65 | Movin’ On Up
Phil Griffin
Title: Pres, MSNBC
Age: 18-54
Education: BA, Vassar
Social Media Quotient: 8
Why Him? MSNBC’s
steady rise this year
can be summed up in
a word: silver. Owing to
Griffin’s guidance, that’s
the medal color it enjoys
among cable news nets
after eclipsing CNN in
HH prime ratings for Oct.
The net also notched
profit growth in 1Q and
2Q. Its Website in June
set a record of 153mln
video streams, a 14% increase over the previous
monthly best, which was
set in Oct ’08 during the
lead up to the presidential election.
Don’t Lose It: News
junkies will want to see
whether MSNBC can
maintain its new podium
position going forward.
The Year Ahead:
MSNBC must un-
derscore compelling
personalities and
programming to drive
success during times of
“light” news. That’s not
easy, especially with the
cut-throat competition
inherent to the genre.
Favorite Food: My
wife’s tuna tartar
Drink of Choice:
Vodka Martini
Cable Prediction in
‘10: MSNBC has its
best year ever.
When I Need to
Recharge, I…: Throw
a baseball with my son
Jackson.
Last Book Read:
South of Broad by Pat
Conroy
Trait I Most Admire
in People: Passion
Childhood Hero:
Muhammad Ali
I Wish My Kids
Would…: Want to hang
out with me forever.
Favorite TV Show
Not on MSNBC:
Friday Night Lights
Favorite Part of My
Job: My team
Best Business
Advice: Have fun.
66 | Messaging
with Heart
Joe Rooney
Title: SVP/CMO, Cox
Age: 18-54
Education: U of
Iowa; Go Hawkeyes!
Social Media
Quotient: 6
Why Him? The
dashing Rooney’s
positioning of Cox as
a caring MSO that
excels in public affairs
and strives to satisfy customers’ needs is well
known. Simply put, Joe’s the marketer’s marketer. No surprise then that Cox picked up 11 Mark
Awards from CTAM this year.
The Year Ahead:
Rooney never seems to take a step backward.
Fave Restaurant: I’m a big fan of Season’s 52.
When I Need to Recharge, I: Ride! A motorcycle ride is both exhilarating and satisfying.
Last Book Read: Marketing in the Groundswell
by Li and Bernoff
Trait I Most Admire in People: Adaptability.
Our industry is going through intense change.
I am very proud of how the Cox marketers are
adapting and succeeding.
I Wish My Kids Would: Enter the workforce
during better economic conditions!
Favorite TV Show: FIM MotoGP on Speed!
38
cablefaxmag.com
67 | Margin Man
Mark Hollinger
Title: COO, Discovery Comm
Age: 50
Education: BA, Colgate; JD, Yale
Social Media Quotient: 2
about doubled over the last year
while the rest of Wall St melted
down. Not bad.
Worth Watching: Hollinger has a
knack for finding synergies across
the company’s global operations.
But can he handle Oprah?
The Year Ahead:
Hollinger already has shaved a lot
of Discovery’s fat. His ability to find
new operational efficiencies will be
tested in ’ 10.
Why Him? The limelight doesn’t
shine on Hollinger as brightly as for
some other execs, but he’s been
critical in strengthening Discovery’s
operational prowess. Evidence: Under Hollinger’s leadership, Discovery’s profit margin went from 28%
in ’07 to 38% in ’08. And while he
and David Zaslav have made tough
decisions regarding departments
and personnel, no one can dispute
Discovery’s resilience in this horrible economy. Its stock has just
Favorite Food: Barbecue
Favorite Restaurant: The Varsity
in Atlanta
When I Need to Recharge, I:
Hang out with my sons.
Favorite iPhone/Blackberry
App: Live Major League Baseball
games.
Twitter is: A great example of just
how narcissistic America is.
Trait I Most Admire in People:
Balance
Childhood Hero: Hank Aaron
I Wish My Kids Would: Stop fast
forwarding through commercials
Favorite TV Show not on Discovery: Dexter
Favorite Part of My Job:
Watching faces light up whenever
I tell people I work at Discovery.
December 2009
CableFAX: The Magazine
