In 1987, MTV faced a problem. It wanted to devote more time to launch a new game show "Remote Control" and dance extravaganza Club MTV. However, the time it wanted to use was already alotted to an hour-long video segment devoted to hard rock and heavy metal, which was very popular at the time.
The solution? Headbanger's Ball hosted by then-VJ Adam Curry. The show occupied an enormous, if not very accessible time-slot: Saturday night, 12am - 3am. Due to the popularity of the genre the response was tremendous. Hosts changed from Curry to Rikki Racktman (who brought instant burnout-cred to the show due to his co-ownership of L.A. nightclub "The Cat Club" with then Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downs) in 1990.
Headbanger's Ball was the proud owner of many "firsts," including the world-premiere of Metallica's first video, "One"1 in 1989, and the first network television appearance of Marilyn Manson in 1995. Due to the waning interest in metal and the launch of MTV2, the show was canceled in 1996.
1 At the time of its release, the now notorious drummer for Metallica, Lars Ulrich, claimed that the video for One would be the only video ever produced by the band.