R. Serge Denisoff MTV Research Files

The R. Serge Denisoff Research Files Collection includes primary and secondary documents compiled by Denisoff during his research on MTV Music Television. The collection documents the founding and early years of MTV, largely through newsclippings and magazine articles about MTV collected by Denisoff from industry and popular publications during the 1980s. Some clippings were filed separately by topic, such as stock options, racism charges, MTV and cable expansion, etc., though some clippings are filed together regardless of topic. Some folders of newsclippings also contain Denisoff's notes on popular press or academic articles. The collection also contains some MTV promotional material, including press releases, promotional photographs, as well as material intended for the viewing public. There is some documentation of contemporaneous academic scholarship of MTV through some typewritten articles by other scholars and an extensive collection of citations for academic articles that mention MTV. Finally, the collection contains scant documentation of MTV's competitor VH1, which began airing content in 1985.