Stephen Friedman, who has been running mtvU, has graduated to assume day-to-day leadership of MTV’s varied properties.
In his new job as general manager of MTV: Music Television, Friedman will have oversight for daily operations, strategy and management of MTV, MTV.com, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, MTV Hits and MTV Jams. He will also maintain his responsibilities at mtvU, where he currently serves as general manager.
Friedman will be based in New York and report to Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks Music/Logo/Films Group.
In essence, Friedman now holds many of the same responsibilities that were the province of Christina Norman, before she left the programmer in February. Toffler had been serving in that role during the interim.
This summer, Friedman also assumed the leadership of MTV Tr3s, the network dedicated to today’s bicultural Latino youth, after Lucia Ballas-Traynor departed to become the publisher of People en Espanol.
Friedman's ascension follows a recent slowdown in advertising sales at MTV and other MTV Networks' services and a shake-up in reporting structure to upper management.
“Stephen is one of the most talented young executives in the industry,” said Toffler in a statement. “As head of mtvU, he and his team have developed a strong brand connection with the coveted college audience, forging smart alignments and acquisitions that have truly enhanced our overall business.”
"That business acumen is matched by a real capacity for tapping into what matters most to our audience, culminating with our Emmy and Peabody Award winning pro-social campaigns that Stephen has spearheaded over the years," Toffler added. "Now I look forward to working with him to continue building and diversifying MTV for – future success.”
Friedman has served as general manager and executive vice president of mtvU since 2003, where he manages all aspects of the college based network, including operations of mtvU’s two owned-and-operated divisions, College Media Network, the largest network of online college newspapers in the U. S., and RateMyProfessors.com, the largest listing of college professor ratings online.
Combined, mtvU’s platforms make it the largest and most comprehensive media network created especially for college students. with mtvU broadcasting to more than 9 million college students.
Friedman joined MTV in 1998 to found MTV’s Strategic Partnerships and Public Affairs department.
