Everything about Vh1 totally explained
VH1 (known as
VH-1: Video Hits One from
1985 to
1994 and
VH1: Music First until
2003) is an
American cable television network based in
New York City. Launched on
January 1,
1985, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of
MTV by playing
music videos, but targeting an older demographic than its sister channel, focusing on the lighter, softer side of
popular music. The channel was originally created by
Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of
Warner Communications and owner of
MTV. Both VH1 and its sister channel MTV are currently part of the
MTV Networks division of corporate parent
Viacom. While VH1 still occasionally plays music videos and the
Top 20 Video Countdown, its more recent claim to fame has been in the area of music-related reality programming, such as
Behind the Music, the
I Love the... series, the
Celebreality block of programming, and the channel's overall focus on
popular culture.
Early history of VH-1 (1985-1994)
Format and VJs
popular music
"Pop-Up" television went on to become something of a cultural phenomenon. Many TV shows followed suit and had their own "Pop-Up" episodes. These shows include
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,
The Drew Carey Show,
Brady Bunch reruns on sister Viacom channel
Nick at Nite, and even a special episode of
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire also
The Simpsons. As of January 2008, Pop-Up Video airs on VH1 Classic.
Behind the Music
In
August 1997, VH1 again hit it big with the premiere of the first of the network's flagship shows,
Behind the Music. The hourlong show features interviews and biographies of some of popular music's biggest stars qualified to be profiled on the series. The premiere episode featured
Milli Vanilli. Episodes have ranged from
Aaliyah to
Stryper to
Queen, as well as others such as
Meat Loaf,
MC Hammer,
Fleetwood Mac,
TLC,
"Weird Al" Yankovic,
Britney Spears,
Selena,
Petra,
Pantera, and
Eminem, with more episodes being produced periodically. By the late 1990s, the show began to run out of artists to profile, leading to the short-lived
BTM2 program, half-hour looks into bands and artists whose popularity was rising, but not yet at its peak.
Legends
Shortly after, VH1 created a companion series,
Legends (originally sponsored by
AT&T), profiling artists who have made a more significant contribution to music history to qualify as "Legends" (that is, those artists who don't fit in the category of
Behind the Music biographies). The artists profiled so far have included
AC/DC,
The Bee Gees,
Carman (singer),
Johnny Cash,
Eric Clapton,
George Clinton,
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young,
The Doors,
Aretha Franklin,
Marvin Gaye,
Jimi Hendrix,
Led Zeppelin,
Pink Floyd,
Queen,
Kiss,
Bruce Springsteen,
Neil Young,
The Who,
Michael Jackson and
U2
Save the Music Foundation
During its "Music First" days, VH1 created the
Save The Music Foundation, which served to preserve and enhance music education programs in local schools. The VH1 Save the Music foundation was established in
1997 and purchased new musical instruments to restore music education programs that have been cut due to budget reductions in the past or to save programs at risk of elimination due to lack of instruments. The project was the brain child of VH1 President John Sykes and was developed by Bob Morrison who was the foundation's first CEO. The Foundation also conducted awareness campaigns, musical instrument drives and fundraising events. VH1 Save The Music Foundation celebrated its 10 year anniversary in September 2007.
VH1 Divas
In
1998, VH1 debuted the first annual
VH1 Divas concert and featured the "divas"
Aretha Franklin,
Céline Dion,
Shania Twain,
Gloria Estefan and
Mariah Carey, and the "special guest"
Carole King. Other hugely successful shows were produced in the year after, in 1999 featuring "
divas"
Whitney Houston,
Tina Turner,
Cher,
LeAnn Rimes,
Mary J. Blige,
Faith Hill,
Chaka Khan,
Elton John, and
Brandy. It became a huge success and was featured in the following years starring
Diana Ross,
Donna Summer,
Destiny's Child,
Shakira,
Anastacia,
Dixie Chicks,
Jessica Simpson were also featured as divas in the concert. Some different artists, such as
Mariah Carey,
Whitney Houston,
Aretha Franklin,
Celine Dion,
Cher and
Faith Hill featured two VH1 concerts.
Movies That Rock
In 1999, VH1 aired its first original movie, a bio-pic on
Sweetwater. Their third original movie (which aired in 2000),
Two of Us, focused on a fictional meeting between
John Lennon and
Paul McCartney. Over the next three years, they made over a dozen movies, including bio-pics on
Ricky Nelson,
M.C. Hammer,
The Monkees,
Meat Loaf, and
Def Leppard.
VH1 continues to air "Movies That Rock" on a regular basis, expanding to include movies not produced by VH1. Typically, these movies air on weekday afternoons and on weekends. The subject matter remains mostly focused on music and musicians, though it recently aired the
Looney Tunes movie "
Space Jam" which deals with sports.
