In an era of domination by reality TV, Vince McMahon could be considered the pariah, manning the defenses for scripted programming. The awful truth, of course, is that McMahon’s product is meant to seem unscripted. For years, though, McMahon’s been behind that script, building a carnival side show into a cable ratings mainstay, a publicly traded company and a global brand. But this is not an empty corporate suit. McMahon, like cable, exists on the edges and enjoys it. How many other 63-year-old chairmen of publicly traded companies regularly climb into wrestling rings on national TV to slam and get slammed by chairs, tire irons and other paraphernalia? And how many would agree to "die" in a limo explosion to boost ratings? Hey, McMahon’s only following the script, right?

Fast Fact

  • McMahon’s biggest gamble, PPV event WrestleMania, celebrates its 25th anniversary next year in Houston.

Return to 2008 CableFAX Program Awards table of contents.

The Daily

Subscribe
Wednesday–September 17

Wrestlepalooza: ESPN Is New WWE Home, But Not For All Pay TV Subs

ESPN will air “Wrestlepalooza,” its first WWE premium live event [PLE], on Saturday, but not all ESPN subs will have access to the event.

Read the Full Issue
The Skinny is delivered on Tuesday and focuses on the cable profession. You'll stay in the know on the headlines, topics and special issues you value most. Sign Up

Jobs

Seeking an INDUSTRY JOB or hiring for one?
VIEW JOBS

In conjunction with our sister brand, Cynopsis, we are offering hiring managers a deep pool of media-savvy, skilled candidates at a range of experience levels and sectors. The result will be an even more robust industry job board, to help both employers and job seekers.

Contact us at marketing@cynopsis.com, for more information about posting a job on the website and our Jobs newsletter, sent twice weekly to 85,000 media professionals.