Cable Music Channel

Infobox TV channel
name = Cable Music Channel
logofile = CableMusicChannel_1984.jpg
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launch = October 27, 1984
closed date = November 30, 1984
picture format = NTSC 480i
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owner = Turner Broadcasting
Ted Turner (founder)
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country = United States
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Cable Music Channel (CMC) was an all-music video channel created by Ted Turner and launched in 1984 by Turner Broadcasting System, providing the first national competition to MTV. Turner later stated that the channel existed at the behest of the cable industry as a defense mechanism against MTV's unsuccessful attempts to increase by twofold the fees cable systems paid to carry the channel; Turner offered the channel with no fees. [ [http://www.cablecenter.org/education/library/oralHistoryDetails.cfm?id=179 cablecenter.org] ]

CMC vs. MTV

MTV was AOR (which, by the '80s, was unaffectionately called "Apartheid Oriented Radio," refusing to play black music of any kind) and taped; CMC was CHR (which enabled them to play soft rock, crossover country, dance and urban hits) and live. CMC also did news, sports and weather reports.MTV's video jockeys were seen; CMC's video jockeys were just heard.MTV's studios and offices were in a New York apartment; CMC's studios and offices were in a Los Angeles house.Unlike MTV, CMC avoided sexually and violently explicit music videos.

Launch

The channel was created following the success of "Night Tracks", TBS' late night weekend music video block.

Turner himself began CMC's first night of programming on October 27, 1984: with a defiant "Take that, MTV!", Turner pushed a button and kicked off the channel with the Randy Newman song "I Love L.A.".

As a money losing venture

But it quickly became clear that CMC was losing money fast, due to an inablility to sign up cable systems (many of whom didn't have the space for another all-music channel) or secure the rights to play top videos (MTV was accused of pressuring artists not to sell to CMC, citing "exclusivity" agreements). Within a month, despite an estimated audience of 2.5 million, Turner realized the jig was up; on November 29, he decided to sell CMC to MTV for a million dollars, and MTV agreed to buy $500,000 worth of advertising on Turner's other channels, including CNN. Ironically, MTV used the channel (and its space on the Satcom satellite) to help form its new sister network, VH1, which launched on New Year's Day, 1985. In another ironic twist, Time Warner, the successor to MTV's then part-owners Warner Communications would purchase Turner's networks in 1996 (MTV by that point, was owned by Viacom, which was split in two companies in 2006 and is still owned by the new Viacom).

Sign off

Cable Music Channel officially signed off just before midnight ET on November 30, 1984; the last video aired was "Head Over Heels" by The Go-Go's, followed by a dark screen and a voice saying, "That's all from Atlanta. Karen, do you..." before the signal was cut off.Fact|date=June 2008

See also

*Ted Turner
*"Night Tracks"
*The Tube Music Network
* MOR Music TV

References

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6yoK4WD6qU Cable Music Channel TV ad]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=cbYcUkfUbTkC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=%22cable+music+channel%22&source=web&ots=cN3Wm-ruBH&sig=bdK5d5q00pJ2QW3dcXUtA46X8jc History of Cable Music Channel]