I've just been told that Viacom's MTV Networks is planning "a lot" of layoffs. And get this: it's making the announcement on Tuesday hoping that the news will be overshadowed by Election Day. Dontcha just love Big Media's sensitivity?
MTV Networks Hiding News Of Layoffs
By Nikki Finke | Category: MTV | Friday October 31, 2008 @ 1:34pm
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They already let 50 people go in Germany and shut down Comedy Central which started with big ambitions 1 1/2 years ago. It will soon air during the evening and night hours on Nickelodeon and most of its original programming was cancelled except for one stand-up comedy show. On MTV Germany they cancelled the news and some music shows and they cut back on TRL and another similar program called “Viva Live”. This news was kind of surprising after the MTV Networks announced last year that their music networks MTV and VIVA as well as Nick are profitable. I wonder why they now have to cut back so drastically.
People are running scared over there… especially VH1 and Nick. Heard the layoffs where supposed to be a few weeks ago but Phillipe said the proposed cuts weren’t substantial enough. He told them to cut a lot more.
If it wasn’t for all the lost jobs I’d say shut down the crap already. Or at least rename MTV to something that suits what the station has become. But “Cheap-reality-nonsense-with-the-dumness-of-the-day-looking-for-love”-TV would probably be too long.
Garbage in, garbage out, indeed. They have come down to lowest common denominator programming for all but the youngest children.
I interned and freelanced for Nick in college…but content-wise these days, it’s in the toilet. I won’t let my daughter watch it at all…why would you? When you’ve got safer, perfectly cute/funny stuff on Disney and have to expose your kids to commercials for junk (other than Disney stuff).
so who cares if their programming is bad or MTV is not what it used to be.. There are people attached to that bad programming and I am sure that you wouldn’t want anyone that you care about losing their job in times like this…
think about it!
I WANT MY TOM FRESTON
MTV is finished, They need to get rid of it altogether. BORING.
Bring Back Celebrity Deathmatch…Quick!!!
last good show on MTV was Sifl and Olly, an absurd sock puppet that deserved to be on a better network like Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, unfortunately for them that did not exist yet.
Disney right now is putting out the new music, Jonas Bros, Hannah Montana and all the HSM related stuff. We saw that with the VMA’s, Brand’s anti-promise ring rant was just a lame desperate attempt for the show to look “edgy” with all the Disney related acts getting awards.
True MTV is done for. The channel that all the young ones are flocking to watch is FUSE. I’ve seen FUSE and MTV can’t play catch up with it. Now why would VIACOM hide MTV layoffs? it doesn’t make sense. Could VH1 be next on the chopping block?
MTV covering up the laying off of staff?! It’s not like the producer of “The Hills” and “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF” to play fast and loose with the truth!
Nickelodeon is a cheap, lowest denominator animation sewage facility that is populated by smarmy, cynical pigs that make insulting, uncreative garbage for children. Who cares if it or MTV take a dive? Those people who work there should be ashamed of themselves.
thanks…there are a ton of talent people over here!
i work for mtv and i’m proud of it!
Personally, I say dump all that misc. stuff and take it back to it’s beginnings. Music videos! 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That is when it was really good. and not the same boring top 20 crap all the time either. Lots and lots of alternative and unheard of stuff.