MTV revolutionized the music industry by providing a video-based outlet for music fans. Executive Vice President John Lack debuted the station with his iconic lines, “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.”
On this day, August 1st, in 1981, MTV was launched as the American network broadcasting music videos on television.
Since its launch, MTV has inspired numerous sister channels both abroad as well as in the United States. Since the 1990s, the station has moved away from its traditional music videos hosted by Video Jockeys, or “VJs.” Current programming on the original MTV now focuses primarily on teen-oriented shows.