Defused: Mullen Resigns as GM

After less than one year, Fuse general manager Catherine Mullen is leaving the music-video network.

Mullen, who joined Fuse in January, tendered her resignation Wednesday, and her last day will be Friday, according to an official familiar with the situation. A spokesman for Fuse’s parent, Rainbow Media Holdings, declined to comment Thursday.

Mullen, who couldn’t be reached for comment, reportedly has a new job lined up.

Before coming to Fuse, Mullen had been general manager for MTV UK and Ireland.

She drummed up some press for Fuse with shows such as Pants-Off Dance-Off,which TV Guide crowned as “the dumbest show on television.”But Fuse was still losing in the ratings.

In the third quarter, Fuse posted a 0.0 primetime rating, averaging 18,000 households and 21,000 viewers, according to a Disney ABC Cable Networks analysis of Nielsen Media Research data.

Fuse is also in the midst of a dispute with Universal Music Group, which pulled its music videos from the network Sept. 1.

Universal has been cracking down on companies that it believes use its content without proper compensation, which is at the center of its dispute with Fuse. The music giant recently threatened to bring a copyright infringement suit against YouTube.

Fuse and Universal have been haggling over the compensation issue for nearly six months. Universal is the largest content provider for Fuse, providing about 35% of its fare.