https://thelandofwhatever.blogspot.com/2021/03/when-mtv-meant-something-mtv-goes-to.html

Spring Break was already a college tradition, dating back to 1935, by the time MTV took
their cameras and VJ's to Daytona Beach in March 1986, meaning that Daytona to television
meant something else besides a certain auto race every February.

For 20 consecutive years, ending in 2005, MTV devoted a weekend----originally a full
week----of Spring Break programming, including concerts and specially themed episodes of
original series, beginning in 1988, such as Remote Control, which did a week of shows
from Daytona for 3 consecutive years (1988-90), and the series' official finale was taped
at Daytona.

1990 also stands out for some silliness with Yo! MTV Raps! weekday hosts Dr. Dre (Andre
Brown) & Ed Lover, and original VJ Martha Quinn, on her 2nd tour of duty with the network
at that point, wearing a oversized Yo! t-shirt. I swear, I'm not making this up, because
I tuned in that weekend.

Speaking of Martha, she MC's this 1986 concert special with Mr. Mister, which was
sponsored by Miller Beer, and does a quick post-concert interview with the band.

https://youtu.be/wlJ-QgEkUQo

Judging from some YouTube commentators, Martha really was America's Sweetheart back then.

By the end of the 80's, MTV had switched gears and began scaling back on live
programming, due to the unpredictability of Spring Break causing issues with network
censors and the FCC. The network moved the annual tradition off MTV itself and onto MTVU
after 2005, only to bring it back, at least as an experiment, in 2019. With the channel
turning 40 this year, and 35 years after the first week of shows from Daytona, were it
not for COVID-19, they probably would be down there again this year, but it wouldn't be
the same.

tmc1982@gmail.com wrote:

>Spring Break was already a college tradition, dating back to 1935, by the
>time MTV took their cameras and VJ's to Daytona Beach in March 1986, meaning
>that Daytona to television meant something else besides a certain auto race
>every February.
>
>For 20 consecutive years, ending in 2005, MTV devoted a weekend - originally
>a full week - of Spring Break programming, including concerts and specially
>themed episodes of original series, beginning in 1988, such as Remote
>Control, which did a week of shows from Daytona for 3 consecutive years
>(1988-90), and the series' official finale was taped at Daytona.
>
>1990 also stands out for some silliness with Yo! MTV Raps! weekday hosts Dr.
>Dre (Andre Brown) & Ed Lover, and original VJ Martha Quinn, on her 2nd tour
>of duty with the network at that point, wearing a oversized Yo! t-shirt. I
>swear, I'm not making this up, because I tuned in that weekend.

I remember enjoying their spring break week every year.
Is spring break still a thing for college kids?

--
Let's go Brandon!