Bob Pittman

Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin

Rick Rubin

Society & Culture, Arts, Philosophy

4.6 • 908 Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2025

⏱️ 112 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Bob Pittman is the former CEO of MTV Networks and co-founder of MTV. Beginning his career in media at age 15 as an on-air radio announcer, he went on to play a central role in launching MTV in 1981, targeting a youth audience with music video programming. Throughout his career, Pittman has held executive positions at several prominent companies, including AOL Networks, Six Flags Theme Parks, Quantum Media, and Time Warner Enterprises. He currently serves as the CEO of iHeartMedia, overseeing 863 radio stations in 160 cities across the United States and operating on an annual revenue of over $3.5 billion. ------ Thank you to the sponsors that fuel our podcast and our team: Athletic Nicotine https://www.athleticnicotine.com/tetra Use code 'TETRA' ------ Squarespace https://squarespace.com/tetra Use code 'TETRA' ------ LMNT Electrolytes https://drinklmnt.com/tetra Use code 'TETRA' ------ Sign up to receive Tetragrammaton Transmissions https://www.tetragrammaton.com/join-newsletter

Transcript

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0:00.0	Tetragrammaton 1981.
0:25.6	1981, August 181, we launched.
0:29.2	And that world was a world of no information.
0:33.0	There were three TV networks, ABC, NBC, CBS.
0:36.6	And they decided when you were going to see programming.
0:40.4	HBO had come along in the mid-70s.
0:43.6	There had been no really advertiser-supported networks, which of course MTV was.
0:49.7	And there was an idea at the time that the consumer wanted choice, which we know is always true,
0:57.9	and that instead of network programmers deciding when you could see kids programming,
1:03.7	using programming, news, sports, you would go to these 24-hour channels and get it at any time.
1:09.9	So you put together your own array of programming
1:12.2	that matched your needs. That was a really new thing. Think of it as a poor man's on-demand.
1:17.1	I mean, there's no technology for on-demand then. So this was a way where you're going to get
1:20.4	choice. So Turner launched CNN, a bunch of guys up in Bristol launched ESPN.
1:27.8	Those are in the 70s?
1:29.0	No, it was about 1980, I guess, along when we are.
1:32.1	Right there.
1:32.5	We're all right there together.
1:34.1	How many homes had cable at this time?
1:35.9	Think about 15 million.
1:37.7	And so we developed this idea for a music service, all music.
1:42.6	And I think the music had been on TV off and on for years and
	...

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