MTV or Bust MTV debuted in New York City in 1981, and as it quickly spread across the country along with the spread of cable television, it soon became known as the network that went against the grain and represented youthful defiance in America. Because of this defiant nature, MTV was not afraid to back down from political controversy. In 1985, Dee Snider, Frank Zappa, and John Denver testified before the US Senate in response to the Parents Music Resource Center’s goal of censoring records containing improper lyrics. MTV had no qualms about taking the side of these three musical...