• by Wayne Friedman , May 5, 2011

Longtime Viacom executive Judy McGrath is leaving her position as chairman and chief executive officer of MTV Networks. 

McGrath's departure is somewhat unexpected, as she held the job for seven years.

Viacom President and Chief Executive Officer Philippe Dauman stated: "We will all miss Judy enormously, but we respect her decision and understand her desire to leave at the very top of the game with a legacy of success that stretches from the earliest days of cable television to current season highlights."

No replacement will be named to the post.

Instead, the head of three MTV divisions will report directly to Dauman -- Doug Herzog, president of MTVN Entertainment Group; Van Toffler, president of MTVN Music & Logo Group; and Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon & MTVN Kids & Family Group.

After a rough few years of declining viewership, MTV Networks has shown growth recently among some of its big shows -- MTV's "Jersey Shore" and TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland," to name a few.

McGrath was also responsible for many public service and social causes at the company, including Nickelodeon's worldwide "Let's Just Play," mtvU's "Darfur is Dying," MTV's Peabody Award-winning "Choose or Lose," the "Hope for Haiti" television and the Emmy award-winning "Fight For Your Rights" campaigns.

"Creatively, financially, all the brands and businesses are in wonderful shape today," stated McGrath. "I leave with pride, joy and gratitude for the ride of a lifetime."

McGrath, a 30-year veteran of the company, started out as a copywriter at MTV in 1981. Previously, she had worked at Conde Nast Publications. Speculation was that McGrath might have left the company earlier following Tom Freston, her mentor, who was fired in 2006 from the top Viacom post.