? Who killed MTV? Just a few days ago, Paramount, MTV’s parent company, was reported to be pulling the plug on five affiliated channels in the UK by year’s end, keeping just a single channel that would air reality television shows. For many, this marks the end of an era and the close of a pivotal chapter in pop culture. For others? It was inevitable.

So, what’s the tea? In March 2024, former MTV video jockey Dave Holmes launched an audio documentary series in the form of a podcast titled Who Killed the Video Star? Holmes dedicated the show to dissecting the history of MTV, which launched in 1982, soon proving to be an unprecedented phenomenon up until the mid noughties. In the podcast, Holmes conducts interviews with industry experts, former MTV employees, and once-loyal MTV watchers.

A slow, sad decay: Once a sacred aspect of every ‘80s and ‘90s teenager’s life, MTV, which revolutionised and vitalized the music video industry, has become a desolate wasteland as far as the greenback is concerned. Producers have lost the desire to invest in big-budget music videos when social media is right there, Jennifer Byrne, head of development at Academy Films, told the Guardian.

Before it changed the game, MTV struggled to play. The channel’s success wasn’t particularly successful, having suffered myriad losses and struggled to retain advertisers for its first two years or so, owing to its initial reluctance to air videos by black artists. Its racist policies, however, would soon be rectified on the back of the success of Michael Jackson, who had just dropped his magnum opus: Thriller. The album reshaped not only pop, but the music video industry. MTV began airing Thriller and Billie Jean, and so it found success.

MTV’s peak: Holmes reviews the channel’s content evolution, from long-form music videos to series and reality shows — and the widely popular events it once hosted, such as Spring Break, in which the audience became the stars themselves. MTV’s success culminated in the launch of the very first Video Music Awards (VMAs) in 1984, through which the world was properly introduced to the iconic Madonna.

Holmes notes the channel’s rise, the brilliant decisions taken by its management, and the ones that ultimately killed it. He dissects the era in which MTV’s star shined, and in doing so, makes the eight-part audio documentary feel more like an engrossing film rather than a podcast. The episodes are expertly produced, and the soundscape alongside Holmes’ distinct narrative style make it one of the most entertaining audio experiences out there. At its core, it’s a documentary about the collapse of a brand that seemed destined to survive for all eternity, only to fall victim to time, technology, and ego.

If you grew up watching MTV, are a budding entrepreneur, or are simply passionate about pop culture, we’d encourage you to listen to Who Killed the Video Star?

WHERE TO LISTEN- You can tune in on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Anghami | iHeart.

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