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Michael Nesmith, an original member of the '60s group the Monkees, created a music video show that inspired MTV.
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Additional insights we found via Remind Magazine
After the Monkees disbanded, Nesmith pursued a solo career and, in 1977, recorded a short film for his song "Rio" that some historians credit with establishing a template for the modern music video.
He imagined there might be a market for a TV show that only played clips like "Rio," and in 1979 shot a pilot produced by Norman Lear—famous for his work on "All in the Family," "Sanford and Son," and more—and featuring Howie Mandel, then a young stand-up comic.
The show, "PopClips," began airing on Nickelodeon in 1980.
"PopClips" was a hit, but when an executive expressed a desire to move it away from experimental music and toward Top 40 music, Nesmith left, saying he was not interested in making it more commercial.
That executive eventually developed Nesmith's concept by creating MTV, which aired its first video on August 1, 1981.
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