MySpace co-president steps down

MySpace said Thursday that co-president Jason Hirschhorn has decided to leave the social network, four months after being named to the job.

Hirschhorn was named a co-president of News Corp.-owned MySpace along with Mike Jones when chief executive Owen Van Natta stepped down in February.

Hirschhorn's departure was announced by News Corp. chief digital officer Jon Miller.

"We fully respect Jason’s decision to leave and his personal desire to return to New York," Miller said in a statement.

"We're incredibly grateful for the passion and enthusiasm he brought to the company," he said. "Mike Jones has done an outstanding job leading MySpace into its next evolution and is the right person to take the reins.

"There are no plans to bring in additional management."

Hirschhorn, a former president of Sling Media and chief digital officer at MTV Networks, served as chief product officer at MySpace before being named a co-president.

MySpace, which News Corp. bought in 2005 for 580 million dollars, was launched in 2003 and was supplanted by Facebook in 2008 as the world's most popular social network.

Since being eclipsed by Facebook, MySpace has worked to position itself as a platform for musicians and their fans.

(c) 2010 AFP