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Text size: MTV's 'Total Request Live' ending in November
By Erin Carlson | The Associated Press
8:07 AM EDT, September 16, 2008
NEW YORK - 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 was not 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.



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MTV's Total Request Live Photos 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 also broadcasts the Video Music Awards.

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.

Good riddance!

MTV should just get rid of music videos altogther.They're no longer a "music channel" anyway.

I didn't watch but I hated working in the area not being able to walk down the damn street.

Finally, i never understood how this network could still have a COUNTDOWN when they dont play shit?? This is the beginning of the dismantling....

Fury said:

i guess that's fancy speak for "it's not profitable for us anymore"

Might as well. It's not like they play music on that channel anyway and the last time I saw the show, they didn't even play the whole videos on the countdown. DEATH TO MTV!

YEAH MAN I'm SO HAPPY!!!!!

Well I'll admit that back in 99/00 I used to watch TRL religiously and have been to the studio itself a few times (I was like 12 or 13 then so I blame it on being young and dumb lol) but it's been going downhill for years. I'm suprised it's even lasted this long. Thanks for the memories, but it's about time they canceled that show . MTV is not about music anymore anyways and hasn't been for a long time.

Good riddance I say!

Yeah....it's really great that kids have even less outlets for music on MTV. Playing more of "The Hills"...a real victory. I never liked the show but at least it exposed the keeds to new music (not always great new music, but new music none the less). I wouldn't see this as any kind of victory but more proof of an industry with real problems.

Did anyone attempt to get into FNMTV? Seemed like a great concept but totally awful exacutation (in many ways). All the videos (which there was like maybe 3 of them they would play) had to be by big or hipster acts. Even worse,they would cut it up and try to play it every weekday morning!
[Edited 9/16/08 14:14pm]

mtv is oVA!!!!

I hate that channel, its become so lame, bring back the years of 1982 - 1992, when mtv was HOT and meant something to Pop Music Culture!

Its so over!!!

Jonas Brothas and All those kiddie teen bop bands can kick dust!

I'll admit it....This is a bit bittersweet

in 1998 when this show started I was 13 years old, and my bestfriend and I were addicted to it It was our "American Bandstand" sorta

and although, it has progressively gotten crappier, and I haven't really watched it regularly since Carson Daly was the host, I'll admit I'm also a bit sad to see it go

I wonder if Mi TRL is ending too?

loved that show and their award shows that they had

Actually, I'm saddened by this but not really surprised. I was about to make my own thread called "MTV is Dead. Long live MTV", but since this was already here, I'll just make my points here. Even though TRL was hardly groundbreaking, it did at least gave some focus to actual music videos, and in the last four years or so it basically became the only music-related program on MTV. Now that they have announced its demise, MTV should just give up and rename itself as YARN (Young American Reality Network) or some other crappy name, because it certainly doesn't deserve to be called Music Television anymore.

i remember when i used to watch this show, it got so boring after 2003. So i really don't care. I can't wait until 106 park gets shut down. I strongly dislike Roxy and that guy.

like MTV it lost its relevance. It used to be an artist would always head over to TRL to be there on the day of their albums release, now that is a last resort for artists, also this used to be the place to debut your new video, now that they cut them, even the premieres, whats the point???

And as a reporter said today, now only if we can get them to cancel "Last Call with Carson Daly" how is that still on?

TotalAlisa said:

I can't wait for that shit to end too. 106th and Park needs to follow TRL's lead.

lastdecember said:

That s*it is still on?! . I swear, I had no idea. How is that even possible that's it's still on the air?

I wish MTV's ratings would plummet so they'd either self destruct or bring back what temporarily made it great : THE MUSIC!

The only full episode of TRL I ever watched was when Prince was on back in 1999 promoting Rave

Abdul said:

I tried like hell to find that episode online for the longest time cause I only saw the very end of it when it aired

thekidsgirl said:

I think I saw someone had posted it over at Youtube a month ago, it might still be there

um...we are aware they'll just replace it another countdown show that shows 3 seconds of the video...




































aren't we?

TonyVanDam said:

Well they have MTV jams station which is nothing but music videos right next to VH! Classic and Soul. I wish they would just put that on regular cable at all times and then MTV just turn into a reality network.