It was 30 years ago today (August 1, 1981) that MTV was launched. The first video clip it famously telecast was the Buggles’ Video Killed The Radio Star. Thought to be a prophetic statement at the time, putting fear into the hearts of Radio Stars everywhere, the title phrase has been used by every hack entertainment writer from Melbourne to Moscow to predict the ‘inevitable’ demise of Radio. The pundits predicted that MTV would shape a new youth culture to which Radio would need to adapt just to stay in the hunt. At the very least Radio would lose its status as the harbinger of new music. For a while it seemed that it might, but 30 years on, the reality is that MTV’s hope of achieving the boast of the Buggles’ lyric was wildly optimistic.

Far from killing off Radio, it is MTV that has had to reinvent itself to stay relevant. Today it is more a liflestyle channel featuring reality and quiz shows along with concerts and fanzine programs. The focus is no longer on new music clips.

This is not to criticise MTV. Not on its birthday! We should be kind. And there is plenty to be kind about.

While radio stars are no longer losing sleep over MTV’s threat of 1981, the question is, has MTV had a profound cultural impact which has in turn significantly influenced Radio? In what way?

Or is MTV little more tan one of hundreds of channels on pay TV – with a miniscule audience compared to that of terrestrial radio?