Friday, February 09, 2007

Well, one head anyway -- that of Cartoon Network GM/VP Jim Samples, who resigned today in shame over his role in terrorizing the good people of Boston.

Here is Samples's statement this afternoon, as quoted on CNN.com:

"I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign. As general manager of Cartoon Network, I feel compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch."

And here is Hizzoner Menino's official statement released moments after the announcement:

“I applaud Turner Broadcasting for taking full responsibility for the marketing campaign that caused major disruption in our city last week.  I am pleased to know they have taken the incident seriously and action has been taken against the people who authorized it.  The resignation of their top Cartoon Network executive should serve as a message to all that these types of marketing tactics will not and should not be tolerated.”

Now, here's my question: Did Sample resign because Turner Broadcasting execs A) felt that the marketing campaign was irresponsible and dangerous; B) were mad about the $2 million they had to shell out; or C) couldn't believe that despite all that publicity, viewership for Aqua Teen's latest airing was only up 1.5 percent over its average?

2/9/2007 4:31:54 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |