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It is widely known that "Video Killed the Radio Star" was the first song on MTV, but is there a reason why?
Was the song picked specifically due to its content? Was it MTV saying "we are here and going to kill the radio"? Or was there another reason it was picked?
It seems like you're right on the money. According to MTV cofounder Bob Pittman,
It made an aspirational statement. We didn’t expect to be competitive with radio, but it was certainly a sea-change kind of video.
The video was already about two years old when MTV launched, and The Buggles had broken up by that time, so I think it's safe to say even without Pittman's quote that MTV didn't release the video to promote a former hit from an artist that was no longer active.
It fit perfectly. Like calling the press the paparazzi 4 having to give so much Lady Gaga Jam down your throat that it becomes programmed in you like Kardashians on TV. You feel like your related.Like seeing so much of Miley Cyrus crotch you feel like you had sex with her.
