MTV Plugged into Culture 30 Years Ago

Where were you 30 years ago today?

If you were among the few thousands subscribers to a New Jersey cable system then you were witnessing history when the fledging MTV made its debut shortly after midnight Aug. 1, 1981.

"Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," were the words that preceded the opening that included a montage featuring a chunky guitar riff playing over the familiar image of an American astronaut planting an unfamiliar flag on the surface of the moon.

The flag was emblazoned with a big, block capital "M" and the smaller, handwritten letters "TV."

The first week's MTV show was comprised of roughly 80 different videos. "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles started off the iconic TV show followed by Pat Benatar's "You Better Run."

Other music videos that week, "Rapture" by Blondie, "Love Stinks" by J. Geils Band and "Can't Happen Here" by Rainbow and "Little Susie's On The Up" by PhD.

MTV would go on to break new artists and as record labels responded with ever larger budgets for lavish video prooductions.

The TV show would spread to cable systems nationwide and begin to exert its cultural influence including being credited for everything from the movie, "Flashdance" and popular TV series, "Miami Vice" to Rick Astley and Attention Devicit Disorder.

Source: www.history.com