Carson Daly, Ananda Lewis and more former VJs react to MTV News shutting down after 36 years
Carson Daly, who was a VJ from 1998 to 2003, said MTV News will be "sorely missed" after it was shut down by Paramount as a part of larger layoff at the company
MTV News has come to an end.
On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the network's news division was being shut down after 36 years as part of its parent company, Paramount Global, laid off 25% of its staff.
Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks president Chris McCarthy said in a staff memo, obtained by the outlet, that the network feels "pressure from broader economic headwinds like many of our peers."
While announcing news of the closure on Wednesday's episode of the Today show, Carson Daly, who was a VJ from 1998 to 2003, said the shut down was "sad" and reflected on the impact of MTV News for an entire generation.
"Columbine, 9/11, those are big events on our watch at MTV. That generation did turn to MTV News," he said. "It will be sorely missed."
Related:Carson Daly Shares Heartfelt Message for World Mental Health Day: 'It's Ok to Not Be Ok'
Ananda Lewis, who was a VJ from 1996 to 2001, also recalled in a statement to PEOPLE how MTV was trusted by artists and fans.
"A pillar of creative and diverse speech is crumbling. MTV News covered things no one else could," she exclusively told PEOPLE via email. "We could get inside the trailer with DMX and Korn as they were taking historic concert stages. Artists trusted MTV News to tell their stories."
She added: "Even though I was technically a VJ, I did many specials with MTV News and know firsthand what a huge loss this is for the culture of music and all who love it."
Related:MTV News' Kurt Loder Turned 75 on Tuesday — and Made All of Twitter Feel Old
Kurt Loder, who joined MTV News in 1988 and anchored the program through the 1990s, responded to the news on Twitter, writing, "Thanks to everyone for all the kind words today..."
Former MTV News correspondent Gideon Yago also shared his memories at the network from 2002 to 2007.
"I have a ton of memories from my time at MTV News. They get hazier now that I'm in my forties," he exclusively told PEOPLE in a statement. "But as for one that really sticks out? It's that we were this scrappy, underfunded little division of twentysomethings who loved music and still had the emotional memory of what it was to be teenagers, which ended up being a really meaningful combination when it came to having to explain big events to the audience."
"When you think about the reach of that place at that time, and the way we used our microphones," he continued. "I am so grateful for the experience and the folks I got to share it with."
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MTV News rose to fame in the 1980s thanks to Loder, a former editor of Rolling Stone who joined the network and helped launch its "The Week in Rock" program, according to CNN. As the network continued to grow in the '90s and 2000s, it brought in a number of VJs as on-air personalities.
Many since gone on to become recognizable names in Hollywood like Vanessa Lachey, Adrienne Bailon, Bill Bellamy, Ashlee Simpson, Hilarie Burton, Pauly Shore, Dave Holmes, Tabitha Soren, Jon Norris, Suchin Pak and Sway Calloway.
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