December 11, 2009

CableFAX: 11. MTVN Harvest: Judy McGrath

11 | MTVN Harvest

Judy McGrath

Title: Chairman/CEO, MTV Networks

Age: Firmly in primetime

Education: mtvU

Social Media Quotient: 9 (She has to be)

Why Her? Much like her favorite artist Neil Young, McGrath is a classic that continues to speak to new generations. We suspect it’s the MTV Networks portfolio that keeps her youthful. The bounty of MTVN hits continued this year, with Nick’s iCarly and Comedy Central’s Jeff Dunham special. As the cable content revolution continues into ’10, we’re looking for McGrath to kick things up a notch at MTVN. Could the newly rebranded TeenNick and the just-launched Centric be the special sauce?

Worth Watching: Everyone’s waiting to see if flagship MTV can ratchet up ratings. Will it become as cool as it was, or could something even cooler be in the works?

The Year Ahead:

After a year of belt-tightening at MTVN, signs suggest that momentum for the streamlined group will pick up in ’10.