When I was a poor college student in East Texas, it took MTV forever to make it on to our local cable provider. I remember my first exposure to a music video, was watching The Midnight Special in the 1970's. In 1982, I got my first look at the up-start MTV, while in Florida on Spring Break from school. I was hooked. Spent the entire week in a chair, watching the same, ummm, 10 videos, over and over, it seemed. If I ever see Blue Oyster Cult's "I'm Burnin' for You" one more time, I'll scream! But most music acts had yet to understand what importance the music video would play, and there were just a hand full to be screened. And many of those were from groups, best left forgotten.
NBC, caught up in the music video revolution, started in 1983 airing videos on this show. Usually there were introduced by an off camera voice talent, but I seem to recall a host every now and then.
By the mid 80's, most everyone had some sort of way to access MTV, and "Friday Night Videos" became redundant as a "music video" format. It added hosts and other bits. By then, I'd stopped watching, and accidently found the show one night, surfing thru channels.
