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MTV, a music network born of a Michael Nesmith idea for Nickelodeon called "Pop Clips" that was sold to Time Warner in 1980, turns 30 today. MTV began airing at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981 with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll" voiced over footage of the first space shuttle launch.
Accessible by only a few thousand cable subscribers at the time, MTV now claims valuable television real estate in millions of homes around the world. It sometimes still plays videos.
Here's a look at Michael Nesmith's "Rio" which was likely part of the inspiration for "Pop Clips" and by the distributive property (is that the right property?), MTV. It's a long way away from Pregnant & 16. Nesmith won the first Grammy Award for Video of the Year in 1981 for his hour-long compilation masterpiece Elephant Parts.
