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Essay Subject: Reviews the growth & development of Music Television, or MTV, one of the most successful cable broadcasters in history.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Reviews the growth & development of Music Television, or MTV, one of the most successful cable broadcasters in history. Paper Introduction: INTRODUCTION MTV is a major success story among the many cable television networks in operation in America today, along with news stations like CNN and movie channels like HBO, Movie Channel, American Movie Classics, and Cinemax. A number of cable networks have come and gone, but MTV has been successful in gaining placement on cable systems across the country and in becoming popular with a large enough base of subscribers so that removal of the network from a system can generate a good deal of adverse comment from subscribers. MTV serves a niche audience that is especially large, but more than this, the network has been successful because it has marketed and promoted itself well. BACKGROUND Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. MTV Europe failed to make aprofit for its first four years, though it was projected to do so by theend of 1992 (Rock on, 1991, 66). In August 1984, MTV became a publiccorporation. Commercial directors and video makers were forced to adopt the sameaesthetic and to create an environment that would be as seamless as it istransitionless (Morgan, 1991, 2). (1994). From the beginning,MTV has projected what its audience might want to see and then has providedjust that in a successful way. The channel first benefited from the growthof cable, and now it is engaged in an attempt to reach out to othercountries because the United States is seen as near-saturated. It was also considered a risk whether the candidates and theircampaign organizations would take MTV seriously, but all the candidatesexcept President Bush were willing to appear on MTV during the NewHampshire primary. MTV was originally owned by Warner AmexSatellite Entertainment Company and more recently by Viacom International.it is an advertiser-supported, basic cable service for which subscribers donot pay extra. By 1983, MTVwas the highest-rated cable channel to date, reaching 13 millionhouseholds. By 1984the audience stood at 22 million, aged between 12 and 34, and ad revenuehad reached one million dollars per week. It set up a series of joint ventures between its parentcompany, Viacom International, and other companies so that versions of thechannel were made available in 194 million homes in 4 countries. The channel'splaylist was completely white until 1983, and then, reportedly because ofpressure from Columbia Records, Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" was shown(The MTV revolution, 1994, 7 ). Rock on. MTV serves a niche audience that is especially large, butmore than this, the network has been successful because it has marketed andpromoted itself well. Anumber of cable networks have come and gone, but MTV has been successful ingaining placement on cable systems across the country and in becomingpopular with a large enough base of subscribers so that removal of thenetwork from a system can generate a good deal of adverse comment fromsubscribers. House panel's re-regulation bill targetscable TV 'renegades.' Congressional Quarterly, 797-799. Such videos had existed before MTV but werelargely tapes of live performances played on late-night television forpublicity purposes. The president of MTV at that time was 27-year-old RobertPittman, and he lobbied record companies for free promotional rock videosfor the channel. It cost about $3 million to launch. Most franchisingauthorities--usually some local city authority--give exclusive contracts tojust one system, thus effectively preventing competition in the firstplace. (1991, August 3). Kaplan, E.A. The reports were put together in the channel's usualfast-paced, ironic, and slightly off-center style, and audience reactionwas positive. Works Cited Benoit, E. The Economist, 66. The Buggles disappeared without a trace after thisfirst video, but MTV continued and grew. Still, MTV in America remains an attractivevehicle for advertisers who want to attract the teenage and yuppie viewers,for MTV delivers these desirable demographic groups through its"narrowcasting," one of its prime strategies. Revenuesfor Viacom's MTV networks, including four other and much smaller cablechannels, rose in 199 to $349 million, up 23 percent from 1989. At that time, Turner Broadcastingannounced that it was initiating a competing 24-hour music televisionstation, so MTV started its second channel, VH-1, intended for an audienceaged 25 to 49, at an initial cost of $5 million (Kaplan, 1987, 1-2). This has also been one ofthe channel's prime strengths, as has the fact that its programming isvirtually cost-free because record companies are paid only nominal fees forthe videos. Adweek,2. The service was originally available only to 2.5million subscribers. The first song playedwas the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," a song the channel clearlymeant to be prophetic. He also noted that record companies needednew showcases for new talent and that cable operators were starved forprogramming (Morgan, 1991, 2). The formulahas been successful. New York: Methuen. The successof MTV had much to do with the revival of the stalled music industry andwith other changes in visual presentation. Cable has succeeded against"free" broadcast television because it delivers a better picture and moreoptions, and even in areas where broadcast transmission is superior, cablehas made inroads because of the increased number of channels it can offer.Only 53 communities in the nation are wired for two cable systems. BACKGROUND There are nearly 11, cable systems in the country today, servingapproximately 56 million subscribers. The company found it difficult to repeat its successabroad, however. Theworldwide strategy has been less about vision and more about necessitybased on the view that the steady growth of cable in America is not likelyto