencamp, Mötley Crüe, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Police, Prince, Ratt,[34] Ultravox, U2, Van Halen[35] and ZZ Top.
To accommodate the influx of videos, MTV announced changes to its playlists in the November 3, 1984, issue of Billboard that took effect the next week.
In response to the AIDS epidemic, MTV initiated a safe-sex campaign in 1985, believing that many youths would be more open to the message there than from their parents.
[44][45] On 10 September 1991, Nirvana released "Smells Like Teen Spirit", the lead single to their second studio album Nevermind.
In 2000, the Guinness World Records named "Smells Like Teen Spirit" the "Most Played Video" on MTV Europe.
[51] MTV would venture into adult animation, with shows like Beavis and Butt-Head (1993–1997), Celebrity Deathmatch (1998–2007), Undergrads (2001), Clone High (2002–2003), and Daria (1997–2002).
By 2000, Linkin Park, Sum 41, Jimmy Eat World, Mudvayne, Cold, At the Drive-In, Alien Ant Farm, and other acts were added to the musical rotation.
[57] The program played the top ten pop, rock, R&B, and hip hop music videos, and featured live interviews with artists and celebrities.
[61] MTV also aired Hot Zone, hosted by Ananda Lewis, which featured pop music videos during the midday time period.
It's been speculated that the rise of social media and websites like YouTube as an outlet for the promotion and viewing of music videos led to this reduction.
[76] Prior to Total Request Live ending its run in 2008, MTV was experimenting with its remaining music programming under new formats.
[88] The temporary shift in MTV's programming culminated the following week with the channel's live coverage of Jackson's memorial service.
In April 2016, then-appointed MTV president Sean Atkins announced plans to restore music programming to the channel.
[97][98] On April 21, 2016, MTV announced that new Unplugged episodes will begin airing, as well as a new weekly performance series called Wonderland.
[98] Throughout the latter half of the 2010s, it was observed that MTV's daily schedule came to predominantly consist of film broadcasts and frequent marathons of select original programming, similar to other cable networks.
[109] In 2021, McCarthy was named president and CEO of MTV Entertainment Group (which also oversees Comedy Central, Paramount Network, TV Land, CMT, and Smithsonian Channel).
