December 10, 2009

CableFAX: 12. Let George Do It: Steve Koonin

Steve Koonin
Title: President, Turner Entertainment Networks
Age: Man of a Certain Age
Education: BA, U of GA

Why Him? He’s not MIT physicist/Under Secretary for Science Dr Steve Koonin, yet Turner’s Koonin is no slouch, named one of TV’s 25 smartest by Entertainment Weekly. Koonin’s smart ’09 successes included seven eps of The Closer that averaged 6.11, among cable’s best in Q3 and more Tyler Perry. A late-night talk show with George Lopez seems another excellent move.

Proud Moment: A laudatory piece in The New York Times (11/2/09) hailing Koonin for nabbing NBC’s critically acclaimed but cancelled Southland and growing TNT into "a financial powerhouse." Indeed, SNL Kagan sees TNT pulling in $884mln in ad revenue in ’09, up 6% vs ’08.

Year Ahead:

The vagaries of ratings for Lopez’s talker and comedy Men of a Certain Age (with Ray Romano) will have much to do with the state of Koonin’s well-known sense of humor in ’10, yet steadies like Tyler Perry, The Closer, and Saving Grace should produce grins.