MTV’s ‘TRL’ Is Dunzo!
MTV released news late yesterday that as of November of this year their once-popular live daily video countdown show, Total Request Live, will be ending production for the foreseeable future. Altho the network has left TRL’s ending a bit open-ended (ie. there is hope that it may be resurrected in the future), it has been announced that the show will end after special 2-hour Saturday episode airs in November:
Start the countdown clock on MTV’s countdown era: “Total Request Live” will soon shut down after 10 years on the air. The music video show will conclude in a two-hour special on a Saturday afternoon in November, Dave Sirulnick, executive producer of “TRL”, said Monday. He stressed that the show wasn’t ending for good, but felt now was the right time to give it a break after an unprecedented run on the cable music channel. “We want to close this era of ‘TRL’ in a big celebratory way, and 10 is a great number,” Sirulnick said. “And 10 is the number that ‘TRL’ counted down every single day for 10 years, and we hit this 10th (anniversary) and we thought, ‘You know what? This feels like the right time and let’s celebrate it and let’s reward it. And let’s let it have a little bit of a rest for a minute.’ Let it catch its breath! Been working hard — for 10 years!” “TRL” debuted in September 1998 and became the splashy center of the teen pop music scene with Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, N’Sync and other acts. From its heydey until 2008, it’s been a destination for musicians, movie stars and celebrities promoting their new music, movies and other projects. Sirulnick said “TRL” — which airs weekday afternoons from MTV’s Times Square studio — lost some luster as it aged. It peaked in 1999 with 757,000 viewers tuning in daily, according to Nielsen Media Research. “It becomes more of a mainstay and more of an institution than — pardon the pun — the new kid on the block,” Sirulnick said. For the finale, Sirulnick said he hopes to celebrate with many of the “folks who helped make ‘TRL’ what it is — whether that’s Justin (Timberlake) and his guys in N’Sync, the Backstreet Boys, Britney, Eminem — I think we would love to see all of them here.” That includes former host Carson Daly. In a statement, Eminem said: “I’m going to miss ‘TRL.’ … Where else will I be able to start feuds, defend my honor vigorously and act like an angry teenager on national TV? Oh wait … The VMAs!” MTV found a replacement of sorts with “FNMTV.” The show debuted over the summer in a 15-episode run hosted by Pete Wentz, bassist for rock band Fall Out Boy. Taped in Los Angeles, it aired Friday nights and televised exclusive music videos and performances by such diverse acts as Slipknot and the Jonas Brothers. MTV said it was bringing “FNMTV” back for another run in mid-November. Like last time, there will be no video countdown with the 10 viewer favorites.
No offense to Pete Wentz and his new MTV show but … FNMTV, I watched TRL, I knew TRL, TRL was a friend of mine. FNMTV, you’re no TRL. This news is so sad to me … not only have some very important events in modern pop culture taken place on the TRL stage, live in front of the youth of the nation … but I have a few very personal, very important memories thanks to MTV and TRL. I remember that on my first visit to NYC in 2001 Sarah and I made a point to be in front of the MTV Studios in Times Square so that we could watch TRL being taped live for broadcast. I was still teaching at the time and was in NYC on Spring Break. In the crowd on the street I was zoomed in on by one of the cameras (I was wearing a striped scarf from the GAP, apparently it caught the cameraperson’s eye) coming back from commercial break and pretty much every kid at my school saw me on TV. Needless to say, I was immediately deemed the “coolest teacher” in the school (I also came home with at t-shirt from the MTV Store that read “Carson, can I come up?” which immediately negated my new cool factor). TRL was also the place where I got to meet and take a photo with Madonna, deffo one of the coolest moments in my life:
And early on in my relationship with David, we attended a taping of TRL together … the one where Nelly Furtado debuted her new video for her song Promiscuous. At that moment, David and I agreed that the song would be a monster hit … and, of course, it was. It was at that taping that I got to give a trademark TRL “shout out” to “all my Pink peeps out there” and my face was broadcast on the massive LCD screen in Times Square … yes, I have a few really great TRL memories. I’m very sad that the show is ending. I must admit, I do not watch it as fervently as I used to — and maybe that is the reason why the show must end (ie. sagging viewership) … which is sad.
