For those who are older: What was MTV like in the early 90s...?

When MTV first debuted, it was cool and non-mainstream. In 1979, record labels rarely budgeted for a promotional film for a single, so there was a limited amount of content MTV could program. Current musical acts were only visible on variety shows, SNL, the Midnight Special, Bandstand and Soul Train. The Grammys were three hours of adult contemporary music and mostly eschewed pop and rock acts. Because UK, Irish, European, Australian and even East Asian acts had more videos available, MTV had an eclectic playlist that paved the way for international acts to become successful in the U.S. In an hour you might see Duran Duran followed by corporate rock like Loverboy, followed by Bauhaus or Split Enz or Blondie.

MTV also had live concert shows, a program sponsored by the A&M distributed IRS records - then home to the Athens GA modern rock scene - and 120 Minutes, the deep alternative rock block with guests and interview spots.

As it became more of a promotional tool, labels created departments just for video promotion and spent millions on some clips, MTV gained imitators and competitors on broadcast TV and cable, but they remained the market leader and eventually started to demand and receive exclusive premiere windows for some clips. The VJs changed for the worse, much of the innovative music gave way to Top 40, then MTV discovered reality TV was easier to daypart and sell advertising for, and the internet came along and labels wanted to monetize video to shore up audio sales losses, and we ended up with what we have now. :(((

Well OP glad you posted this post so I can tell you about how MTV was for me growing up. I'm 30 and I was born in 1982, MTV was so much better in the 80's and 90's. I started watching MTV when I was about 5 years old and I remember seeing videos by Madonna, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, The Pet Shop Boys, and etc. That is where my love of pop came from (I'm an African American female). All I know that was on MTV in the 80's was just music videos 24/7. I think in the late 80's early 90's came Yo! MTV Raps it was like watching BETs Rap City except Yo! MTV Raps was a little bit more better. They just show rap videos by the latest rap acts that was out.

In The 90's I was still into MTV. I remember in the early parts of the 90's I was without MTV for a bit because my dad got transfered over to Okinawa, Japan and we didn't get cable there on the base until 1995. I remember seeing MTV in the cable line up and turned to MTV. On MTV then was Real World or Road Rules I wasn't into either one of those shows just the music vides. Music videos was still constantly playing. There was the 15 minute news by that one lady to let you know what was going on in the world. Spring Break was hot in the 90's I love watching spring break especially for that one handsome Asian guy. There was alot of great host on MTV in the 90's Carson Daily was my favorite one, for a minute Carmen Electra was one (that was for the game show Single Out), there was some more great VJ I can't remember there names right now. In the late 90's around 1997 came TRL and some other little stuff. TRL was real big at the time I hated TRL for a minute I guess it just had to grow on me. Then came the weird game shows this was heading into the early 00's.

I remember when MTV hit my city in 1983. One part of the city was able to get MTV on cable, another part wasn't able to get it. Record stores where MTV was available sold out all their Duran Duran albums. Record stores where MTV wasn't available couldn't sell their Duran Duran albums.

MTV really broke a lot of new artists in the early 80's, and they played music videos non-stop. There was also a lot of creativity in those early days, because nobody knew what the formula was -- they were making it up as they went along. There was an anything goes attitude, and the more eye-catching, the better.

ZZ Top benefited from MTV. They were successful before the 80's, but when their videos hit MTV, they went from selling a million copies to selling ten million. And obviously Michael Jackson both benefited from MTV and set the standard.

Actually if I'm being honest you don't even have to go back all the way to the 80's and early 90's for a better MTV. When I was in my MTV heyday (late 90's early 00's). They played a music videos still, really didn't have reality shows except True Life and maybe Made. They played a wide variety of artists and genres plus one of it's most popular shows ever TRL was thriving.

Like you, I loathe MTV today, but back in the 80s, I watched it incessantly (I was in high school). They just showed music videos back then, with VJs like Martha Quinn and others sometimes offering a little commentary in between. Music videos were so popular in the 80s that other networks ran them too, not just MTV. I can remember "Friday Night Videos" on NBC. They also ran music videos on TBS late at night as well. Eventually, I started watching VH1 instead (can't remember when), as MTV turned into something very different than what it started as.

"For those who are older: What was MTV like in the early 90s...?"

It was REALLY cool. Especially in the 80's when it came out. Nothing like that had ever been on TV before. It's gotten very trashy now, but back then it was the best channel for teens and young adults to watch. It's disgusting now, like so many other shows on TV.

Yes, I'm back. So stop asking if it's me.

MTV should be ashamed of itself as a network. They would rather air garbage like "Teen Mom", "16 & Pregnant", "Teen Mom 2", and "Spoiled Brats Turn 16" instead of music videos and music shows about the artists. It was much better back in the 90's and early 2000's. What shocks me is that they still have a Video Music award show every year when they rarely air videos.

the FUSE channel is what MTV used to be like.