December 10, 2009

CableFAX: 19. Wild Not Crazy: Richard Battista and Mike Hopkins

Richard Battista
Title: President, Fox Cable Networks
Age: 45
Education: BS, Georgetown; MBA, Harvard
Social Media Quotient: 3

Mike Hopkins
Title: President, Affil Sales & Marketing, Fox Cable Nets
Age: 40 or so
Education: BS, Long Beach State; MBA, UCLA
Social Media Quotient: 0

Why Them? Ho-hum, another year, more success for Battista, Hopkins and Fox Cable Nets. More kind words from Rupert Murdoch saluting FCN and Fox News for generating 50% of News Corps’ operating income. FCN’s operating income rose 41% in Q3. That’s 33 consecutive quarters of growth for those of you keeping score at home.

Wild Thing: The only dent in the armor was the shuttering of Fox Reality Channel, set for 1Q ’10. Upside is that the new entity, Nat Geo Wild, will carry the trusted Nat Geo moniker. But can it keep FRC’s 50mln HHs?

The Year Ahead:

Despite the economy, we wouldn’t bet Hopkins and Battista can’t get to 34 consecutive growth quarters.

Battista:

When I Need to Recharge, I: Hang out with my 5-year-old twin boys, keeps it all in perspective.

Trait I Most Admire in People: Guts

Favorite TV Show Not on Fox: 30 Rock

Best Business Advice: Always say yes when given the chance to take on more responsibility.

Hopkins:

Favorite Food: Mexican

Restaurant of Choice: Pequito Mas

Favorite Blackberry App: WSJ Blackberry Reader

Trait I Most Admire in People: Courage

When I Need to Recharge, I: Run, read and hang with my daughter Chloe.

Twitter is: The end of civilization.

A Day Without Facebook is: Normal.