MTV: The Making of a Revolution

Mike Tribby

More vilified than any other medium since 1950s comic books, MTV is a pervasive contemporary cultural force. McGrath examines the cable channel that changed TV, pop music, and movies alike as it rose from an experiment in narrow-casting to a multimillion-dollar business alleged to be capable of making or breaking music acts. MTV has endured many controversies over racism, morality, decency, and crass commercialism that played out in public, as everything involving MTV must, and besides the issues per se, McGrath covers the more important stories of how MTV's movers and shakers handled them. He introduces John Lack, Jack Schneider, and the enthusiasts who made up the original MTV staff, and he covers the staff upheaval when the tenor of the operation changed as success made the business inevitably bigger. Ultimately, this is the story of the war for MTV's corporate soul as told through the travails of its creators. Will the brash rebel of broadcasting remain a vibrant, unpredictable market force or settle into safe, profitable mediocrity? For now, read McGrath and stay tuned.