Aug. 1, 1981.  That was exact the birth date of MTV.  I was less than one month old (I was born Jul. 3, 1981).  According to my mom, she caught wind of the channel starting some time ago, and when the now legendary blast off scene aired, kicking off the network, she was right there, with me in her lap.  You see, MTV has a target demographic of 18-25 yr. olds.  When MTV made its debut, my mom was 22.  She fit right into their demographic, and according to her, she sat up all with me that fateful night, watching videos in awe.

You see, in 1981, there were no music video channels, and even having your favorite artist make a music video was pretty rare.  So you can imagine how mesmerized my mother was seeing visuals with all her favorite rock songs.  As the years went by and we both grew, we continued to watch MTV together.  There weren’t many people that looked like me and my mom on the channel at first, but that changed once Mr. Bowie blasted them for not showcasing black artists.

MTV is what introduced me to David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Prince, Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie, The Police, Rod Stewart, Phil Collins, Genesis, Billy Idol, Billy Joel, Duran Duran, Bon Jovi, REO Speedwagon, Def Lepard, Dire Straits, Van Halen, Flock of Seagulls, Pat Benatar, and so many great artists.  As the ‘80s neared a close, MTV started showing more types of programming, such as Remote Control, which was a trivia show about TV series.  I used to love that show.   

The ‘90s came around, and instead of straight music videos being shown, MTV had shows such as Yo! MTV Raps (my favorite), Headbangers Ball, MTV Unplugged, House of Style, Liquid Television (I’m still traumatized watching Aeon Flux die every damn episode) and 120 Minutes.   They also had specials like MTV’s Spring Break, and Michael Jackson Weekends, which I lived for!  When I was 16, MTV once had an Old School Hip-Hop Sunday.  I was in hog heaven.  I also had to check out the Video Music Awards and MTV Movie Awards every year.  I witnessed that steamy kiss between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in real time.

Of course, MTV also started The Real World and Road Rules around this time.  Now, some folks may consider this to be the beginning of the end, and to be honest…it was.  However, at the time, it made me no never mind.  MTV still showed a hell of a lot of videos, and The Real World and Road Rules became part of my lineup once I entered my teenage years.

However, as I entered into high school (it may have been as early as junior high, to be honest), I started noticing that the “M” in MTV was becoming less and less relevant.  By that time, the channel aired shows such as Beavis and Butthead, Daria, Celebrity Deathmatch, and True Life.  The Real World and Road Rules were even more popular than before, and sometimes MTV would show all day marathons.  I found myself missing the videos, which now mostly aired early in the morning and super late at night.  Despite that, I still enjoyed the programming (especially Daria and Celebrity Deathmatch)  Plus, I still got to see some videos before I went to school in the morning.  Sugar Ray’s “Every Morning” always provides a beautiful memory of a 17 yr. old me, sitting in the den of my childhood home, watching videos while waiting for my school bus to arrive.

When the ‘90s morphed into the 2000s, I was in college, and watching MTV every day was still a must…because not only could I not miss The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, but I also had to catch Jackass and Total Request Live aka TRL, especially if my baby LL Cool J would be making an appearance.  The only thing I didn’t like about TRL is that they would never show the entire video.  They’d cut the video early and fade into those crowds of screaming ass fans.  I still checked out Celebrity Deathmatch and True Life, but I found myself remarking to friends and family that MTV needed to be changed to RTV, because they barely aired any videos.  Unless you watched TRL (and then you’d only get a snippet of the video), or just happened to be up between the hrs. of 3:00 AM – 9:00 AM, you wouldn’t have a chance in hell of seeing a music video.

After college, MTV’s appeal began to wane a bit for me.  Between 2003-2005, I’d watch shows like Punk’d, Making the Band (despite the fact that I couldn’t stand Puffy), Pimp My Ride and MTV Cribs, and I’d still catch TRL every now and again.  But, by the mid 2000s, TRL went off the air, which pretty much sealed the fate of the music video on the channel.  Puffy became so unbearable that I would tune into Making the Band sporadically.  I kept up with Pimp My Ride and MTV Cribs less and less (years later I learned those shows were fake).  I’d mostly watch shows like Next, The X-Effect, and Parental Control. 

Then I turned 26 in 2007.  Remember when I said that MTV had a target demographic of 18-25 yr. olds?  They weren’t lying.  Once I turned 26, all interest I had in the network I grew up on and viewed my entire life, the network that was my exact age and I watched mature as I matured, was just…gone.  Now the only thing I watch are episodes of Catfish.

By the 2010s and 2020s, MTV was a shell of itself.  When their 30^th anniversary rolled around, there was a celebration…on VH1 Classic.  They aired the first hour of MTV’s programming, which I thought was very cool, but I was confused why VH1 Classic would show the debut hour and not MTV itself.  When they turned 40, the only celebration was on Sirius XM’s ‘80s on 8 channel, which is hosted by most of the surviving original MTV VJs:  Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Nina Blackwood.  Martha Quinn, who never joined the Sirius XM lineup, even made an appearance (sadly, original VJ JJ Jackson passed from a heart attack in 2004).  What did MTV itself do for its milestone birthday?  Air back-to-back episodes of  Ridiculousness.  SMH.

I remember having a sleepless night sometime in 2013 or 2014, and I turned my television on MTV in the hopes of having something on to lull me back to sleep.  Lo and behold, there was actually a music video playing!  It was about 6:00 AM.  I turned the TV to the channel guide and noted that MTV was scheduled to air the videos at 5:00 AM, and the reality TV programming was set to begin at 7:00 AM and continue until 5:00 AM the next morning.  Imagine that.  A music video channel that only airs 2 hrs. of music videos.  And to add insult to injury, the videos ran during a time period when most folks aren’t even in the mood to watch TV…if they’re even awake.

Between MTV phasing out music videos and folks being able to access them a lot easier by watching either YouTube or On Demand channels, the network had changed forever.  I knew when the “Music Television” portion of the logo was erased and we were introduced to the cut off version that Gen Z knows today, there was no turning back

As of Jan. 1, 2026, MTV got rid of all their stations that play nothing but music videos (I honestly didn’t think there were any left) and only left the stations that cater to reality shows.  So MTV didn’t completely “die,” but seeing as it has publicly turned its back on their whole reason for being, it is a bit of a death, at least it is for me. It turns out the last video they aired was also the very first one they showcased that fateful night on Aug. 1, 1981: “Video Killed the Radio Star.”

For 25 yrs. of my life, MTV was there.  It shaped so much of my childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood.  Even though I loved their reality TV series and sitcoms, hearing that they’ve stomped out music videos saddens me.  After 44 yrs., it really feels like the end of an era.

Goodbye, MTV.  From one millennial to another, I’ll always love you.

—Written by Nadiya      

What do you think about MTV “dying?”  Are you old enough to remember when MTV aired nothing but videos, or are you a youngin that came along after MTV introduced The Real World and Road Rules?  What is your favorite MTV moment and/or show?  Let me know in the comments section!