Diversification
In the late 1990s, VH1 continued to get more diverse and teen-based with its music selection, and with that, the network updated its
1994 "Big 1" logo. Various late-night rock shows have been shown on VH1, featuring
alternative rock and
metal videos from the 1980s and 1990s. VH1 eventually warmed up to harder rock acts such as the
Red Hot Chili Peppers, the
Foo Fighters, and
Metallica, and their new videos are generally added into VH1's playlist right away.
By the early 2000s, VH1 even began to play mainstream
rap musicians.
The channel aired
Where Are They Now? from 1999 to 2002. It featured past celebrities and updated on their current professional and personal status. Each episode was dedicated to another genre (from kid stars to stars of
Aaron Spelling's notable productions to controversial news figures).
Current era of VH1 (2003-present)
In
2003, the network changed its focus again, dropping "Music First" from its name, and introducing their new and current box logo. Having saturated its
Behind The Music series (and spinoff
BTM2, a 30-minute version that told the stories of current chart-toppers), gotten past the point of showing music videos on a regular basis, and had a 35% ratings decline over the past several years, the network began to target the pop culture nostalgia market just like its sister MTV. Eventually, VH1 caught lightning in a bottle several times more with
I Love the 80s Strikes Back, I Love the '90s, and . More recently, VH1 premiered
I Love the '80s 3-D and, along with the non-decade-based
I Love the Holidays and
I Love Toys.
The format of these shows (various entertainers giving their takes or opinions on popular culture) has been repeated for the weekly program
Best Week Ever. In a sketch on
FOX's MADtv envisioning an as-yet fictitious
"I Love the 00's" show, VH1 was referred to as
"the bitter comics ragging on real celebrities" network.
The Greatest series
VH1 also produces its
The Greatest series in which a similar format is used to countdown lists like "The 50 Sexiest Video Moments", "100 Greatest Songs of Rock 'N' Roll", "100 Greatest Songs from the Past 25 Years", "100 Greatest One-hit Wonders", and "100 Greatest Kid Stars". In
2001,
Mark McGrath hosted VH1's miniseries "100 Most Shocking Moments in Rock 'N' Roll", which compiled a list of the moments in music history that changed its course and shook its foundations.
40 Most Awesomely Bad
In
2003, VH1 began this mini-series category with "40 Most Awesomely Bad Dirrty Songs...Ever", cataloguing hit sexy songs that failed to score with music critics for cause. Additional miniseries in this group include "40 Most Awesomely Bad Break-up Songs...Ever", "40 Most Awesomely Bad #1 Songs...Ever", "40 Most Awesomely Bad Metal Songs...Ever", and "40 Most Awesomely Bad Love Songs".
Celebreality
VH1 also touts its
Celebreality programming block of reality shows featuring minor celebrities, anchored by
The Surreal Life, which mimics
MTV's
The Real World, instead placing minor celebrities from the past into a living environment. The Celebreality block has also aired shows such as:
- Hogan Knows Best, Hulk Hogan's reality show
- Celebrity Fit Club, a show where marginal-at-best celebrities get in shape
- Strange Love, a program spun off from The Surreal Life, following the relationship between Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav
- Flavor of Love, a show spun off from Strange Love, where Flavor Flav, "hype man" of the hip hop group Public Enemy picks a lover out of multiple women
- My Fair Brady, another spin-off from The Surreal Life, which follows the relationship of Christopher Knight, who played Peter Brady on The Brady Bunch, and Adrianne Curry, who won the first season of America's Next Top Model
- Breaking Bonaduce, which covers the therapy and life of Danny Bonaduce
- Celebrity Paranormal Project, in which minor celebrities are placed in haunted locations to explore and perform tasks
- I Love New York,Season 1 and Season 2 Flavor of love Runner-up Tiffany "New York" Pollard goes on her own quest for love
- ,is a spin-offs of Flavor of Love
- Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, frontman of the rock band Poison, which follows the same Bachelor-esque guidelines as Flavor of Love
Hip-Hop and Rock Honors
Since 2004, VH1 has showed their appreciation for hip-hop and rock music by honoring pioneers and movements. Hip-hop musicians honored include
Eazy-E,
LL Cool J,
Tupac,
The Notorious B.I.G., and
Public Enemy. All of the shows have been taped in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. On May 25, 2006,
Queen,
Judas Priest,
Def Leppard, and
Kiss were the inaugural inductees into the
VH1 Rock Honors in Las Vegas. The ceremony aired on VH1 six days later. In 2007,
ZZ Top,
Heart,
Genesis and
Ozzy Osbourne were inducted into the VH1 Rock Honors.