continue. McGrath, T. Financial World, 35-37. The channel also assumed that thepeople watching it loved the music, and this also meant that the channelassumed that this audience would love the repetition of playing the samevideos over and over again. In 1992,for instance, the channel became a political entity by covering the 1992presidential campaign, an idea that originated with the creative director,Judy McGrath. The service provided varies widely,with an average provision of 36 channels and with the potential to doublechannel capacity within a few years. Most areas are now wired for cable, and 6 percent of homescurrently receiving it may be close to the limit of those interested enoughto subscribe. MTV earned $7 million in ad revenue in the first 18 months. The company announced that it had four record companies forexclusive rights to new videos. MTVs influencehas been most pronounced in terms of advertising, and MTVs fast-pacedtransition-free environment became the way commercials are made. At the present time there is little competition for most cablesystems, aside from broadcast television. MTV has changed since its beginning and has done so in a way thatbrings new and different programs and services to its audience, and this isanother reason for the success of the channel--it is adaptable. The initial repertoire consisted of only 25 musicalclips played over and over, 24 hours a day, with one of 5 unknown VJsoffering commentary ranging from the sharp to the inane. By the end of 1983, the channelhad $2 million in ad revenue. While the cable audience is not getting much larger,channels are increasing in number. (1992, March 28). MTV essentially duplicated FM Radio's white rock focus, thoughperhaps not with the variety that can be found on FM (Kaplan, 1987, 2-3). Morgan, R. The industry was deregulated in 1984,and complaints by consumers about prices and inferior service have ledlawmakers to try to reimpose regulation in the last two years (Mills, 1992,798). Philadelphia:Running Press. Rocking around the clock. Videos were featured on some Top Twenty programs aswell. MTV also changed the way advertising is treated by poking fun at itand by taking an irreverent attitude to the whole process. One was itsThe Real World, a "real-life soap opera." The addition of Beavis andButthead was another element that attracted audience. Thenetwork has adopted the attention span of its audience, though many wouldsay it has shaped that attention span. This means increased competition forviewers, and it has already caused the ratings of many big cable channels,including MTV, to drop. Existing cable systems also often buy out the competition or wagecourt battles to retain exclusive franchises (Mills, 1992, 798). MTV came into being on August 1, 1981 as something completely new--atelevision channel showing nothing but music videos. MTV Europe is a joint venture between Viacom and the MaxwellEntertainment Group and is the biggest of the foreign operations, reaching27 countries and 25 million homes. These companies bought air timefor spots from 3 to 12 seconds at a cost of from $15 to $6 . The intent was to achieve forrock music what ESPN had achieved for sports--a channel devoted entirely tothe genre, along with having an attitude as irreverent and unconventionalas possible. The average number of channels in suchcommunities is the same--36--but there is some impracticality in trying towire one community with two competing cable systems. Mills, M. The success of MTValso benefited the stalled music industry, and the channel's fast, flashystyle also influenced changes in fashion, TV, and publishing (The MTVrevolution, 1994, 7 ). The channel also got good publicity for its campaigncoverage (McGrath, 1996, 193-195). The channel had taken part in a public service campaigncalled Rock the Vote, encouraging young people to register and vote.McGrath wanted to do more and turned to the growing MTV News department.There was some concern whether the MTV audience was interested in suchmatters, but it was believed that they were and so the coverage wasplanned. Ratesbetween competing cable systems are often as much as 2 percent lower thanfor those in communities with only one cable system, and per channel pricescan be as much as 5 percent lower. The success of MTV derives first from its format, from the concept of24-hours of rock videos. Bands seen as untelegenic were nowovershadowed by bland but good-looking groups like Duran Duran, who couldadapt to the cutting-edge aesthetics of music videos. MTV: The making of a revolution. In 1982, the channel undertook a massive advertising campaign on othercable channels and on broadcast television with rock stars like Mick Jaggerand Sting urging people to call their cable companies and demand, "I wantmy MTV!" This helped increase the audience for the station. INGREDIENTS OF SUCCESS After its first decade of operation, MTV began to fear that itshome market was almost saturated, so it looked to foreign markets forfurther growth. (1991, April 16). However, theformula was effective. The C-word. MTV in America began as a commercial proposition when John Lack,creator of the MTV concept, realized that advertisers had no effective wayto reach the teenage audience. INTRODUCTION MTV is a major success story among the many cable television networksin operation in America today, along with news stations like CNN and moviechannels like HBO, Movie Channel, American Movie Classics, and Cinemax. (1987). This was a leap of faith that proved accurate. (1991, July 29). Nearly 95 percent of American homes have access to cable, and nearly57 percent actually subscribe (Benoit, 1991, 37). By 1984, the channel was in the black. (1996). By May 1983 the station already had 125 advertisers representing some 2 products, including Pepsico and Kellogg. A salute to MTV's 1 th birthday. SUMMARY Other programs also changed the way MTV was perceived. The MTV revolution. It also changed the way theaudience viewed rock itself. Entertainment Weekly, 7 . It is pan-European, and all itsprogramming and advertising is in English. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.