MTV New Year's Eve specials explained

Starring:Various hosts and performers
Country:United States
Network:MTV
Runtime:Late night: Typically 60 minutes (11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m) or more

From 1981 through 2014, MTV aired New Year's Eve specials. The special was first held in 1981 as MTV's New Year's Eve Rock N' Roll Ball, which featured a concert from the Hotel Diplomat in mid-Manhattan featuring Bow Wow Wow, Karla DeVito, and David Johansen (a photo of which was used as the cover art for his subsequent live album Live It Up).[1] For its early editions, the Rock N' Roll Ball was hosted by MTV VJs; the 1986–87 edition would instead be hosted by Joe Piscopo and carry an Ancient Rome theme.[2]

Later specials were typically broadcast from MTV's One Astor Plaza studios in Times Square. They would initially be hosted by Carson Daly of Total Request Live until his departure to NBC (where he would go on to host New Year's Eve with Carson Daly),[3] and featured concert performances and coverage of the nearby ball drop at midnight.

During the late 1990s, 2000s, and part of the early 2010s, the special was heavily promoted and featured top musical acts and celebrities. By its final years, the specials had been downsized in comparison. The network decided not to carry a special at the end of 2015 leading into 2016, choosing to carry a marathon of the viral clip series Ridiculousness instead, and the cold opening of the next episode of Teen Wolf at midnight; the network and parent company Viacom in general went through a number of staff and budget cutbacks in 2015 due to declining ratings.[4]

Editions

References

Notes

Notes and References

  1. Book: Blackwood . Nina . VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave . Goodman . Mark . Hunter . Alan . Quinn . Martha . 2019-05-14 . Simon and Schuster . 978-1-4516-7813-0 . en.
  2. Book: Denisoff, R. Serge . Inside Mtv . Transaction Publishers . 978-1-4128-2630-3 . en.
  3. News: December 31, 2004 . Carson Daly stakes his claim on New Year's Eve . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . 5 January 2013.
  4. News: MTV Skips New Year's Eve Special For 'Teen Wolf' Teaser, Marathons. Littleton. Cynthia. 23 December 2015. Variety. 2 January 2016. 26 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151226220221/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/mtv-teen-wolf-new-years-eve-ridiculousness-1201667455/. live.
  5. Web site: Mann . Court . 2020-05-05 . A huge archive of MTV's first decade was just put online . 2023-08-20 . Deseret News . en.
  6. Web site: Archives . L. A. Times . 1986-12-30 . MTV GIVING AWAY 'TOWN' IN TEXAS . 2023-08-20 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  7. Web site: By . 1988-12-09 . BOBBY BROWN CONTINUES HIS SURPRISING CHART RUN . 2023-08-20 . Sun Sentinel . en-US.
  8. Web site: 1990-12-31 . Plenty of celebrations come to you on the tube . 2023-08-20 . Baltimore Sun.
  9. News: 2024-02-26 . JANET JACKSON, SOAPS, ASTAIRE, COUNTRY CABLE IN NEW YEAR . 2024-03-15 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
  10. News: Montgomery . James . September 20, 2013 . Nirvana's Legendary Live and Loud Concert: The Stories You Don't Know . https://web.archive.org/web/20130924001026/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1714364/nirvana-live-and-loud-history-behind-the-scenes.jhtml . dead . September 24, 2013 . September 27, 2013 . MTV.
  11. Web site: 2008-12-31 . UPDATE: Miley Cyrus at Irvine's Beckman High tonight . 2023-08-20 . Orange County Register . en-US.
  12. Web site: 2008-12-31 . Miley Cyrus gives New Year's concert from Irvine . 2023-08-20 . Orange County Register . en-US.
  13. Web site: Breaking News – MTV Closes Out 2008 with a Surprise-Filled Bash Featuring One of Music's Biggest Stars, Miley Cyrus, Taking Over a Lucky Fan's Home to Celebrate New Year's Eve | TheFutonCritic.com. thefutoncritic.com. 2015-12-18.
  14. Web site: MTV IS RINGING IN 2014 WITH THE "GIRL CODE PRESENTS: NEW YEAR'S CODE" SPECIAL STARTING DECEMBER 31 AT 10:00 P.M. ET/PT. thepub.viacom.com. 2015-12-18. 2015-12-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222154303/http://thepub.viacom.com/sites/mtvpress/Pages/MTV-IS-RINGING-IN-2014-WITH-THE-GIRL-CODE-PRESENTS-NEW-YEARS-CODE-SPECIAL-STARTING-DECEMBER-31.aspx. live.
  15. Web site: RING IN 2015 WITH "MTV'S NEW YEARS EVE 2015" FROM THE HEART OF TIMES SQUARE HOSTED LIVE BY "EYE CANDY" STAR VICTORIA JUSTICE AND CHARLAMAGNE FROM "GUY CODE" . 11 December 2014 . thepub.viacom.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222153900/http://thepub.viacom.com/sites/mtvpress/Pages/RING-IN-2015-WITH-MTV'S-NEW-YEARS-EVE-2015-FROM-THE-HEART-OF-TIMES-SQUARE.aspx . 2015-12-22 . ?