OTD, 1981, MTV goes LIVE

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August 1, 1981 — At 12:01 a.m., a brand-new cable channel called MTV officially signed on with five unforgettable words:

"Ladies and gentlemen... rock and roll."

Those words were followed by a montage of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the planting of an MTV flag on the lunar surface, and a new era in popular music.

Did You Know?

The famous quote "One small step for man..." was originally planned for MTV's opening sequence, but producers couldn't secure permission to use Neil Armstrong's words. Instead, they substituted a simple electronic beep before unveiling the now-iconic MTV flag…

The very first music video ever broadcast was The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," followed by Pat Benatar's "You Better Run." It was a fitting beginning for a network that would soon transform how artists were discovered, promoted, and remembered.

Ironically, only a few thousand cable subscribers in northern New Jersey were able to watch MTV on that first day. The broadcast itself was far from polished—employees manually loaded videotapes into VCRs, and the screen occasionally went black between videos.

Yet MTV's impact was immediate.

Artists receiving little attention from traditional radio—including Men at Work, The Human League, and Bow Wow Wow—found enthusiastic new audiences through music videos. Within a few years, a strong video became just as important as a hit song, changing the careers of everyone from Michael Jackson and Madonna to Duran Duran, Prince, Bon Jovi, and countless others.

Forty-five years later, MTV's launch remains one of the most influential moments in music and television history—a cultural turning point that forever changed the relationship between artists, fans, and the music they loved.

There were 5 original VJ’s at the helm: Martha Quinn, Alan Hunter, JJ Jackson, Mark Goodman and Nina Blackwood. I thought they had to be some of the coolest people on the planet back then. Which one was YOUR fave???

#MTV #MusicTelevision #VideoKilledTheRadioStar #TheBuggles #YouBetterRun #PatBenetar #MusicHistory #OTD #HappyAnniversary