CableFAX: 71. Politic: Johnathan Rodgers
Johnathan Rodgers
Title: President/CEO, TV One
Last Year: #97
Age: Older than the president
Education: Cal-Berkeley, BA; Stanford, MA
Why Him? Rodgers took TV One in a new direction with his decision to provide live, nightly prime-time coverage of the Democrats’ convention. TV One’s coverage at 10 p.m. on the fourth night ranked second in ad-supported cable among African-American HHs with a 4.4 rating, behind CNN.
Worth Watching: TV One is slated to begin operating with positive cash flow in ’09, which could be tricky given the national financial crisis.
Year Ahead:
Rodgers will co-chair the ’09 Cable Show (with Insight’s Michael Willner).
Food: Red beans and rice
Restaurant: Zuni Café, San Francisco
Drink of Choice: Scotch in the winter, rum in the summer
Music: R&B from the last century
Unnecessary Luxury I Like Most: Private Jets
Favorite Show Not on My Network: The Mentalist
Last Book Read: Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes
In ’09 I Resolve To: Become fit and fabulous
Favorite Part of My Job: Producing revenue
Worst Part of My Job: Cutting costs
Cable’s Biggest Challenge: Small minds in big government
Philosophy of Life: Love thy neighbor
I Wish My Kids Would: Get jobs
Favorite Word: Wonderful
Least Favorite Word: Pundit
The Trait I Most Admire: Courage
Favorite Sports Team: California Golden Bears
Hero: Tyler Perry
SG