5Qs with Discovery Channel chief John Ford

What’s your vision for Discovery Channel? We have opportunities that aren’t radically different from what you’ve seen on Discovery before. Discovery must own the big science arena; where viewers can find the coolest science on the planet. We’ll also be a place where you get to find out what’s going on in the world. We’re always going to be a place for superior storytelling about the real world. My vision for Discovery is that we continue to be the best curiosity channel, if you will, in the world. Your immediate priority? Getting a handle on the 500 hours of production in various stages for next year and ’09. It’s like drinking water from a fire hose. It’s a task. Then I have to see what’s ready for launch. In some cases there are minor decisions needed at the end of a show’s production. The other thing we have to figure out is what will we promote with marketing money in the 1st quarter. What’s the state of Discovery? This car is going around the track at 190 miles/hour, and it’s looking good. We don’t need a pit stop. I don’t need to go under the hood. Our ratings vs last Nov are very, very good. I’m excited about our series and specials coming up. You left Nat Geo to form a documentary company. What happened? David Zaslav. We met in early summer and talked frequently. We’d known each other from his National Geographic Intl board days. He kept saying, ‘Look, I want you to join the team here.’ So I talked with [domestic distribution pres] Bill Goodwyn, [Discovery Studios pres] Clark Bunting and [global business pres] Mark Hollinger. ‘You’re gonna love it here,’ they all said. That’s what really did it for me. Your favorite Christmas gift? A bicycle. When I was 8 years old. It was red, had 2 wheels and a seat, that’s all I remember about it. But it was great. [John Ford’s lessons from Nat Geo Channel, at cable360.net]