- unitid
-
{"value"=>"186658", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"*L (Special) 25-01", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b23717267", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1979-2007", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1979/2007"}
{"value"=>"1981-1987", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1981/1987"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Alan Hunter MTV video recordings"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"1 box", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"0.21 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"142 moving image recordings", "unit"=>"moving_image_recordings"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"1 audio recording", "unit"=>"audio_recordings"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Alan Hunter (born 1957) is a television and radio personality and actor who was one of the original five video jockeys (VJs) on the MTV (Music Television) network when it began broadcasting in 1981. The Alan Hunter MTV video recordings, dating from 1979 to 2007 (bulk dates 1981 to 1987), document mainly the early years of MTV and 1980s popular music and culture in general, as well as Hunter's career before and after his time with the network. The collection consists primarily of home recordings of daily MTV programming, series, documentaries, and specials. Recordings apart from MTV include interviews with Hunter, and his acting, television hosting, radio, and commercial appearances."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Hunter, Alan, 1957-", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Alan Hunter (born 1957) is a television and radio personality and actor who was one of the original five video jockeys (VJs) on the MTV (Music Television) network when it began broadcasting in 1981, introducing music videos and reading news segments. He also hosted the network's programming, including the series <span class=\"title\">120 Minutes</span>, <span class=\"title\">Liner Notes</span>, <span class=\"title\">MTV Spring Break</span>, <span class=\"title\">MTV's Amuck in America</span>, and productions for the World Wrestling Federation.</p> <p>Hunter was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and began acting during his senior year, appearing in the ABC television movie <span class=\"title\">Love's Savage Fury</span>. After working in the Birmingham Children's Theatre, Hunter moved to New York City in 1980 to pursue his career, and attended the Circle in the Square Theatre School. He appeared in television and Off-off Broadway roles, and worked in various side jobs, including an appearance as a dancer in David Bowie's video for his song \"Fashion\" (1980).</p> <p>MTV was created by Bob Pittman, an executive at Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment. The project had been conceived and developed since 1979. In the summer of 1981, Hunter was at a picnic in Central Park where he met Pittman, who recruited him for the new channel. MTV debuted a few weeks later on August 1st, carried initially only in some secondary cable markets in New Jersey. The VJ job was part-time at first, but soon became full-time with the rapid success of the network, and Hunter quickly became world-famous along with the other four VJs (Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, J.J. Jackson, and Martha Quinn). In addition to his on-air work, Hunter appeared at in-person promotional events, concerts, movie premieres, award ceremonies, and parties, and interviewed many musicians and celebrities.</p> <p>Hunter remained with MTV until 1987, when he moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to work in television and music projects as a freelance host, and acted on television and in commercials. Hunter returned to Birmingham in the 1990s to create a film production company, Hunter Films, with his brothers. They also launched an entertainment facility called WorkPlay. Hunter began doing radio work, DJ-ing at Birmingham's WAPI-FM, and continued to host television programs for Encore and Starz. In 2004, he began hosting a 1980s music show on Sirius-XM radio, which is still broadcasting as of 2025. Hunter lives with his family in St. Louis, Missouri.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Alan Hunter MTV video recordings, dating from 1979 to 2007 (bulk dates 1981 to 1987), document the early years of MTV and 1980s popular music and culture in general, as well as Hunter's career before and after his time with the network. The collection consists primarily of home recordings of daily MTV programming, series, documentaries, and specials. Recordings apart from MTV include interviews with Hunter, and his acting, television hosting, radio, and commercial appearances.</p> <p>Most of the recordings consist of Hunter's home-recorded MTV broadcasts, usually lasting five to six hours each, recorded at the lowest quality to maximize the content. The programming comprises music videos, top-of-the-hour announcements, news segments, brief interviews with musicians, commercials, promotional segments, and, occasionally, live music performances. Hunter concentrated on recording his VJ time slots, but all of the other VJs can be seen as well. The exact dates and times of broadcast are noted when known. A few of the recordings are of professional quality and originated from MTV directly; these are often VJ segments only. The collection also holds Hunter's June 1981 screen test audition for the channel.</p> <p>The bulk of the music videos that appear on the MTV broadcasts are freely available as of 2025 on YouTube or other online video sources, and will not be described here. The brief interview segments (a few are longer) include musicians and bands such as 20/20, AC/DC, the Alarm, Anthrax, the B-52's, Bad Brains, Jeff Beck, BoDeans, Bon Jovi, Eric Burdon, the Cars, Cheetah, Eric Clapton, the Clash, Clarence Clemons, Culture Club, Charlie Daniels, Ronnie James Dio, the Divinyls, Thomas Dolby, Duran Duran, the English Beat, Europe, Eurythmics, John Fogerty, Gene Loves Jezebel, the Go-Go's, Steve Hackett, Robyn Hitchcock, Hooters, Billy Idol, INXS, Mick Jagger, Billy Joel, Elton John, Journey, Judas Priest, Greg Kihn, Huey Lewis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Iron Maiden, the Meat Puppets, John Mellencamp, Men at Work, Metallica, Motörhead, New Order, Oingo Boingo, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Ozzy Osbourne, the Pointer Sisters, Poison, the Police, the Pretenders, Quarterflash, Queen, R.E.M., Rainbow, Sade, Charlie Sexton, Paul Simon, Slayer, Grace Slick, Split Enz, Rod Stewart, the Stray Cats, the Style Council, Talking Heads, 'Til Tuesday, the Tubes, U2, UB40, Steve Vai, Van Halen, Wang Chung, Bob Weir, and Peter Wolf.</p> <p>Excerpts of musical performances appear throughout the MTV recordings. These include Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, UB40, the Meat Puppets, Bad Brains, Bobby and the Midnites (led by Bob Weir), the Greg Kihn Band, the Psychedelic Furs, the Rave-Ups, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Lone Justice, Billy Joel, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, Starship, Hooters, Charlie Sexton, and the Divinyls.</p> <p>In addition to daily programming, Hunter recorded episodes of <span class=\"title\">120 Minutes</span>, a weekly program he hosted that featured new and alternative bands; live broadcasts, including the MTV Video Music Awards and New Year's balls (which include performances); and other events such as movie premieres. Some items of interest were recorded only partially as they were not the reason Hunter was taping. These include partial episodes of <span class=\"title\">Liner Notes</span>, a program devoted to particular bands or topics; and incomplete concerts of Adam and the Ants and REO Speedwagon. Other documentaries or special programming include a performance by Phil Collins; <span class=\"title\">Loud and Fast: Inside Heavy Metal</span>; <span class=\"title\">London Calling</span>, a special on music from Great Britain; two editions of <span class=\"title\">The Year in Rock</span>; <span class=\"title\">Rock in Russia</span>; and a press conference announcing the 1985 Live Aid concerts.</p> <p>The Promotions and Contests include footage of promotional appearances by Hunter in Pennsylvania.</p> <p>The interviews with Hunter are comprised primarily of talk show appearances by the five original VJs. There are two interviews with Hunter alone.</p> <p>Hunter's acting appearances include excerpts of his role in an episode of <span class=\"title\">The New Mike Hammer</span> (1987); a scene from the play <span class=\"title\">Beyond Therapy</span> (1991); <span class=\"title\">Dinner for One</span>, a silent student film (writer/director unidentified); and two complete television films in which he had small roles, <span class=\"title\">To Heal a Nation</span> (1988) and <span class=\"title\">White Hot</span> (1989). The complete television film <span class=\"title\">Love's Savage Fury</span> (1979) appears at the beginning of the recording of the Live Aid press conference described above. See also Compilations and Highlights for other acting clips.</p> <p>Recordings of Hunter's hosting and other appearances include commercials; game shows; a 1993 audio recording of his DJ-ing at WAPI-FM in Birmingham, Alabama; the Penn and Teller production <span class=\"title\">Penn and Teller's Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends</span> (1987); and music-related programs for VH1 and Encore TV.</p> <p>The Home and Custom videos include footage of two parties, both MTV-related, and a short video of Hunter produced as a gift for him.</p> <p>The Compilations and Highlights were assembled by Hunter or by the agencies representing him after his departure from MTV. They hold MTV clips and acting and hosting excerpts.</p>"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection is arranged topically into MTV; Interviews with Hunter; Acting; Hosting and Other Appearances; Home and Custom Videos; and Compilations and Highlights. See the arrangement note under MTV for further details.</p>"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by <span class=\"name\">Alan Hunter</span> in <span class=\"date\">2020</span>.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by <span class=\"name\">Matthew Snyder</span> in <span class=\"date\">2025</span>.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1979
- keydate
-
1979
- date_end
-
2007
- date_inclusive_start
-
1979
- date_inclusive_end
-
2007
- date_bulk_start
-
1981
- date_bulk_end
-
1987
- extent_statement
-
0.21 linear feet (1 box). 142 moving image recordings. 1 audio recording
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Alan Hunter MTV video recordings, Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, The New York Public Library"}