The early years of MTV - Unit 6

C2 Proficiency · Open Cloze · Objective Proficiency 2nd Edition Workbook, Cambridge University Press

For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

The popular TV music channel MTV was launched in 1981 in the US (0) ___ the intention of playing (1) ___ but music videos. It was a brilliant marketing concept, as it came at little cost while (2) ___ extremely attractive to record companies and advertisers. The videos were guided by an air-host known as a VJ – the term is a conflation of 'video' and 'disc jockey'. The VJs are now a (3) ___ of the past, but (4) ___ their heyday, they were MTV, attaining cult status. It was (5) ___ presenters on the station that Russell Brand and Alex Zane got their first career breaks. MTV changed the way we experience music: we watched records instead of just listening to them. Record companies were quick to appreciate this, and acts such as Madonna and Boy George, (6) ___ appeal was as much about their good looks (7) ___ their music, went global. Such (8) ___ the music video's impact that film directors at the height of their careers were attracted to the medium.

The early years of MTV

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