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Thirty-six years after MTV News was created to expand the stable of programming that defined the cable channel MTV, it is no more.
MTV News was shuttered this week as part of larger layoffs at parent company Paramount Global.
What launched as a single show in 1987 (The Week in Rock, led by correspondent Kurt Loder) eventually became a bona fide news outlet for Gen X and older millennials who found that traditional TV programming on the broadcast networks and CNN wasn’t cutting it.
Correspondents like Loder, Tabitha Soren, SuChin Pak, Gideon Yago, Alison Stewart and others covered music, pop culture, politics and other topics with an eye toward the younger generation that was tuned to MTV, rather than the network evening newscasts.
Along the way, MTV News created some pop culture moments itself, perhaps none bigger than in 1994, when President Clinton appeared on MTV’s Enough Is Enough, a town hall addressing violence in America.
The special was led by Soren and Stewart and saw them, as well as audience members in attendance, asking questions of Clinton about fighting crime and balancing personal freedom with social responsibility. But it was a section of lighter questions and answers that made national headlines, when an audience member asked Clinton, “Mr. President, the world’s dying to know, is it boxers or briefs?”
“Usually briefs. I can’t believe she did that,” Clinton responded, to laughter from the crowd.
MTV News subsequently held town halls with Barack Obama, John McCain, Bill Gates and others, and boxers or briefs would become a running joke still referenced to this day.
Coverage of topics like sexual health, the Iraq War and devastating natural disasters earned the news division and its correspondents Emmys and Peabody Awards, while it continued to deliver news and criticism of music and pop culture.
On April 8, 1994, MTV broke into regular programming after it had confirmed the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, with Loder breaking the news to the channel’s viewers.
To be certain, the MTV News of 2023 was much smaller and far less high-profile than the MTV News of the 1990s and early 2000s, when it could help define pop culture and cover stories more traditional outlets wouldn’t touch.
MTV News was already significantly reduced in size back in 2017, when it largely abandoned a strategy to take on outlets like BuzzFeed and Vice with a team of digital journalists led by Grantland alum Dan Fierman. The company said at the time it would refocus on shortform content and video in a return to its roots (MTV News used to have interstitials at the top of the hour on the cable channel with news updates). The most recent iteration focused on entertainment and pop culture news and criticism.
Now, however, amid a larger upheaval in the entertainment business, and with Paramount looking to cut costs, MTV News is one of the pieces that just didn’t fit in the larger strategy at play. According to Comscore, MTV drew 6 million monthly visitors to its flagship website in March, up slightly from 5.6 million in the same month a year earlier.
It was a real digital presence, but small potatoes compared to competitors like BuzzFeed and Vice, which have also shuttered or downsized their news divisions in recent months.
At its peak, beyond covering pop culture, MTV News was a part of the culture, as were its correspondents, none more so than Loder, the former Rolling Stone writer who spanned multiple decades at the news division.
“He never wishes his audience a good night or a pleasant tomorrow,” wrote New York Times reporter Judith Miller in a 1993 story about MTV News’ embrace of politics. “Attired in funereal black, he looks as if he hopes that it will thunder and rain all day. He is, in short, the contemporary Reverend Dimmesdale of rock.”
Loder appeared as himself in episodes of shows like The Simpsons, That ’90s Show and Kenan & Kel.
In fact, Loder made one final MTV News appearance for corporate parent Paramount in March … sort of.
It was a fictional segment meant as an ad to tee up the new season of the Showtime series Yellowjackets.
Loder played himself at the MTV News desk, reporting on the missing soccer team whose “whereabouts are still unknown,” as Loder told viewers.
It was a throwback in more ways than one, with deepfake technology used to age Loder down to make him look and sound as he did in the early 1990s (he is now 77), the glory days for MTV News.
“Later, we’ll catch up with Grammy winner Alanis Morissette, fresh off her Jagged Little Pill tour,” Loder said to end the fictional segment, before it signed off with MTV News’ tagline: “MTV News, you hear it first.”
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Austin Butler and Doja Cat are among the nominees for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards. The show, hosted by Drew Barrymore, will air live May 7 from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Gomez is up for best performance in a show for her role in Only Murders in the Building and best kiss for her smooch with Cara Delevingne in that show. In addition, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me is nominated for best music documentary.
The other nominees in the latter category are Love, Lizzo, The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie, Halftime (about Jennifer Lopez) and Sheryl (about Sheryl Crow).
Styles is nominated for best villain for his role in Don’t Worry Darling and best kiss for his smooch with David Dawson in My Policeman.
Bad Bunny is nominated for two awards for Bullet Train: breakthrough performance and best fight, for a confrontation with Brad Pitt.
