A fire at MTV Studios in 1990 caused extensive smoke and water damage. Severely affected were various electronic components, e.g. broadcast studio equipment, recording equipment, computers and communication switching equipment.  MTV’s archival tape library, containing irreplaceable audio and videotape, required detailed restoration. Critical to the project was keeping minimal disruption to the ‘on-air’ schedule for both MTV and VH1, as this untimely event coincided with the emergence of a newly formatted entertainment medium.