Turner Broadcasting System CEO Phil Kent talks about the business side of CNN in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter…
| HR: Let’s talk about CNN. There’s a perception that as a business it is a bottom-line problem area for Time Warner. Is that true? Kent: No, it’s not the case at all. CNN is, the last few years, probably the most consistent business we’ve had. It’s been one of the fastest-growing parts of Turner. And unfortunately, what most of the media press write about is their one weakness that we probably look the worst on in competitive positioning, which is total household ratings. Whereas where we earn the bulk of our revenue is on advertising targeted to (viewers) 25-54. We’ve made substantial progress in closing the gap with our primary competitor (Fox News) and in just improving on ourselves. And not only that, CNN is the farthest ahead of all of the Turner businesses in terms of becoming a multiplatform business with its digital strategies. And aside from its financial performance and improving its competitive positioning, I think its reporting is terrific, particularly as evidenced the (world events of recent) weeks. |
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