A few of the nominees also received Oscar or Emmy nominations. Austin Butler, an Oscar nominee for his breakthrough role in Elvis, is nominated here for best performance in a movie, but his four rivals were not Oscar-nominated. They are Florence Pugh in Don’t Worry Darling, Keke Palmer in Nope, Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick and Michael B. Jordan in Creed III. (The latter film was released in 2023, so Jordan may land an Oscar nod next year.)
It’s a similar story in the nominations for best song. Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick and Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, both of which were Oscar-nominated, are nominated here too, but the other four nominees here were not Oscar-nominated, for a variety of reasons. OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” (Top Gun: Maverick) and Taylor Swift’s “Carolina” (Where the Crawdads Sing) simply didn’t receive enough support. Doja Cat’s “Vegas” (Elvis) was ruled ineligible because it borrowed so heavily from the 1950s classic “Hound Dog.” Demi Lovato’s “Still Alive” is featured in a 2023 film, Scream VI.
The event, honoring work in both movies and television, across scripted and unscripted, will air on MTV internationally in more than 170 countries.
Top nominees for scripted programming are Top Gun: Maverick, Stranger Things and The Last of Us, with six nods each, followed by The White Lotus and Wednesday, with four nods each.
Top nominees for unscripted programming are Jersey Shore Family Vacation, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules, with two nods each.
There are two new categories – best reality on-screen team and best kick-ass cast.
Beginning Wednesday (April 5), fans can vote for their favorites across 26 gender-neutral categories by visiting vote.mtv.com through April 17 at 6 p.m. ET.
Executive producers for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards are MTV’s Bruce Gillmer, Wendy Plaut and Vanessa Whitewolf, along with Den of Thieves’ Jesse Ignjatovic and Barb Bialkowski. Jackie Barba and Alicia Portugal are executives in charge of production and Lisa Lauricella and Mike Ostolaza serve as the music talent executives.
Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards:
Best movie
Avatar: The Way of WaterBlack Panther: Wakanda ForeverElvisNopeScream VISmileTop Gun: Maverick
Best show
Stranger ThingsThe Last of UsThe White LotusWednesdayWolf PackYellowstoneYellowjackets
Best performance in a movie
Austin Butler — ElvisFlorence Pugh — Don’t Worry DarlingKeke Palmer — NopeMichael B. Jordan — Creed IIITom Cruise — Top Gun: Maverick
Best performance in a show
Aubrey Plaza — The White LotusChristina Ricci — YellowjacketsJenna Ortega — WednesdayRiley Keough — Daisy Jones & The SixSadie Sink — Stranger ThingsSelena Gomez — Only Murders in the Building
Best hero
Diego Luna —AndorJenna Ortega — WednesdayPaul Rudd — Ant-Man & The Wasp: QuantumaniaPedro Pascal — The Last of UsTom Cruise — Top Gun: Maverick
Best villain
Elizabeth Olsen — Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessHarry Styles – Don’t Worry DarlingJamie Campbell Bower — Stranger ThingsM3GAN – M3GANThe Bear — Cocaine Bear
Best kiss
Anna Torv + Philip Prajoux – The Last of UsHarry Styles + David Dawson – My PolicemanMadison Bailey + Rudy Pankow – Outer BanksRiley Keough + Sam Claflin – Daisy Jones & The SixSelena Gomez + Cara Delevingne – Only Murders in the Building
Best comedic performance
Adam Sandler – Murder Mystery 2Dylan O’Brien – Not OkayJennifer Coolidge – Shotgun WeddingKeke Palmer – NopeQuinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Breakthrough performance
Bad Bunny – Bullet TrainBella Ramsey – The Last of UsEmma D’Arcy – House of the DragonJoseph Quinn – Stranger ThingsRachel Sennott – Bodies Bodies Bodies
Best fight
Brad Pitt (Ladybug) vs. Bad Bunny (The Wolf) – Bullet TrainCourteney Cox (Gale Weathers) vs. Ghostface – Scream VIJamie Campbell Bower (Vecna) vs. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) – Stranger ThingsKeanu Reeves (John Wick) vs. Everyone – John Wick 4Escape from Narkina 5 – Andor
Most frightened performance
Jennifer Coolidge – The White LotusJesse Tyler Ferguson – Cocaine BearJustin Long – BarbarianRachel Sennott – Bodies Bodies BodiesSosie Bacon – Smile
Best duo
Camila Mendes + Maya Hawke – Do RevengeJenna Ortega + Thing – WednesdayPedro Pascal + Bella Ramsey – The Last of UsSimona Tabasco + Beatrice Grannò – The White LotusTom Cruise + Miles Teller – Top Gun: Maverick
Best kick-ass cast
Ant-Man & The Wasp: QuantumaniaBlack Panther: Wakanda ForeverOuter BanksStranger ThingsTeen Wolf: The Movie
Best song
Demi Lovato – Still Alive (Scream VI)Doja Cat – Vegas (Elvis)Lady Gaga – Hold My Hand (Top Gun: Maverick)OneRepublic – I Ain’t Worried (Top Gun: Maverick)Rihanna – Lift Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)Taylor Swift – Carolina (Where the Crawdads Sing)
Best docu-reality series
Jersey Shore Family VacationThe Real Housewives of Beverly HillsFamily Reunion: Love & Hip Hop EditionThe KardashiansVanderpump Rules
