MTV's Original VJs, Ranked

In the early '80s, MTV was a totally fresh concept and needed just the right on-air talent to pull it off. When it first filled the cable TV airwaves on August 1, 1981, the five original MTV VJs (video jockeys) — Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson, and Martha Quinn — introduced the killer sights and sounds the public were about to jam out to. Providing music news and trivia between videos, much like DJs of the radio, they became the people who ushered the public into this new MTV era with style and a fair bit of sass.

With their music know-how, interview skills, and unique personalities, these VJs paved the way for the many MTV jockeys that came after them, including La La Anthony and current host of "The Voice," Carson Daly. In the words of Martha Quinn herself in an interview with Television Academy, the original VJs were "the coolest people [she'd] ever met." Here we're ranking MTV's original VJs based on vibes, music pro knowledge, and cultural staying power.

Alan Hunter was the first MTV VJ viewers saw during the inaugural broadcast in 1981, introducing the very concept of a video jockey to viewers. This was the beginning of an illustrious six-year VJ career, but it wasn't something the man expected when he first moved to New York. He told the Webster-Kirkwood Times, "I first went to New York to become an actor and I did some TV and a handful of Off-Broadway roles, but mostly I did struggling actor gigs. [...] Then this new idea came along with MTV. At first I saw it as a part-time job with a regular paycheck, but it wasn't long before I was covering music news coast to coast and introducing videos."

Hunter's VJ legacy included interviews with legends like David Bowie and Ozzy Osbourne, all while providing big brother energy with his vast music knowledge and jokester personality.

J.J. Jackson came with a stack of radio DJ experience that made him perfect for his role as one of the first MTV VJs, DJing on the radio waves in Boston and Los Angeles. He spent five years as a VJ for various MTV programs from 1981 to 1986, building up a stellar resume. He interviewed KISS the first moment they appeared on TV without their signature makeup on September 18, 1983. In 1986, he helped launch "120 Minutes," an alternative music showcase that ran for 30 years.

Jackson passed away of an apparent heart attack in 2004 at the age of 62. Fellow original MTV VJ Mark Goodman said after his passing, "For the five of us, he was the wise DJ. He was the guy who had been through it all and was able to always put a mature perspective to things. He wound up handling the spotlight that was thrust on us better than any of us."

Nina Blackwood brought bright energy to her time as one of the first MTV VJs from 1981 to 1986, interviewing such seminal talents as Jerry Garcia and Frank Zappa. She loved the revolutionary nature of this fledgling production, telling Barrett Media, "Because there was nothing that MTV could look at to copy or emulate, it was breaking new ground. And I think all my fellow VJs will agree that the early years at the beginning were the best part for us." 

Blackwood's signature shaggy blonde hair and raspy voice made her the most punk rock of the original five MTV VJs. She had a unique personality that matched some of the glam rock she introduced to viewers, as well as the gritty, graffiti-like imagery of the "I want my MTV" marketing. 

Mark Goodman worked as an MTV VJ from the first broadcast in 1981 all through 1987, though he wasn't new to the music industry. He worked in radio, including at Philadelphia's station, WMMR. During his famously contentious interview with legend David Bowie in 1983, the artist brought up the disparity in Black artists featured on MTV during its early years. At the time, Goodman floundered in his response. Later, he said, "I was in an odd position, because I couldn't diss the network. The fact was, J.J. [Jackson] and I had been talking about this. He pointed out to me that he was initially down with the rock format, but once MTV started to play Spandau Ballet and ABC — basically, white R&B acts — he felt there was no reason not to play black R&B acts."

Still, the cable network and audience both benefited from Goodman's experience. His vast knowledge of all things music made him seem almost like a historian or professor.

Perhaps luck was on Martha Quinn's side when it came to her casting as one of the original MTV VJs. Before, she'd only worked at NYU's radio station, WNBC. Of her hiring, she told Television Academy, "I was going home one day and there was terrible traffic, so I hopped off the bus and called WNBC from a pay phone and said, 'I'm going to come up and say hello.' As luck would have it, this guy was in from California, Burt Stein. [...] Buzz Brindle, my former boss, said, 'He's doing this cable music channel.' And Buzz turns to me and says, 'Martha, that's what you should do. You should be a deejay on MTV.'" If she had never gotten off that bus, she may never have become an MTV sensation.

Quinn used her personable VJ talents for longer than anyone else in the original five. Though she first worked at the network from 1981 to 1986, she came back to VJ again from 1989 to 1992, bridging the gap between generational audiences. It was her youthful excitement and warmth during interviews that cemented her as an MTV legend.