VJ (media personality)

As Video Jockey ( VJ short form; [vi ː dʒeɪ ] ) is called the music video clip announcer on commercial music television such as MTV and VIVA.

The term Video Jockey ( VJ ) should not be confused with the artistic activity of a Visual Jockey ( VJ ). The abbreviation VJ, however, has come to be for both activities, so that it can get confused. The abbreviation VJ goes back to the term DJ (short for Disc Jockey ) and is also related to the symbol LJ (short for Light Jockey ).

The profession of video jockeys emerged in parallel with the emergence of the first music television channel. As the birth of the video jockeys so can be very precisely dated the year 1981, where the world's first music channel MTV launched in the U.S..

Due to the popularity of the music television channel, especially in the 1980s and 1990s were relatively well-known celebrities from VJ. Would (all VIVA ), Kristiane Backer, Ray Cokes, etc. to name about Heike Makatsch, Stefan Raab, Mola Adebisi in Germany.

Since music television channel aimed primarily at young audiences, applies to the activities of the video jockeys a (unofficial ) Age Limit: Unlike radio DJ ( the radio equivalent of the Video Jockey on TV) with max. 30-35 years of life (often earlier ) usually end because from that age of an authentic Anmoderation tailored to the tastes of children and adolescents clips is hardly possible.

Because of the increasing number of television channels and the growing importance of the Internet, there have to get today's video jockeys in addition, much more difficult, a high level of awareness.