I'm going to say 1989. It was starting to show more reality/rap programming, but stuff like Paula/NKOTB/Milli Vanilli was still important to driving out new stars, along with new hits by established acts such as Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Prince, and Janet Jackson. 1990 had VH1 taking over as the best music video source, more rapping/interviews, and shorter blocks.

To me, these are my "MTV eras" (sort of like the Nickelodeon eras you see on the '90s board)

1981-1982: Ancient MTV
1983-1987: Classic MTV
1988-1993: Waning MTV/Classic VH1
1994-1999: Music-based reality era
2000+: RTV (and yes, there is an actual channel called Reality Television! This is just crude attempt!)

1994.

the down fall of the music video era was about 1995, with more rap crap and the grundge scene taking over, the real songs and videos were not getting airplay, and at the same time mtv and vh1 started the stupid reality shows, that they still play to this day! only a few times a year do they even bother to show music videos!  then all they do is a countdown of sorts, but they only show a portion of each video!!  why even bother?  its time they all went away! there is no more music in mtv or vh1!  alas, i still have my tapes though! :)

I picked 1995, but I think that even 1995 to 1998, Mtv was okay. Once TRL was on, it started to suck!

And by 2002, Mtv was trash!

1997, just before the now (thankfully) defunct "TRL" ruined everything

Though the horrid "Real Word" made it's debut in 1992

Fuse (well, as of  recently)  is pretty much what MTV would've been like if they still air videos.

1997, just before the now (thankfully) defunct "TRL" ruined everything

Though the horrid "Real Word" made it's debut in 1992


I like the Real World.

Here's a timeline of MTV that appears appropriate for this...


(The 1980's: Music Television)

August 1, 1981: On 12:01 AM, MTV debuts. The Buggles "Video Killed The Radio Star" is the first video to air on the network. Pat Benatar "You Better Run" was the second...

The original VJs: Martha Quinn, Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and the late JJ Jackson.

March 1, 1982: The "I Want My MTV" campaign begins. MTV merchandises goes on sale later in the year.

March 31. 1983: MTV airs Michael Jackson's "Beat It" & "Billie Jean" videos after being critized of not showing videos from African American artists.

September 14, 1984: The Video Music Awards made it's debut with hosts Dan Ackroyd & Bette Midler. The Cars' "You Might Think" won video of the year.

July 13, 1985: MTV presents a 17 hour coverage of Live Aid.

May of 1986: Downtown Julie Brown becomes first new VJ in 5 years, a month later Nina Blackwood & JJ Jackson leaves the network

"120 Minutes" (1986 to ? on MTV/cancelled around 2003 on MTV2) debuts later in 1986 that  aired alternative music videos from artists, most weren't mainstream.

1987: MTV expands their programming with music related shows with "Club MTV" (1987 to 1992), "Week In Rock" (1987 to 1998), and the game show "Remote Control" (1987 to 1990) that launched the careers of Adam Sandler & Dennis Leary. Reruns of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" & "The Monkees" are also shown.

"Headbangers Ball" (1987 to 1994 on MTV/2003 to present on MTV2) also debut, which aired heavy metal/hard rock music videos.

August 6, 1988: "Yo! MTV Raps" (1988 to 1995) debut, which the genre becomes more mainstream years to come, hosted by Ed Lover and Dr. Dre (not the rapper) and Fab 5 Freddy

1989: Fashion based show "House of Style" (1989 to mid 1990's) hosted by Cindy Crawford debuts... though wasn't as bad compared to a certain show that would air a few years later also more non music related shows will follow in the nest decade

"MTV Unplugged" (1989 to ?) debuts later that year, which feature bands performing acoustic versions of their hits. Inspired from a VMA performance from Bon Jovi.

(Early/Mid '90's: Media Television)

1990: Madonna's "Justify My Love" music video gets banned. Though not the first, but probably the most infamous video to be banned from MTV.

1991: MTV debuts "Liquid Television" (early '90s), which featured animated shorts and introduced Aeon Flux and the nachos munchin' duo Beavis & Butt-Head. Wasn't music related, but "Adult Swim" wasn't around and animation was still considered "kids stuff" despite the wide appeal of "The Simpsons" (Fox) and "Ren & Stimpy" (Nickelodeon).

1992: MTV debuts "The Real World" (1992 to present), which is one of the first "reality" shows... Unfortunately this drek is still on the air, which "reality" tv became popular in the 2000's and the network hardly ever airs music videos.

1993: "Beavis & Butt-Head" (1993 to 1997), created by Mike Judge, gets their own show and also were also music videos answer to "MST3K".

Some time in the mid 1990's: MTV airing less and less videos...

...jump a couple years since there's nothing worth mentioning...

(1997 to present: Moronic Television)

1997: "Daria" (1997 to 2000) debuts, which is a spinoff of "Beavis & Butt-Head".

1998: "TRL" (1998 to 2008) debuts with dull host Carson Daly, which only air a minute of a music video with yelling teenyboppers interrupting the clip. MTV hardly airs any videos in their entirity.

I also started watching more VH1, which will later go downhill in a few years.

Sock puppet duo "Sifl & Olly" (1998/2000) debut and the third season was never shown  >:( ...though could've been better on Comedy Central. Music videos aired during the dusk, the last time I checked they aired "Punk'd" about three years ago. Music videos are now rarely shown in the network...

2000: A vast cesspool of reality shows, spoiled rich teenagers,  and idiots doing dumb stunts...

the down fall of the music video era was about 1995, with more rap crap and the grundge scene taking over, the real songs and videos were not getting airplay, and at the same time mtv and vh1 started the stupid reality shows, that they still play to this day! only a few times a year do they even bother to show music videos!  then all they do is a countdown of sorts, but they only show a portion of each video!!  why even bother?  its time they all went away! there is no more music in mtv or vh1!   alas, i still have my tapes though! :)
No, grunge was pretty popular in 1993. 1995 was probably the peak of grunge anyway even though grunge was still  around 1996. By 1997 Grunge was dead.

I think 2000 was probably the last year that MTV was big because of teen-pop. Than in 2001 MTV kinda died along with TRL's ands teen-pop's popularity.

There was real music in the mid 90's, even 1998. It was Britney Spears came out in late 1998/early 1999 that the music industry changed I feel.

1986

BTW, The "I Want My MTV" campaign started before MTV's debut in 1981.  I remember it.