MTV went from non-stop music video countdowns to non-music related reality content with shows such as 16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom and Catfish. We tend to forget this channel exists aside from hearing about the crazy shenanigans that goes down during their annual Video Music Awards. Ratings have significantly fallen over the last five years including the shares of its parent company, Viacom. Chris McCarthy, president of the network realized a severe change has to happen in order for it to have an ultimate comeback.
According to The New York Times, McCarthy believes it’s time to resurrect Total Request Live. This music-video countdown show was hosted live by Carson Daly and ran for a decade from 1998 to 2008. McCarthy believes this resurrection will bring MTV’s magic back. The hour-long show is set to return this October, and without Daly. Instead, it will feature five relatively unknown hosts including rapper/comedian DC Young Fly and Chicago radio host Erik Zachary.
MTV, which stands for Music Television, lost focus on music years ago. Instead, the network airs a variety of reality television shows ranging from teenage drama to The Jersey Shore. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we doubt there will be metal videos featured on this show, however, we can respect the fact that the network is attempting to bring music back to their programming. Maybe, in due time, That Metal Show which aired on VH1 Classic, will return.
