The Evolution of MTV-Breaking the Color Barrier-Weekly Analysis 2

When MTV started out, it played mostly just rock songs and videos. There was rarely any black artists that had their songs played on MTV. Tina Turner, Eddy Grant, and Donna Summer were the only black artists featured on MTV. "Super Freak" by Rick James was one video that was not played on the channel because it didn't go along with MTV's genre. James wasn't happy about this and wanted the station to play more videos by black artists. Even Michael Jackson wasn't being played on the channel before 1983. In 1983, Walter Yetnikoff, CBS Records' president at the time, threatened to not allow MTV to play any music videos on the record label. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson was then played, and this video was said to "break the color barrier" on MTV. After airing this video in regular rotation, MTV's popularity rose. More and more black artists were having their videos played on MTV, and the channel switched from playing just rock to also playing pop and R&B.

Pop Icons

A pop icon is something in pop culture that is recognized by most people, such as a celebrity, TV show character, or an object. The three icons I chose are Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Mario. I feel that all three have played a major roll in pop culture today and years ago.

The first icon, Britney Spears, I chose because when she first became really famous in the the late 90s, everyone wanted to be like her. She defined pop music. Spears has had a rough time in the spotlight lately with the media seeing her in a negative way, but she has been able to overcome that and she is still making records and her new songs are being played all over the radio. After all she has been through, she has been able to overcome the struggles and negativity and make a great comeback.

The next icon I chose is Lady Gaga. She has become a star in the eyes of the media basically overnight. Recently, she beat out Oprah Winfrey on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list of the most powerful people. Everyone knows her songs, and they have even been featured on shows such as Glee and Gossip Girl. Be it her outrageous outfits, he controversial songs, or rumors of her being a hermaphrodite, Lady Gaga is redefining pop icon. She has hit the ground running and she isn't about to stop any time soon.

The last icon I chose is one that all will recognize: Mario! Mario first made his debut in 1981 in the video game Donkey Kong. In 1983 Mario Bros. came out, and that was the start of his fame. Mario is an iconic video game character and is still around today. My parents grew up playing Mario, and even today I still enjoy the occasional game of Mario Kart. Anyone who has played a video game has most likely at one point played a video game with Mario in it. He is a pop icon, and probably one of the most recognized video game characters in the world.

I have grown up with these icons and that is why I have chosen them. I can remember dressing up and dancing to Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" when I was younger, trying to learn the dance moves to some of Lady Gaga's videos, and smoking my sister in Mario Kart. All three of these icons are important to me, and I feel that they will continue to be important to those younger than me.

The Evolution of MTV-The Launch-Weekly Analysis 1

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock and Roll." These words were said by John Lack when MTV first launched at 12:01am on August 1, 1981. This was one of the most iconic dates of the 1980s. As MTV launched, photos of the moon landing of Apollo 11. The flag displayed the MTV logo changing designs and colors. MTV producers used these images because they felt the launch of MTV was one of the most famous and historical moments in television history. The launch could only be seen by a few thousand people in New Jersey at first. The very first music video every played on MTV was The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.” The second was Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run.” When videos were being changed in the VCR, the screen would go black. When MTV first started out, its sole purpose was to play music videos all day, every day. The launch was uploaded to YouTube in 2009, which is posted below.

Popular Culture

Each week for the next six weeks, I will be talking about the evolution of MTV and the impact it has had on our culture and society. This blog will better help you understand how society and pop culture has changed through the eyes of just one television station. MTV started out as a channel dedicated to just music, but in today's culture, that is not the case.

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What is popular culture? Also known as pop culture, this is what society sees as being "in" at a certain time. Things such as ideas, attitudes, music, movies, the internet, television, and anything in the media are considered pop culture. To me, pop culture is what is popular at a certain moment and place in time. Pop culture is around us everyday and has a big influence on our lives.

Pop culture is relevant to the business environment because it is constantly changing. People are constantly needing to learn how to use the newest technology. It is also important in some businesses to stay undated on what is happening in the world, and newspapers are becoming irrelevant. The internet is where people go to read up on the latest news and what is happening all around us.

I would consider the MTV logo to be an example of a pop culture artifact. Although there are many different designs and colors fo the logo, it is recognized by probably everyone. Whenever this logo is seen, one thing comes to mind: Music. Music is a huge part of pop culture, and MTV is where music videos can be seen. The logo is a simple three letters, but it is a huge part of pop culture.