Do you think MTV had a legitimate reason for racially discriminatory programming during the...

Entertainment & Music

Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

Do you think MTV had a legitimate reason for racially discriminatory programming during the early years?

If you are old enough to remember when MTV actually meant Music Television and it played music videos around the clock, you probably recall that during those first few years they refused to air videos from the major black artists. I recall the claim...

This is a truncated preview of the original post. Press here to view the full post.

Top | Newest First | Oldest First

uncalled4 · 56-60, M

Prince was definitely played before Thriller was out. Don't forget the opening cry of "Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock N Roll!" when they launched. I do not think it was racial as much as it was being shortsighted or trying to fit a format. The bands/artists you listed were pop/CHR artists although they charted on R&B. It was good that Epic pressured MTV.

This comment is hidden. Show Comment

uncalled4 · 56-60, M

@ManKing It's not an argument, that opening VO in 8/1/1981 was a clear declaration that the channel WAS about rock and roll--like a mission statement. But, i think they were learning as they went along. A major station in NYC that had previously been AOR changed to CHR in 1983(WPLJ) and I think that MTV saw the writing on the wall--they needed to get with the times. I was a DJ at a local roller rink as this was happening. Now, that meant more "club" music was coming in, like Soul Sonic Force's "Planet Rock", and yes, I had the first Madonna 12" of Everybody/Physical Attraction in 1982. That was just a club hit and hadn't crossed over yet. So there was a sea change coming, and MTV got on the bandwagon. I saw that dance music was becoming more mainstream---It no longer had the "disco" stigma, and I saw this as I DJed from 1981 to 1983.

This comment is hidden. Show Comment

Zonuss · 41-45, M

No.. There was never a [b] legitimate [/b] reason for discrimination. It was never justified either. Blacks have contributed to the music industry more than anyone else. And we are involved in all genres of music worldwide. But I assume they thought [b]rock n roll[/b] would die out eventually and it kinda has. But we can say the same about the state of [b]hip hop.[/b]
So it should have never been an issue in the first place. ☺️