One of the major reasons was the veejays, or video discjockeys. From Down Town Julie Brown to Carson Daly, MTV s veejays became celebrities overnight, are looked up to, and imitated by millions of young adults all over America. For the past two decades, MTV has help to define our culture besides giving music a whole new look and attitude. A television executive once said MTV is the biggest radio station on the planet, and it s very difficult to have a hit record without support from them. Musicians realized and know that with each new single, there must be a hot, trendy, state of the art video to go along with it.
Videos can make or break a song and an artist s career.
There also does not seem to be signs that MTV is going away anytime soon. It has even expanded with the new MTV2, which plays music videos all day and night without the interruption of half-hour shows. So for now and for decades to come, we will all be hearing the common phrase, I want my MTV . Music You Can See, The MTV Story. Las Vagas, NV, Pioneer Books, 1993.