MTV Networks to Be Renamed as Viacom Chief Tightens Control Over Cable Division After Departure of McGrath

Viacom Chief Philippe Dauman plans to solidify his control over MTV Networks with the departure of Judy McGrath, the longtime head of the unit, reports the New York Post.Dauman plans to rename the cable networks division Viacom Networks, the story says. It's part of Dauman's plan to assert authority over the unit, which has operated somewhat independently from its corporate parent. The division includes MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Spike and other networks.Sources inside the company said contract renewal talks between McGrath and Viacom hadn't gone well, the piece adds.Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone has been quiet about McGrath's departure, reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog. While McGrath didn't report directly to Redstone, she was in charge of Viacom's most important unit for seven years.A Viacom spokesman said Dauman "speaks for all of us in his deserving praise for Judy and all she has accomplished," according to the Times piece.