Cablefax The Magazine - December 2010 - 39

64|
WORLD TRAVELER
Laureen Ong
65|
Title: President, Travel Channel
Number of Years in Cable: 15
Education: BA, Montclair State;
MA, Columbia U
I Watch TV Mostly: On demand
Why Her? Now officially part of
Scripps Nets, Travel boasted a revenue spike of
14% in Q3 and the network has expanded its roster
of advertisers. So why are the chattering classes
wondering what the likeable Ong has in mind for
Travel's slate, whose most recognizable talent are
foodies Bourdain, Zimmern and prolific eater Adam
Richman? Will the former Nat Geo Channel chief
institute tweaks or full-scale changes?
Ratings and Rates: Travel Channel increased its
ad rates during the upfront and turned in its highest
Q3 prime ratings in the network's history.
Year Ahead: Everything seems to be in motion for
a good '11, but will Travel change its winning formula?
On Your iPad: News and lifestyle-related apps
The Most Creative Part Of My Job is: Putting
together great teams.
Favorite City for Business: Hong Kong
66| Burton Jablin
HOMEBODIES
Title: President, Home Category, Scripps
Years in Cable: 16 (bottom, at right)
Education: BA, Harvard
I Watch TV Mostly: Live
Jim Samples
Title: President, HGTV (far right)
Years in Cable: 17
Education: BS, Biology, Presbyterian
College; MBA, U of SC
I Watch TV Mostly: TiVo/Recorded
CHANGING WEATHER
Mike Kelly
Title: Chairman/CEO, The Weather
Channel Companies
Years in Cable: 1
Education: BA, U of Illinois
I Watch TV Mostly: Live
Why Him? A newcomer to cable,
Kelly quickly transformed The
Weather Channel Companies,
breaking down business silos and
melding separate P&L divisions.
An avid fisherman, he has brought
new thinking and a new management
team to Weather, but he
seems to understand the importance
of honoring the iconic brand.
The Year Ahead: Kelly knows
he needs to continue to grow
The Weather Channel beyond
TV. He's off to a strong start
with Weather being the thirdmost
downloaded app on smart
phones, behind FaceBook and
Google Maps. And Weather is
Why Them? The housing crunch seems
to have benefited HGTV as the net had
a 15-year audience high in '09. But give
Samples and Jablin credit. Both avid
travelers, they broadened programming
accordingly and introduced retail
partnerships and licensing to extend the
HGTV experience directly into viewers'
er, homes and gardens. Jablin is well
placed to oversee DIY, HGTV and related
businesses as the veteran Scripps nets
hand helped launch HGTV in '94.
Flagship Network: HGTV saw strong
total day ratings 3Q, tying a record, while
HGTV.com traffic surged after a redesign.
Year Ahead :
Samples and Jablin plan
to add diverse on-screen talent at HGTV.
Burton Jablin
What Cable Should Do to Improve
its Public Image: Provide better customer
service
A Non-Cable Co That Knows How To
Run/Market Its Business: Procter &
Gamble
CableFAX: The Magazine
December 2010
Jim Samples
On Your iPad: Thousands of travel and
family photos, obscure music, HGTV to
Go, dozens of my daughters' games, Art
Authority, Star Walk
The Biggest Threat to Cable's Survival:
Failure to innovate fast enough
Favorite Non-Scripps Show: Glee
cablefaxmag.com
39
lead publisher of ORMMA, an
effort to create ad standards for
rich media on mobile advertising.
Accordingly, Category 5,
a cross-platform ad exchange
for its digital properties, offers
transparency to advertisers.
On Your iPad: The Weather Channel
app, iBooks, Time Magazine,
The NY Times, OpenTable, Trip
Advisor, TED.
Motto: Don't expect to grow if you
don't change.
Best Business Book: The Goal
by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
Best Business Advice: Delegate
Fave Non-Scripps Show: 30 Rock
http://www.HGTV.com http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - December 2010

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