I do hope the show will be revived in some way in the future. All MTV needs is another Carson Daly to breathe new, fun life into the show … maybe after a short break, it can come back better than ever. I, for one, will miss TRL very much.
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Tags: 'Total Request Live'
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September 16th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Cute pic with Madge!
September 16th, 2008 at 7:06 am
This show was never as good when Carson left. To bad thou…it was the only show on MTV that played music videos.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:16 am
I was a faithful viewer of TRL back in the day…it just wasn’t the same once Carson left. And honestly, it the less of the videos they played, the more I lost interest. The point of the show was to show the Top 10 videos, but it became practically a talk show. MTV needs a revamp….bring back the music! I mean, I watched the VMAs and those “winners” were so disappointing. Revive the music, find a way to incorporate the youtube generation… *sigh*
September 16th, 2008 at 7:33 am
[...] – MTV decreta o fim do TRL. [...]
September 16th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Nooooo! I never got to go to a taping which was a dream. Oh well…
September 16th, 2008 at 8:03 am
I remember watching MTV when it was all music, all the time. The only reality show was The Real World. Unfortunately, it’s gone downhill. I’m so sad to see TRL go, but I agree that once Carson left, the show was never the same.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Carson was Mr. TRL…and the show was never the same without him. I laughed about the “Carson can I come up” shirt, because I got a postcard with that on it that still hangs in my room. hah. oh well, I guess its for the best.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Cranky Old Lady here – I much preferred Adam Curry and Dial MTV, when you actually got to see the entire video, and not just a 90-second snippet of it cut off by a claustrophobic mass of screaming teens. To be honest, Carson Daly and TRL did do important things in pop culture… but I didn’t even know TRL was still on the air.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:26 am
hey trent.. i was just thumbing through my bf’s playboy (reading the pete wentz interview) and Pink Is The New Blog is mentioned on page 126 of it… nice.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:33 am
It’s ending cuz TRL & MTV has lost its freshness. UNFORTCH, NO REAL music has appeared on any MTV station for years & years now. I think viewers are catching on. Just ask anyone who remembers the ‘original’ MTV…
September 16th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Hey weren’t you on the show one day and Lindsay Lohan (or maybe it was Nicole Richie) gave you a shout to you and said “I love your blog!” or something like that.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Winona — omg, I’m so with you on Dial MTV … Adam Curry was the bomb (tho, the hair — yeesh!) There are a lot of MTV shows that I really miss … Alternative Nation, 120 Minutes, Club MTV … sigh, those were the good ol’ days ;)
September 16th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Oh boo hoo, it’s not like mtv plays videos.
September 16th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Wow Carson Daly really was hotter when he was chubbier.
September 16th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I had that same shirt! I went when I was in fifth grade, which was like 2000. I wore it religiously because I was in love with Carson Daly.
September 16th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I haven’t watched TRL (or anything on MTV at all) probably since 1999. I did watch MTV Live back in the day though which I MUCH preferred to TRL. I wasn’t even aware that it was still on either haha.
September 16th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Not a day too soon! I cannot even remember the last time this show played a full music video — it’s like 12 second clips and that’s all you get. Good riddance!
September 16th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
10 is the number that ‘TRL’ counted down every single day for 10 years, and we hit this 10th (anniversary)
–>Stupidest Quote Ever.
September 16th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
I remember watching TRL after school with friends. And really looking forward to seeing if the boy bands or the bands like Korn made it to #1. Ha! I stopped watching after a while and was surprised to find Cason Daly with a talkshow after Conan (that sucked and well, still sucks)
Tammy is so right. Carson Daly was much more cuter when he had a little bit more meat on those bones.
And the best episodes were the day after whenever Cason Daly got dumped (by Jennifer Love Hewitt and that crooked boob Tara Reid) because it made me love him even more.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:30 am
so no more
“OMG I’m so and so, from such and such and I want to hear (insert pop song here) bc it reminds me of blah blah blahWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
before about 10 secs of music? wow… whatever will I do with myself now?
September 17th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
You have great memories of the show! But man it has been bad the past few years