Death of the MTV Generation [MTV Shutting Down]

Chronicles ^ | December 8, 2025 | Noel Yaxley

[Angelino97]

I heard it morphed to ghetto jungle chanting and went to hell.

MTV was accused of racism in the early 1980s, because they only had white performers. MTV said it was because they were a rock channel, and blacks didn't perform rock.

Then Michael Jackson released the Thriller video, and made music history. And MTV history.

[Sicon]

“Speaking as a representative of GenX, I don’t think we’re particularly concerned about a loss of relevance. As a generation, we are and were never concerned about what others thought of us. We just want to be left alone to live our lives as we see fit. I think that’s all we ever wanted, actually.”

Word.

[doorgunner69]

No wonder I had no idea what happened.

Never saw a MJ anything, culturally deprive old curmudgeon that I am.

[bigbob]

And streaming killed the video star

[dfwgator]

AI killed the musician.

[Signalman]

Whip it

One of the first videos to appear on MTV in 1980.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_QLzthSkfM&list=RDj_QLzthSkfM&start_radio=1

[MikelTackNailer]

I could not believe such a lame pandering channel dared to program a show just for my terrible tastes, yet there it was for a few glorious years:

[dfwgator]

Ahh yes, the era of the power ballad, “Because every bad boy has his soft side.”

[MikelTackNailer]

I consider Slayer's "War Ensemble" a heart-warming ballad. Does that count?

[FLT-bird]

It was good in the early to mid 80s. By the late 80s they introduced Yo MTV Sucks (raps) and they started showing game shows. By the very early 1990s, I moved on to VH1 which was actually showing rock music videos. I was in college at the time.

[Darksheare]

“In many ways, the demise of MTV can be interpreted as part of the fading relevance of Gen X.”

No, MTV started chasing after woke BS and idiocy, left music behind, and chased a “Modern Audience”.
And “Fading relevance of Gen X” has been a talking point for a long time.

Remember Z Rock and the Metal Militia?
ABC broadcasting killed Z Rock because “they didn’t see a market in Gen X”.
And that happened in the 90’s

[Bullish]

They filled a niche for a while... IMO they had a pretty good run.

[Olog-hai]

As someone born in the final minutes of the 1970s, I am a member of Generation X, the so-called “MTV Generation.” …

Sorry, Noel; you would not know what MTV was like when it started out, because you were one year old.

[CodeToad]

“optimistic millennials”

??? We don’t call them “Doomers” for nothing.

[Mr. Blond]

MTV owes its existence to Mike Nesmith of The Monkees. And didn’t long survive him.

[nonliberal]

The State was so far ahead of its time.

[nonliberal]

Nice. I’m a big Motörhead fan.

[Adder]

We just want to be left alone to live our lives as we see fit.

That’s all any generation wants.Pre-boomers [the “silent majority”], boomers, GenX and every other maturing age group.

We are not all that different in the end, despite ash oles trying to drive ageist wedges between everyone.

[MayflowerMadam]

I enjoyed MTV for a few of their first years. Then it got weird. Our maybe I grew up.

[DCBryan1]

Watched ALOT until it became Minority (only) TV.