A Day That Will Live in Infamy

James Emery White recently sent out a newsletter on the subject of dates that changed the face of America. No, he's not talking about Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughan! Others have suggested various events and dates (such as September 11th, 2001), but White says,

"Let's also consider August 1st, 1981, a date which marks its twenty-fifth anniversary this month. On that day, a television network dedicated to the young and the music they love kicked off at midnight with a video of British band The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star. It was the day MTV was born."

He quotes Marth Quinn, one of the original "VJ's", as saying, "We were rebels with a cause, and we had the rock 'n' roll generation and the television generation behind us." White says, "Now, with around 100 channels and over a billion viewers, MTV does not reflect youth culture; it creates it." Bob Pittman, a co-founder of MTV said, "If you can get their emotions going, make them forget their logic, you've got them. At MTV, we don't shoot for the 14-year-olds, we own them."

You can read all of White's commentary here.