MTV President Norman to Resign

NEW YORK, February 8: MTV’s
president, Christina Norman, is reportedly leaving the company, with Van
Toffler, the current president of MTV Networks Music and Logo Group, tapped to
fill the role of overseeing day-to-day operations in the interim.

Local reports have
indicated that Norman is leaving on “amicable” terms at the end of the month,
after 17 years with the company. Norman’s role at MTV included oversight of
business development, research, marketing, communications, finance and human
resources, and she was responsible for MTV2; mtvU, MTV's college service; MTV
Tr3s, the service for young Hispanic-Americans; digital networks MTV Hits and
MTV Jams; and MTV.com and MTV Mobile. No replacement has been named, but
Toffler will take on the general daily responsibilities for now.

Norman joined the company
in 1991 as a production manager at MTV and moved through the ranks, later
heading up marketing at the network. She initially left in 2002 to join VH1 as
the general manager, and was named president of the network two years later.
Norman then returned to MTV in 2005 as president.

In an internal memo,
Toffler is quoted as saying: “It pains me to see Christina go, but I respect
her decision to want to take the time to explore something new after 17 years,
which is pretty much impossible to even think about while running the M.”

He continued: “Christina
has led with incredible integrity, creativity, business savvy, perspective,
spirit and humor, and she has championed so many important initiatives at our
company and in our culture.”

“It has been my great
honor to work with Christina, and she will always be part of the legend and
success of our company,” he contined. “We will miss her and I personally can’t
wait to see what incredible feat she will conquer next with the same class and
tenacity she has exemplified during her many years here.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski