MTV Music Channels End Forever, Playing “Video Killed The Radio Star” As Final Song

MTV’s 24-hour music channels went permanently dark on Wednesday, ending decades of operation. The flagship MTV Music channel concluded its run on New Year’s Eve by playing the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the same song that launched MTV on August 1, 1981. The shutdown affects multiple channels including MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live. Each channel aired different final videos, with MTV 90s showing the Spice Girls’ “Goodbye.” MTV announced the closure earlier this fall as part of budget cuts from the Skydance merger. Paramount CEO David Ellison said he plans to revitalize MTV but provided no specifics. (Story URL)