MTV Hires New President of Programming

MTV made a significant management change Monday, naming Susanne Daniels, an experienced television executive, to the position of president of programming.

Ms. Daniels, who is best known for leading the WB network during its most popular period, will replace David Janollari, whose contract was expiring.

MTV has had numerous hits in recent years, none bigger than “Jersey Shore,” but that show was generated by the network's reality division. The roster of scripted hits on the network has been thinner, led by shows like “Awkward” and “Teen Wolf.”

Van Toffler, the president of the MTV Music and Logo Group, who made the appointment, is known to be especially interested in upgrading the network's scripted lineup.

Several MTV executives said Monday that Mr. Toffler has pursued Ms. Daniels in the past for a programming job at MTV. Ms. Daniels most recently headed programming for the Lifetime network. She will work out of Los Angeles.

While at Lifetime, Ms. Daniels introduced that network's two most successful series, “Army Wives” and “Drop Dead Diva,” after succeeding at the WB network with a range of culture-defining hits like “Dawson's Creek,” “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” and “Gilmore Girls.”

MTV, which often touts its ability to keep reinventing itself for new generations of young viewers, will undoubtedly look for Ms. Daniels to generate a similar crop of series to make a cultural mark on young viewers.