Earlier this week marked the anniversary of a television (and music) milestone. On August 1, 1981 a new music channel called "MTV" signed on for the first time. In the beginning, the cable network was only available in select parts of New Jersey and played a very raw selection of "music videos", as it was a new concept and very few videos were even available. The clips were introduced by "VJs", or video jockeys, who would also talk about music news of the day and do interviews with artists.  MTV went on to become a massive pop culture phenomenon and most artists built their careers on an MTV presence in the 1980s and '90s. Including a particular duo I grew up becoming a huge fan of --Hall & Oates. I in part became a fan because of one of the most unique videos of the '80s, which is saying a lot based on some of the crazy stuff that was done in those years.

They are even launching a new spinoff network, called "MTV Classic", but it's not what you might expect. It is replacing VH1 Classic, and rather than take us back to the original channel's heydey of the '80s, it will focus more on the '90s and 2000s,  by featuring more shows instead of music. Daria, Laguna Beach and MTV Cribs will be on the programming slate. Hall & Oates, Madonna and The Buggles, who held the distinction of being the first artist/band to have their video ever played on MTV, will have only a limited presence.

I somewhat take exception to the title of the song, but the first music video was an amazing way to launch this new concept.

 

Thankfully, however, it also doesn't appear such gems as the "Teen Mom" series will be seen on MTV Classic either.

Ironically, if you ever spent any time watching VH1 Classic, you might agree it was the closest thing to the original MTV we may ever have again. They played videos and showed old concerts with some movies mixed in. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when things started going downhill for MTV, and while MTV Classic is a somewhat good start, the days of ever recapturing the original magic seem to be lost forever. Granted, that's a purpose YouTube can now serve, but it's not really the same.

What were some of your favorite MTV moments and videos? Do you remember when they first signed on? Are you interested in the new spinoff network? Share your thoughts in the comments.

 

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