Other current trends
On
July 1,
2007, VH1 and
MHD, the
high-definition music channel of
MTV, simulcast live the entire
Concert for Diana from
London, England, on the birthday of
Princess Diana,
Princess of Wales.
Although VH1 has drastically reduced its emphasis on music, it does continue to play music videos (just like its sister network, MTV) from 3 a.m. until 10 a.m. ET. The overnight block was called
Insomniac Music Theater until August 2005, when it was renamed
Nocturnal State.
Beyond VH1
Sister channels in the U.S.
Like MTV and Nickelodeon before them, VH1 also launched spinoff digital networks as part of
The Suite From MTV. Initially, four VH1 spinoff networks were formed. Others later joined the staple, including:
VH1 Classic: Primarily classic rock music videos, movies, and concert footage.
VH1 MegaHits: A channel which played mostly top 40 adult contemporary videos from throughout VH1's history, from the 80's to the early years of the 21st Century. Due to low viewership, the network was discontinued. The satellite space was utilized by corporate parent MTV Networks to launch Logo, a general entertainment network targeted at the gay and lesbian community. Logo airs two music video-based programs, NewNowNext Music and .
VH1 Soul: Classic and neo-soul music videos from yesterday and today.
VH1 Uno: A Spanish language channel which mostly consisted of music videos of Latin pop, rock, and traditional ballads, tropical, salsa and merengue music. Discontinued February 2, 2008 by MTV Networks to expand normal distribution of mtvU beyond college campuses .
The Internet
VH1's online destination, VH1.com
, launched in the 1990s. In the 2000s, VH1 created VSPOT, a broadband video channel that followed the model of MTV Overdrive, containing the shows aired by VH1 and music videos. VSPOT was renamed to Video.VH1.com in late 2007.
VH1 around the world
As with other MTV channels, MTV Networks broadcasts international versions of VH1:
VH1 Australia: Since March (April for Optus customers) 2004, VH1 has been available in Australia on Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar.
VH1 Brazil: The Portuguese-language version of VH1 was launched in Brazil on November 21st 2005. However, VH1 Soul had been available to digital cable subscribers since 2004. In 2007 VH1 Soul stopped being available in Brazil.
VH1 Denmark: The Danish version of VH1 was launched in Denmark on March 15 2008.
VH1 Europe: VH1 Europe is the VH1 channel broadcast in the European continent as well as Northern Africa, South Africa and the middle-east.
VH1 Export: VH1 Export is the technical name used for the version of VH1 European available in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Levant territories broadcasting via satellite, exclusively from the Showtime Arabia pay-TV network. In Africa (on DStv) and Thailand, on UBC 33. The channel is exactly the same as VH1 European, but with different adverts.
VH-1 Germany: During the mid-1990s, a German-language version of VH-1 was broadcast, featuring more adult music than MTV, and using the original 1985 US logo. It proved unsuccessful and eventually had to make way for a non-stop music channel aimed at teenagers called MTV2 Pop. However, VH1 hasn't really disappeared from German television, since it's still available in its pan-European version.
VH1 India: In December 2004, MTV India and Zee-Turner teamed up to bring VH1 to India. In India, VH1 is a 24-hour pay channel that will cater to the 13–35 age group.
VH1 Indonesia: In Indonesia, VH1 programming also airs on MTV Indonesia at 5 and 7 pm, and on local terrestrial channels such as Jak-TV, Jakarta, STV Bandung, TV Borobudur, Semarang, TATV, Solo, and Makassar TV, Makassar (UHF21) and also a full link channel seen on satellite PALAPA C2.
VH1 Latin America: On April 1, 2004, VH1 Latin America joined MTV and Nickelodeon Latin America targeting audiences 25–49 years old. Until then, the VH1 main channel available for Latin America was the original US version. The Spanish-language channel is tailored for the market and feature a mix of music and entertainment with local and international-recording artists, as well as original programming.
VH1 Pakistan: (Coming soon, Operated by ARY TV Network)
VH1 Poland: Launched (or rather renamed) on December 1, 2005. The channel is aimed at people in Poland over 25. The channel was formerly known as "MTV Classic" and (especially in its last months) was the same as present VH1, airing the same programs for the same target group.
VH1 Russia: VH1 Russia launched on December 2, 2005
VH1 UK: VH1 UK targets 25–44 years old, and has much of the same content as the main US channel. There has been two sister stations in the UK: VH1 Classic and the now axed channel VH2.Further Information
Get more info on 'Vh1'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://vh1.totallyexplained.com">VH1 Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
