How MTV Lost Its Way

Dec 5, 2025
51 mins

Episode Description

People say they miss when MTV played music videos, but their viewing habits say otherwise!

We revisited one of our most popular episodes from 2023, but trimmed it down to include the best parts. I’m joined by Zack O’Malley Greenburg to unpack MTV’s rise from a scrappy video platform to a cultural powerhouse. We break down breakthrough moments like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, the rise of reality TV, the networks influence, rise, fall, and what’s next?

CHAPTERS

01:04 The Birth of MTV 04:45 MTV's Business Model 13:01 Cultural Impact of Influence 21:28 Rise of Reality TV 29:59 MTV ‘s Decline


SPONSORS

Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week


beatBread : A music funding platform that empowers independent artists to access advances on their streaming income while keeping 100% ownership of their music.


Splice, a cloud-based music creation platform offering millions of royalty-free samples, plugins (via rent-to-own), and AI-powered tools to inspire creators everywhere


GUEST

Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Author, Empire State of Mind


TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

See all episodes

Never lose your place, on any device

Create a free account to sync, back up, and get personal recommendations.