New podcast explores cultural history and impact of MTV

A new eight-part original series from Audacy Podcasts looks at the cultural history, impact, and phenomenon of MTV.

Who Killed the Video Star? The Story of MTV is hosted by former MTV VJ and Esquire Editor-at-Large Dave Holmes.

MTV was at the forefront of youth culture for almost forty years and the podcast series asks What happened? How did MTV build a brand that stayed relevant to young viewers for decades, and what has it turned into?

Holmes, who was a VJ from 1998 to 2002, sits down with the people who were there to discuss the question “If video killed the radio star, who killed the video star?” 

Guests include former MTV VJs “Downtown” Julie Brown, Damien Fahey, and Kevin Seal; former MTV News correspondents Gideon Yago, Chris Connelly, and Suchin Pak; Ridiculousness producer Shane Nickerson; on-air talent including Rob Dyrdek and Eric Nies; former Viacom Music and Entertainment Group president Doug Herzog, Brian Graden, former president of Entertainment, MTV Networks Music Channels, Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp, and more.

Dave Holmes said: “In the 80s and 90s, MTV was a window into an alternate universe, one full of music and art and style and sex, that commanded the attention of my whole generation.

“At the turn of the millennium, I climbed through that window and worked there, and found myself surrounded with the smartest, hardest-working people on earth, people who loved music and pop culture the way I did.

“MTV is still on the air in 2024, and it’s still profitable, but my nieces and nephews know it as a logo on an Urban Outfitters t-shirt. I wanted to know what happened, and where the spirit of MTV exists now. 

“As I gathered the story, in real time, a few other bulletproof media brands– Vice, Pitchfork, Sports Illustrated, MTV News itself– went out of business. The story of MTV is a fascinating one in its own right, but it’s also turned out to be, in microcosm, the story of media in 2024.”

Jenna Weiss-Berman, EVP, Podcasts, Audacy added: “Dave’s insider perspective makes him the perfect person to dissect the trajectory of the cultural phenomenon that is MTV. This series is a treat for listeners across all the generations who made MTV a part of their lives.” 

The first two episodes of Who Killed the Video Star: The Story of MTV are available now.