Twenty years ago today, a new television network debuted and promised to play nothing but "music videos" twenty-four hours a day. Since that day exactly twenty years ago - and since that first video - which ironically was Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles - the concept of "Music Television" has spawned three additional networks, a dozen original shows - and a planet full of people still longing for their MTV.

Before MTV, very few record companies made music videos - and those few videos that were made were only seen on obscure television shows - if at all. But when a network took a gamble and decided to dedicate their entire broadcast schedule to playing nothing but the videos that were hardly ever seen - the gamble paid off - and the world of music was changed forever.

After the debut and the instant success of MTV, record companies began to use MTV as a way to market their artists - and many artists that were unknown to American audiences before MTV - such as Duran Duran and The Police - were now becoming very popular due to their music videos being constantly played on the new network - and their albums that once couldn't even sell in America were now climbing the charts at a record pace - proving that MTV's impact on the music industry was a powerful one that was felt right from the beginning.

Besides the artists - the people who introduced the videos - known as "Veejays" started becoming well known too. One of the first original five "Veejays", who has been called the Captain Kirk of MTV - was a twenty two year old girl from New York named Martha Quinn. During her five year stint on the network, she brought the world music videos with a bright smile and a fun attitude - and the viewers of the fast growing network enjoyed her as much as the videos. This was evident when the readers of Rolling Stone voted her "MTV's Best Ever VJ".

Over the past twenty years, there have been some very memorable moments on MTV. One of the most memorable - and historical was in 1983 when an artist decided to make the first ever video specifically made for MTV. The artist was Michael Jackson - and the video was Thriller.

The fourteen minute mini-movie debuted on MTV on December 2, 1983 and to this day is seen at the most important music video in history. After the release of the Thriller video and The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller, people began to buy the album all over again - and in 1984 - Thriller went platinum twenty times over and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best selling album in history.

These days, MTV no longer plays twenty-four hours of music videos - but instead - brings its viewers shows that span from beach parties, to shows following the lives of kids living together in different parts of the world - to a reality show from the World Wrestling Federation. In addition, MTV now has a studio right in the heart of Times Square that presents a live call in show called Total Request Live that allows the audience to request videos.

But while MTV may have abandoned their concept of twenty-four hours of music videos - MTV2 carries on the original tradition with a new group of "Veejays" and a new batch of music videos for a new generation of kids who will long for their MTV2 - too.

So while the network may be entirely different then it was when Video Killed The Radio Star twenty years ago today - but the concept is the same - bringing viewers a visual look at the music they love.

Here's to another twenty years - Happy Birthday MTV.

"Now look at them yo-yos, that's the way you do it.
You play the guitar on the MTV."
Dire Straits - Money For Nothing