Best competition series
All-Star ShoreBig BrotherRuPaul’s Drag Race: All-StarsThe Challenge: USAThe Traitors
Best host
Drew Barrymore – The Drew Barrymore ShowJoel Madden – Ink MasterNick Cannon – The Masked SingerRuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag RaceKelly Clarkson – The Kelly Clarkson Show
Best reality on-screen team
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Vinny Guadagnino, Pauly D (MVP) – Jersey Shore Family VacationTori Deal and Devin Walker – The Challenge: Ride or DiesRuPaul Charles and Michelle Visage – RuPaul’s Drag RaceAriana Madix, Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay, LaLa Kent – Vanderpump RulesGarcelle Beauvais and Sutton Stracke – The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Best music documentary
HalftimeLove, LizzoSelena Gomez: My Mind & MeSherylThe Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie
MTV Entertainment Studios is teaming up with Glass Entertainment Group for the brand-new docuseries MTV’s Family Legacy, which will dive into MTV’s most celebrated events and iconic artists through the eyes of their children.
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The intimate docuseries will capture musicians through the lens of their kids, with exclusive footage and brand-new interviews with the children of beloved music stars, including Van Halen’s Sammy Hagar, Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell, *NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, Boyz II Men’s Nathan Morris, TLC’s Chili, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Brandy and Melissa Etheridge. The kids of late legends The Notorious B.I.G. and Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington are also featured in the series, which will be narrated by actor and musician Quincy Brown, the son of Al B. Sure and Diddy’s late ex Kim Porter.
While the MTV’s Family Legacy docuseries doesn’t arrive until 2023, a special around the series is set to premiere as part of the monthlong “We Speak Music” programming on MTV starting Dec. 19.
In other big news for MTV, RuPaul’s Drag Race announced a “global expansion” of its brand, which includes a new deal that will see the flagship show move over from VH1 (its home for the last six years) to MTV for its long-awaited 15th season.
In alphabetical order, season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race will see Amethyst, Anetra, Aura Mayari, Irene Dubois, Jax, Loosey LaDuca, Luxx Noir London, Malaysia Babydoll Foxx, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Princess Poppy, Robin Fierce, Salina EsTitties, Sugar and Spice all compete for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar — as well as a newly increased cash prize of $200,000.
BET president and CEO Scott Mills is adding to his portfolio at Paramount Global.
In the latest piece of reorganization at the conglomerate, VH1 will move under Mills’ BET Media Group. The cable outlet was previously part of the Chris McCarthy-led Paramount Media Networks, along with Paramount Network, MTV, Comedy Central, CMT and others.
Paramount CEO Bob Bakish wrote in a memo to staff Wednesday (see it in full here) that the move will allow for better alignment of priorities and make VH1 “best positioned for future success as a key part of the powerful BET ecosystem.” VH1 is the second most popular entertainment cable outlet among Black viewers, behind only BET.
It also lightens the load for McCarthy, a Bakish favorite who will add premium cabler Showtime to his purview following David Nevins’ departure at the end of the year. MTV Entertainment Studios, headed by McCarthy and Nina L. Diaz, will continue to produce a number of VH1 series, including the Love & Hip Hop franchise, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Black Ink Crew.
The VH1 move also separates it from MTV in Paramount’s structure, ending almost four decades of close association between the two networks. The cable network started in 1985 as a music-video channel targeting a somewhat older audience than the youth-driven MTV. It eventually branched into original programming with shows like Behind the Music, I Love the … and a host of “celebreality” shows like Rock of Love and The Surreal Life. And, like MTV, it has mostly left its music roots behind.
As has been the case across the cable universe, VH1’s on-air audience has declined in recent years as increasing numbers of TV consumers opt out of cable subscriptions. Within that smaller ecosystem, however, it still ranks in the upper third of cable networks in the key ad demographic of adults 18-49.
VH1 will join a BET Media Group that also includes the namesake cable channel, streaming platform BET+, BET Her, BET Studios and BET Digital. “Scott and his team continue to drive the evolution and growth of BET by building an interconnected set of leading platforms — linear, streaming, digital and studios — centered around the Black community, Black culture and content,” Bakish wrote.
Read Bakish’s full memo.