| On This Day in American History |
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On August 1, 1981, MTV debuts on cable television. The first broadcast opened with a narrator saying “ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll” as an astronaut planted a flag on the Moon with a big “M” and smaller, spray painted “TV” on it. A heavy guitar riff roared in the background. The first video played by the station’s “video jockeys” was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the little-known duo, the Buggles. Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run” followed. Over the first week, the channel aired 80 different videos. The impact on the music industry was massive, as every new release required a video so the song would be played on MTV. |
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