Birth
MTV (Music Television) debuted 1981, as and all around music channel guided by on-air hosts known as VJ’s or video jockeys. Today, MTV still plays a limited selection of music videos, but the channel primarily broadcasts a variety of pop culture and reality TV shows targeted at young adults. Since its premiere, MTV has revolutionized the music industry. Slogans such as "I want my MTV" became embedded in public thought, the concept of the VJ was popularized, the idea of a dedicated video-based outlet for music was introduced, and both music artist and fans found a central location for music events, news, and promotion. MTV has also been referenced countless times in popular culture by musicians, other TV channels and shows, films and books. MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the U.S. and affiliated channels internationally. MTV's choice to focus on non-music programming has also been contested relentlessly since the 1990s, demonstrating the channel's impact on popular culture
Events and Decisions
During the early lifetime of MTV, small events like a “lost weekend” with Van Halen or giving dilapidated house to wining viewers were used to raise ratings to bring in more revenue. Another popular event was the VMA’s. The VMA (Video Music Awards) is an award show that was specifically made for giving out rewards to the best videos of that year. On the side of decisions, the best one that stood out was spreading out globally. By 1989, MTV expanded, offering local area music and also popular music through MTV Africa, China, Ireland, India, Europe, the UK, and Brazil.