I want my MTV: the uncensored story of the music video revolution
By Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum The first-ever history of MTV’s first decade. In the beginning, nobody thought it would survive. Record labels were skeptical and cable operators were dismissive-perhaps rightfully so. MTV had an inventory of just one hundred clips, most by fringe British and Australian bands. The channel was available in only a few cities and towns. On the night the network launched, staffers celebrated at a bar in New Jersey because no Manhattan cable operator carried MTV....