On this day in 1981, MTV: Music Television goes on the air for the first time ever, with the words (spoken by one of MTV’s creators, John Lack): “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.” The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” was the first music video to air on the new cable television channel.
To celebrate the iconic channel is flipping VH1 Classic into MTV Classic. The channel will feature shows from the 90’s – early 2000’s era like “Total Request Live”, “Laguna Beach” and Beavis” and “Butthead”.
“MTV’s programming vault is a music and pop culture goldmine with universal resonance,” Sean Atkins, President of MTV, noted in a statement. “MTV Classic gives audiences a modern and artful home for classic MTV programming and — alongside MTV, MTV2, MTV Live and mtvU — rounds out a diverse portfolio with music and youth culture at its core.”