What Was MTV? Music Television from Launch to Reality

  In this clip of MTV flow from March 1984, we get a glimpse of just how jarring tonal changes could be between music videos both in look and sound. While MTV was slowly opening its playlist to include pop acts like Michael Jackson, it was still overwhelmingly rock oriented. Here, we get a quick lesson in how heavy metal videos could displace prestige acts based on sheer entertainment value. A video by Paul McCartney has star power, and a behind-the-scenes, making of the video approach that shows off McCartney, bandmate and wife Linda, and former co-Beatle Ringo Starr. Musically, the song could charitably be called soft rock. Whatever it is, it is totally forgettable after the next video starts: Motley Crue's "Looks that Kill". The men in the band don't just have dramatic hair, outfits, and makeup, but they hunt women--or is it the other way around?--and carry torches. There's a burning pentagram...is this satanic? Whatever it is, it sure does rock. Sorry, Paul Mc...

  Chrysler spent a lot of cash on this special 90 second ad for the Plymouth Duster that was produced especially for MTV's first ever Video Music Awards. However, the ad looks like a Broadway musical done in the style of 80s music video, rather than the "product videos" which aimed to create a distinctive stylistic identity for products. Here's the last ad break from MTV's first ever Video Music Awards in 1984. It includes a Thom McAn ad inspired by music videos, a Mountain Dew ad featuring breakdancing, and  a new campaign for Levi’s 501s…with Bruce Willis. This flow from the first ever Video Music Awards in instructive to recognize differences in approaches (somewhat subtle) to advertising on MTV. The first ad is for Levi's Cords, and is somewhat similar to the Levi's 501 ads which would be a much longer campaign. However, cords does not have a single blues musician singing the jingle, and instead has a more elaborate or typical pop jingle. Visually it i...

  In this clip of flow from MTV in November 1981, we can find an ad for The Gap that illustrates how MTV contextualized commercials via its promos and branding.  This clip of MTV flow from 1983 shows that while MTV might not have started playing hiphop yet, advertising agencies were quick to adopt it for themselves.  In this sequence of flow from August or September 1983, we can see some good examples of what kinds of ads were running on MTV, and how those ads adapted to the MTV style and audience. One features teens talking about acne in an arcade. Another features future TV star Jane Krakowski doing her best Valley Girl accent to help sell the Solar Fox video game. In a promo, MTV tells us there is something different about our TV, while showing clips from a Grace Jones video, "Demolition Man." This segment of MTV flow from July 1983 offers a number of productive glimpses into the nature of advertising on the network, as well as cross promotion and corporate synergy. Af...

This clip includes a promo for a Fleetwood Mac contest that was a part of MTV's first partnership to promote a new album. MTV began playing videos off the group's new album the day it was released in June, the band provided interviews to be used in music news segments, and to be put together in a documentary, and a “One Night Stand” contest brought a winner to see the band in concert.    This segment from MTV in November 1982, just a little over a year after launch, shows the ways in which MTV could help advertisers associate themselves with rock through specific sponsorships, but also immersion in MTV's flow. The music news includes a story on the Rolling Stones, then tour dates for the Who, sponsored by Schlitz. After this, a Schlitz ad featuring the Who plays, and again mentions the sponsorship. The MTV promo to listen in Stereo also features the Rolling Stones. Though not a part of the clip, which ends with the beginning of a song by the group Translator, the next song ...