The Anniversary: When MTV Launched A New Era In Music 45 Years Ago.

It was exactly on 1 August, 1981, when Music Television—known as MTV—launched its first broadcast with The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star,"  ushering in a new era of pop music. It was the best of TV combined with the best of radio, video jockey Mark Goodman told the audience in the wee hours of the night. 

The nerwork turned out to be a potent mix, with video becoming as important as the music itself. Among the first videos shown on MTV were Pat Benetar’s “You Better Run,” Rod Stewart’s "She Won’t Dance with Me," and The Who's "You Better You Bet."

 Although MTV wasn't the pioneer of the music video concept—its origins can be traced back to the 1960s with The Beatles and The Monkeys—and in the late 1970s a show emerged that many consider the direct ancestor of MTV: the famous "PopClips" on Nickelodeon, conceived by former Monkeys member Michael Nesmith. It only lasted one season, but its brief contribution was fundamental to the arrival of MTV. 

Of course, every beginning has its challenges, even for MTV. The debut couldn't even be seen in New York, and many of the producers recount traveling to New Jersey to watch the launch in a bar. There were other places where it was available from the very beginning. The truth is, it's not known for sure who actually saw the channel's debut on August 1, 1981. Many of us remember it and were able to watch it because VH1, for its 30th anniversary, dedicated the first 24 hours to its broadcast, and today at least the first two hours are available on YouTube. After the first clip, everything went silent for a few moments, then Pat Benatar appeared, followed by a brief description of the evolution of human sound, and then more videos, which were scarce at the time, many of them from years earlier. There was even a Rod Stewart video from 1976. 

In those first few hours, viewers could watch REO Speedwagon, The Who, Blondie, Styx, The Pretenders, Robin Lane & The Chartbusters, Split Enz, and April. Wine, among others, and then the official presentation of the first VJs: the great Mark Goodman, J.J. Jackson, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, and Nina Blackwood. It's curious how Goodman comments on how quickly time has passed since the channel's launch, and now it reaches its 45 anniversary, unfortunately with more sorrow than glory. 

The network gradually took off until the "I Want My MTV" campaign, promoted by luminaries like Hall & Oates, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, Billy Idol, The Police, and others, aimed to get cable distributors to include it in their programming. Little by little, its influence became omnipresent, with virtually no competition. Although programs like "Night Tracks" appeared on NBC over time, it wasn't the same. MTV's success made music videos essential for established artists and newcomers aspiring to success, benefiting the music industry by giving space to Black artists like Michael Jackson. This was also due to pressure from other artists, since initially there were hardly any Black artists on the programming. Then came "Thriller," and everything changed. The massive success of this video, which many consider the best in MTV history (for me, it's "Take On Me"), encouraged the creation of the VMAs in 1984, whose first ceremony was simple yet successful. Setting the course, and then, even though they continue to be delivered, their influence or value is worthless. 

Obviously the network evolved, delivering memorable moments and programs. For example, the famous "The Basement Tapes," the support for indie music in "120 Minutes," the metal in "Head Bangers Ball," the rap segment "Yo MTV Raps," the "Top 20 Countdown," the Spring Break specials, and the famous "MTV Unplugged," which began with XTC's performance and spawned memorable moments like those with Nirvana and R.E.M. Then came the creation of its younger sibling, VH1, MTV Europe, followed by MTV Latino, Alternative Nation, and AMP. Just as the channel was beginning to decline in the mid-90s, MTV2 breathed new life into the channel, recapturing its golden age and remaining on the air until its cancellation in 2003, leaving us with nothing. There were key moments like the famous "Unplugged," whose idea originated from an acoustic show with XTC, but it was Eric who truly made it happen. Clapton, Paul McCartney, R.E.M., and Nirvana showed that the format would reach massive heights. And what can be said about the VMAs, which after 1985 evolved into something unmissable? I remember the ceremony being considered a massive and unmissable event, until it stopped being innovative and enjoyable from the late 90s onwards. 

Unfortunately, little by little, the network content began to fade and replace music videos with trash reality TV, first was "Real World" back in 1992, and from then on it wouldn't stop, without knowing it, we were witnessing the beginning of the end, until everything became unbearable. Unfortunately over the decades, MTV went through many different phases before ultimately fading as cable TV was replaced by the internet—but not without forever leaving its mark on music.