How MTV’s First Rival Became Cable TV’s Biggest Flop

“People watch music television for music, not to see somebody jabbering away ... We think when given the opportunity they will turn from the violence and sadism of MTV.” It’s fair to say that Ted Turner came out swinging when he launched the Cable Music Channel (CMC), a rival to television’s only other music video network, on October 26, 1984. But while it could certainly talk the talk, the Los Angeles-based station hopelessly failed to walk the walk. In fact, by folding just 36 days after first hitting the screen, CMC remains one of the shortest-lived channels in Warner Bros/Discovery history.

In theory, the channel should have been a success—after all, Turner had a proven track record. Just four years earlier, he had successfully introduced the concept of 24-hour rolling news with the Cable News Network, and his early incarnation of TBS had spawned a hit late night music video block called Night Tracks. So why exactly did no one shout, “I want my CMC?”  

1. CMC vs. MTV
2. The Gloves Come Off
3. The End of CMC

CMC vs. MTV

The official launch perhaps hinted that the writing was always on the wall. Whereas MTV had lifted off in 1981 with a hip and happening blend of space shuttle footage, colorful graffiti-style graphics, and an original garage rock theme, CMC kickstarted with bone-dry press conference speeches (including one from the distinctly un-rock and roll 13th District Councilwoman Peggy Stevenson) and a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 

In fact, the only remarkable aspect of the whole shebang was Turner’s continued vendetta against his new rival. He talked of wanting to “influence music in a positive, loving, and kind way,” then called out MTV’s apparent fondness for “degrading clips” before declaring “Take that MTV!” and pressing the giant red button that launched CMC. (MTV described such talk as a “baloney issue,” stating that all videos—yes, even those made by Turner’s personal bugbears Twisted Sister—had all met strict guidelines of taste and decency.) 

Things didn’t get much more exciting when attention switched to the actual programming. While The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” instantly proved MTV had a sense of humor, CMC’s first play was Randy Newman’s rather earnest hometown love letter, “I Love LA.” And instead of on-camera hosts injecting the channel with some personality, its VJs Raechel Donahue and Jeff Gonzer were only ever heard and not seen. 

Admittedly, CMC were deliberately targeting an audience that skewered slightly older than MTV’s. Even so, their playlists were hardly of the A-list variety: Regular artists included “Sunglasses at Night” hitmaker Corey Hart; ever-changing, blues-rock veterans The Steve Miller Band; art-pop eccentrics Sparks; and Little Richard—a musical pioneer, sure, but one who hadn’t reached the Hot 100 in 14 years. 

CMC also discovered that getting the channel into people’s homes in the first place was a task of Herculean proportions. The majority of cable providers lacked the space to host a second music-focused channel, and Turner’s reputation as an industry shark—he had been particularly ruthless while seeing off CNN competitor the Satellite News Channel—reportedly deterred many of those who could accommodate, despite the fact that CMC was being offered for free compared to MTV’s 10 to 15 cents per subscriber.

The Gloves Come Off

Turner got a taste of his own medicine when MTV allegedly started playing dirty. The network quickly put a stranglehold on the Hot 100, signing exclusivity deals with several major labels that kept videos from a number of popular artists from being played elsewhere for up to 12 months. While that didn’t particularly affect The Nashville Network and BET—two existing stations that catered to country music and hip hop audiences—it proved to be a major stumbling block for those trying to muscle in on MTV’s mainstream rock and pop territory. 

A few months later, another planned MTV competitor, the Discovery Music Channel, sued the channel for resorting to such practices, arguing that their monopolization of the major labels was preventing them from making it to air. (They eventually settled out of court after admitting defeat.) But CMC was undoubtedly the more high-profile casualty: Having aimed to reach 10 million households, its subscriber base stalled around 350,000. MTV, in comparison, had 24 million. 

Such goals had been considered far too lofty by experts including investment firm analyst Edward Atorino, who told The New York Times pre-launch he believed Turner had already missed the boat: “I don’t think he is offering anything that is that different. He is taking a calculated gamble and I am doubtful there is enough to go around.” MTV Networks’ vice president Robert W. Pittman was similarly skeptical, arguing that most audiences preferred to watch regular entertainment, and the music video format wasn’t sustainable enough for two networks. 

The End of CMC

Nevertheless, the industry was still left agog when Turner decided to pull the plug on CMC after just over five weeks on air. “We simply have not had enough support from the cable industry for it to become a viable part of our business,” he explained in a statement about its unprecedentedly quick fall from grace. On November 30, the network said its final farewell, bringing things full circle by playing the same Newman song it had opened with. 

Proving that his business skills remained shrewder than his programming, Turner managed to minimize the channel’s financial losses, selling off its assets to MTV Networks for a million-dollar sum. He also oversaw a lucrative deal in which the same company paid $500,000 to advertise his one-time music video rival on his more successful networks. And let’s not forget that he announced CMC’s arrival just before MTV joined the stock market, temporarily hurting its share price as a result. 

Ironically, Warner-Amex used its newly-acquired channel to start VH1, a sister network to MTV which pursued a similar demographic to CMC. With all major label artists at their disposal and an established connection with cable providers, VH1 quickly racked up more than 3 million subscribers—ultimately proving that Turner’s execution, and not his concept, was the problem.

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