Top 6 ways MTV changed television

It's been 30 years since "Video Killed the Radio Star" launched a network that defined a generation... or two

The 30-year-old Music Television network made rap mainstream and, for better or worse, created reality TV with "The Real World."
(Image credit: Jan Butchofsky/CORBIS)

On Aug. 1, 1981, MTV launched with a symbolic broadcast of the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star." Three decades later, the network, which turns 30 today, has evolved so completely that it's almost unrecognizable, but, although it's no longer predominantly in the business of airing videos, MTV remains a game-changing network. From Madonna to Snooki, here are the six ways MTV changed television:

1. It put music videos on the map

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