CTTO
In a shocking turn of events for music enthusiasts and media professionals alike, MTV News, a cornerstone of music journalism since the 1980s, has reportedly been pulled offline. Attempts to access MTV.com/news or MTVNews.com now redirect users to the main MTV website.
The closure follows Paramount Global’s decision last May 2023 to slash its US workforce by 25% and shutter MTV News as part of cost-cutting measures aimed at restructuring its business operations.
Former employees, who dedicated years to covering music and pop culture, expressed outrage and sadness over the sudden deletion of decades’ worth of journalistic work. Patrick Hosken, a former music editor at MTV News, lamented on social media, “So, mtvnews.com no longer exists. Eight years of my life are gone without a trace.”
Crystal Bell, a former entertainment director, echoed Hosken’s sentiments, emphasizing the loss of music history: “Decades of music history gone…including some very early k-pop stories.”
MTV News, which gained prominence in the 1980s with Kurt Loder as its first correspondent, evolved over the years, adapting to digital platforms in 2016. However, despite efforts to stay relevant in an evolving media landscape, the closure marks the end of an era for the iconic brand.
The abrupt shutdown has sparked discussions about the future of music journalism and the preservation of cultural archives in an increasingly digital world. As fans and former staff mourn the loss, the legacy of MTV News remains a testament to its influence on music and pop culture reporting over the decades.