Former VJ and now podcast host Dave Holmes sat down with Corey Crockett of CHANNEL Q to talk about all things MTV, and how it really isn’t dead - just a bit different.
LISTEN NOW: Where’s the music on MTV?
For the last decade, fans have been asking where the "M" of MTV went. The "Music Television" channel was once a massive cultural phenomenon for airing music videos, music news, and all things teenage. But the times, they are a-changin. In the Audacy podcast Who Killed the Video Star: The Story of MTV , host Dave Holmes walks through the progression of the MTV business. In his latest interview with CHANNEL Q, Holmes discussed how it’s "downfall" may be more accurately described as a restructuring.
“I really try not to use the word demise, but…” Crockett began with a bit of a chuckle. “How did we go from what we knew in the TRL era to 22 hours a day of ‘Ridiculousness’, right?”
Nodding his head, the former VJ knew exactly what Crockett was getting at. “I have such an emotional attachment to it, and I want it to be what it was for a new generation. But nothing remains what it was, change is a constant and all that.”
MTV’s shift away from its "Music Television" branding may not have been so sinister as it feels, Holmes explained. Rather, the focus on dollars and expansion is indicative of media trends overall. “What has happened to MTV is kind of what’s happening to the media at large,” he said. “It’s what’s happening to magazines, it’s what’s happening to newspapers… there is just this, sort of, drive to cut costs and maximize value for shareholders that results in a product that is, uh, less impactful let’s say.”
Simply put: “It’s not dead, it’s just not what it was.”
Holmes continued: “Even though it is not a thing I engage with as a viewer anymore… and I don’t know anyone whose kids have the emotional connection that we did, it does still exist as a linear cable channel and it is still profitable.”
He went on to explain how MTV Entertainment Studios, the production company behind the channel, has maintained a strong hand in other pop culture moments like the wildly successful Yellowstone and Emily in Paris series. Furthermore, MTV continues to acquire new content, including its newest partnership with World of Wonder and RuPaul’s Drag Race . The drag queen competition show launched its 15th season on MTV in a move to expand the show’s cult following to a global scale. The channel, and Paramount+, now own the rights to three seasons and those yet to air.
“MTV sort of, plays a role in every generation of queer fans,” said interviewer Corey Crockett of the show.
And Holmes adamantly agrees, citing his own experience as a gay viewer and employee. Not only did MTV broadcast all kinds of music and artistic expression, the network also gave representation to the LBTQ+ community via reality television. Shows like The Real World , Road Rules , and The Challenge regularly featured cast members who openly identify as part of the LGBTQ community. “At a time where TV and movies were not giving us queer characters,” Holmes explained, “these people were themselves, were emotionally multi-dimensional and were living. That was huge! Just knowing that those people were out there, was massive.”
You can check out the full interview above, and to hear the detailed story behind MTV then-and-now, listen to Audacy’s original podcast series Who Killed the Video Star: The Story of MTV . The 8-episode series is available anytime and anywhere on the free Audacy app.
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