TRL kicked off on September 14, 1998 as MTV’s prime showcase for popular music videos. The series counts down the 10 most popular music videos of the day as determined by viewers and other measurements. The cable channel had once focused on videos but cut down as it expanded into alternative programming. TRL hosts have included a pre-Last Call Carson Daly, Damien Fahey, Vanessa Minnillo, La La Vasquez, Susie Castillo, and Hilarie Burton.
The series’ viewership hit a high of 750,000 viewers in 1999 and has been in decline in recent years. Producers have experimented with various ways to invite more audience participation but apparently they haven’t been successful enough in attracting more viewers. The plug is being pulled on TRL but, according to executive producer Dave Sirulnick, the show isn’t gone for good.
Sirulnick maintains that the series is just taking a break and the 10 year anniversary was a good time to do it. The last episode of TRL will air in November and plans are underway to make sure it’s a big send-off. The two-hour special will air on a Saturday and Sirulnick hopes to reassemble many of the artists who helped to make the show so popular in its heyday — including original host Daly. Stay tuned!
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