7/20: RIP VH1 CLASSIC, TMS, PIAZZA, MORE
Just back from a week on the W Coast. Had some great shows with Don & Jim in Vegas, LA and Orange County. All were well attended and had a ton of great fans and friends come out. Thanks to all! I also had some great meetings while in LA for possible new projects and spent some time with friends Zach Throne, Brent Fitz, Todd Kerns, Frank Sidoris, Ron Mancuso (Vegas) and Richie Kotzen, Brent Woods, Jay Ruston and Fred Coury in LA. Was good catching up and breaking bread with all. And most of all it was a blast doing some shows with Don & Jim.
By now most have heard the announcement that VH1 Classic will cease to exist as of August 1. I knew this was happening for some time and it was mentioned in the past. But now MTV Networks has made it official. We were first told of this happening last year. It’s the reason That Metal Show was cancelled. You see TMS was THE franchise for VH1C. But when they decided there would be no more VH1C, there was no need to continue to make the flagship show. They didn’t care nobody was watching because they knew they were pulling the plug on the channel in due time. Most of the execs I worked with are now no longer there. So all of this had something to do with things way bigger than TMS. VH1C will become MTV Classic as of 8/1. I have no idea what that channel will look like or if they will air old TMS. For me seeing VH1C end is truly the end of an era personally. It was my first TV job back in 2002, and I have worked for the channel 13 years! I did a ton of stuff beyond TMS over the years. I am as equally as proud of that stuff that less people saw, as I am in producing and co-hosting what became the channels biggest ever show. When I think of all my years with VH1C I am grateful to have been such a huge part of it and work with many great people, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part thinking what could have been if they invested in developing the channel more. RIP VH1 Classic. MANY great memories!
As for TMS I assure you the show is still being shopped and still looking for a new home. It is owned by the our producer of TMS. He just called me today with his new plan for finding a new network. I don’t control what happens to TMS but needless to say I am in if he finds a new spot. In the meantime catch me on AXS TV hosting their series Reel To Real, and keep an eye for exciting new stuff TBA .
There is a benefit tonight at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick for my friend Karl Cochran who is recovering from a stroke. Shuli, Craig Gass and Don Jamieson among the performers. Get there if you can.
New podcast tomorrow with Ozzy guitarist Gus G and a recap of the end of VH1 Classic. Free www.PodcastOne.com and Itunes.
Congrats to my brother from another mother Mike Piazza on his induction into the HOF this weekend! I will be in Cooperstown with him and many to celebrate. Mike was a huge part of my radio shows for years and I was just interviewed by the Daily News in NY about that. Look for it in the Piazza special on Sunday! Mike is one of my best friends to this day and I am grateful and honored he asked me to attend this really special and deserved weekend!
what a shame,im sure a bunch of jerkoff children are now in charge of the channel now,yes why would they want programming that appeals to adults of our era right,no i guess there are not millions of fans of that type of music out there ,were all dead i guess.i guess no one is going to sold out concerts by these artists anymore i guess right.unreal,yes just what we need,another channel of rap and hip hop music,or realilty tv .unreal
I knew Vh1 Classic was going to change into MTV Classic anyways because in the UK and Ireland it’s already called by that name so I’m not surprise at all. My guess is it won’t be the same and most fans of classic rock music won’t buy into it at all whether it’s a new network or not. I miss watching Vh1 Classic because it showed great music videos from the 80’s and some 90’s and the reasons why I don’t have it any more is because I no longer have a cable provider that has it and that’s why I don’t watch it any more.
It’s not just the end of an era it’s the end of a legacy.
Not that it makes up for losing TMS, but if MTV Classic starts reairing old Headbanger’s Ball episodes on Saturday nights, I would count that as something good.
VH1 Classic as a channel hasn’t had anything going for a while, even when That Metal Show was airing its last couple of seasons. TMS was the only thing that channel had to offer on a regular basis for a long time. The Metal Evolution series and Rock Icons series were cool, but TMS was on a level above anything else. I’ve seen episodes to buy on YouTube but it’d be cool if one day all the seasons were put on DVD for sale. Maybe when TMS finds a new home, those old episodes can be broadcast also.
So just for the hell of it, I fast forwarded on my VH1C guide past 8/1, and of course what do I see? A ton of fu*king rap & hip-hop programming. Thanks a lot whoever’s decision it was to change VH1C to MTVC, once again the rock & metal community get screwed again, what else is new. You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, no, f*ck all of us older music fans who loved VH1C, as someone already said, I guess we don’t matter anymore to you so called executives. So let’s see, now with this s–t, there’s going to be 10, 12 channels catering basically to the rappers and drama teens, and nothing left now for us older rockers, right? Sucks, I hope all MTV networks go under and “BURN IN HELL!!”