Review
Since MTV is a purveyor of primarily ahistorical and context-free broadcasting, it is easy for media aficionados (and certainly sophisticated business people) to turn their noses up at a book with this title. But in fact, this is a great book about the building of one of the world’s most successful businesses. Replace the names of the various rock-stars with “respectable” commodities (like automobiles, chicken parts, bits or widgets), and there are great lessons to be learned about how innovative businesses generally, and innovative broadcasting specifically, are created in this millennial era. Recommended.
From Booklist
More vilified than any other medium since 1950s comic books, MTV is a pervasive con [Read More...]
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In this slightly overdone docudrama, McGrath lays down the history of MTV, charting the evolution of the most significant cultural influence during the eighties, and explaining its surprising success.
Starting with the founders — or “pioneers,” as McGrath calls them — we are given a closer look at the rebellious mentality which gave birth to MTV, the discouraging conditions posed by a fledgling cable television industry, and the cultural factors which explain the wild success of the MTV phenomenon. But for all of this, I’ve got to say that this book fell short in a number of places.
Rather than provide a factual account of the network’s history and evolution, McGrath frequently displays a strong bias in his interpretation of 1980’s culture, and his writing often becomes more creative than analytical, as he ascribes internal monologues to the various executives and celebrities involved in the MTV saga. The information which he provides is both interesting and well-supported, but he strays from the analytical angle far too often for this to be a strong resource text. Personally, I find the explanations of the mechanics of business, and specifically the media industry, to be quite interesting, and a good introduction to media economics.
While I found the story itself interesting, and admittedly exciting in some places, I think McGrath should have focused more closely on the facts, and less on the one-liners.