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Video Jukebox (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Video Jukebox was an American television program that aired from 1981 to 1986 on HBO. It was a monthly series that showcased music videos from the popular recording artists of the time such as Duran Duran
, Prince
, Madonna
, REO Speedwagon
, Culture Club
, David Bowie
, Blondie
and The Human League
to name a few. A typical episode of Video Jukebox consisted of seven or eight music videos and lasted roughly 30 minutes, and the lineup changed in the middle of each month.
During the late 1970s (and before the MTV
network debuted), HBO was already airing one or two music videos (or "promotional clips" as they were known at the time) as filler in between their feature films and other series. These short clips also carried the Video Jukebox moniker. When Video Jukebox premiered as a half-hour series in December 1981, HBO was reaching more households than MTV (which had been launched only four months earlier), so a video that aired on Video Jukebox may have received a little more exposure than it would on MTV, a claim that would be short-lived as MTV quickly gained more cable markets by around 1983.
The series had no host until September 1985, when Dennis Elsas
was brought on as voiceover talent, introducing the videos that were shown on the program. Elsas served as host of Video Jukebox until its final airing in November 1986.
At the peak of its popularity in the mid-1980s, Video Jukebox spawned many "special editions", including Christmas Jukebox, Country Jukebox, Comedy Jukebox, Heavy Metal Jukebox, Sixties Jukebox, and other editions featuring songs from movies and Grammy winners.
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
, Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
and The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
to name a few. A typical episode of Video Jukebox consisted of seven or eight music videos and lasted roughly 30 minutes, and the lineup changed in the middle of each month.
During the late 1970s (and before the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
network debuted), HBO was already airing one or two music videos (or "promotional clips" as they were known at the time) as filler in between their feature films and other series. These short clips also carried the Video Jukebox moniker. When Video Jukebox premiered as a half-hour series in December 1981, HBO was reaching more households than MTV (which had been launched only four months earlier), so a video that aired on Video Jukebox may have received a little more exposure than it would on MTV, a claim that would be short-lived as MTV quickly gained more cable markets by around 1983.
The series had no host until September 1985, when Dennis Elsas
Dennis Elsas
Dennis Elsas is a New York City disc jockey whose radio career has spanned well over thirty years. He currently hosts an afternoon show on WFUV and a morning show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's Classic Vinyl channel....
was brought on as voiceover talent, introducing the videos that were shown on the program. Elsas served as host of Video Jukebox until its final airing in November 1986.
At the peak of its popularity in the mid-1980s, Video Jukebox spawned many "special editions", including Christmas Jukebox, Country Jukebox, Comedy Jukebox, Heavy Metal Jukebox, Sixties Jukebox, and other editions featuring songs from movies and Grammy winners.
See also
- Cable Music ChannelCable Music ChannelCable Music Channel 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...
- MOR Music TVMOR Music TVMOR Music TV is a defunct channel that ran music videos 24 hours a day. However, as it played each music video, viewers had the opportunity to buy the album by calling a toll-free number in the same manner as the Home Shopping Network or QVC, and was offered to cable systems with the same revenue...
- Night TracksNight TracksNight Tracks was an American television series which ran from 1983 to 1992 on SuperStation WTBS on late night weekends...
- The Tube Music Network