Here are suggestions for filling in the blanks based on the context provided:

1. **play**: "videos"
2. **was**: "extremely"
3. **disc jockey**: "DJ"
4. **relic**: "part"
5. **During**: "In"
6. **the**: "notable"
7. **watch**: "listen to"

Here's how the complete text would look:

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THE EARLY YEARS OF MTV
The popular TV music channel MTV was launched in 1981 in the US with the intention of playing **videos**. It was a brilliant marketing concept, as it came at little cost while **was** **extremely** attractive to record companies and advertisers.
The videos were guided by an air-host, known as a VJ—the term is a conflation of ‘video’ and ‘disc jockey’. The VJs are now a **relic** of the past, but **during** their heyday, they were MTV, attaining cult status. It was **the** notable presenters on the station that Russell Brand and Alex Zane got their career breaks.
MTV changed the way we experience music: we **watch** records instead of just listening to them. Record companies were quick to appreciate this, and acts such as Madonna and Boy George...

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Feel free to adjust any suggestions based on your specific needs or context!