Since its start in 1981, Music Television (MTV) has proved to be one of the most important television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) channels of the late twentieth century. As its name implies, MTV pulled together the two most important popular-culture developments of the post–World War II era: rock and roll (see entry under 1950s—Music in volume 3) and television. To its millions of viewers scattered across the globe, MTV is the foremost media representative of global youth culture. The channel offers an intoxicating mix of music, post-modern imagery, consumer goods, and original programming. To its owner, the cable-television giant Viacom, MTV is a highly profitable cable TV (see entry under 1970s—TV and Radio in volume 4) channel that offers advertisers unparalleled access to a youthful audience. Critics, however, complain that MTV corrupts youth, encourages mindless consumerism, and degrades the music that it supposedly...