Turner Broadcasting Elevates Trio of Business-Unit Executives

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) today announced a number of high-level organizational changes that expand the duties of three leaders and more closely align operating functions within business units. Steve Koonin, David Levy and Stuart Snyder have been promoted to the presidency of Turner divisions, each with expanded oversight and responsibilities and each reporting directly to Turner Broadcasting Chairman and CEO Phil Kent.

“These changes further empower three executives whose respective and collective businesses are critical components of our company,” said Kent. “Steve, David and Stu are close colleagues whose individual leadership and professional collaboration have significantly increased the profile and value of Turner’s multi-platform media brands. In elevating them to the senior-most positions within their divisions, we recognize the continuing positive impact of their success on our company, on Time Warner and on our industry.”

Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, is responsible for TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and truTV. To his oversight of programming, marketing, scheduling, strategy, operations and other core business functions, he adds advertising sales & marketing for those properties and Peachtree TV, the Atlanta broadcast platform that launched in October 2007.

Levy, the newly named president of Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc., will lead sales strategy & operations across the Turner domestic portfolio of entertainment, animation and news networks and businesses, working closely with Koonin, Snyder and Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. He continues to oversee directly ad sales for sports and entertainment digital businesses, and remains president of Turner Sports, responsible for all sports programming, production, ad sales & marketing and league relations.

Snyder, now president and COO of Turner Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media, is responsible for programming, marketing, scheduling, strategy, operations, advertising sales & marketing and consumer products supporting Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim and their digital extensions. He also oversees GameTap, Super Deluxe and the division’s animation production facilities in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Previously, Koonin, Levy and Snyder reported to Mark Lazarus, who is leaving the company and his post as president of Turner Entertainment Group.

The architect of the successful repositioning of TNT as the home of television drama and TBS as a leading comedy destination, and the recent re-branding of Court TV to truTV, Koonin also is responsible for the #1 series on ad-supported cable, The Closer; the #1 new series on ad-supported cable in 2007, Saving Grace; and the #1 original sitcom on ad-supported cable, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. Prior to joining Turner Broadcasting in 2000, Koonin was vice president of consumer marketing at The Coca-Cola Company.

Formerly president of Turner Entertainment Ad Sales & Marketing, Levy helped build what is widely considered by industry figures the #1 sales organization in the television marketplace. As president of Turner Sports, he has been instrumental in deepening Turner Broadcasting’s long-standing programming relationships with the NBA and NASCAR, especially in the area of digital expansion of leading sports brands. Earlier in his career he was co-president of Turner Broadcasting System International, responsible for the company’s business activity in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Previously executive vice president and COO of Turner Broadcasting’s Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media group, Snyder rejoined the company in 2005 to head GameTap, the innovative broadband entertainment network. In the ’90s he led Turner’s successful home entertainment division before moving to executive roles at Feld Entertainment, USA Home Entertainment, World Wrestling Entertainment and CINAR Corporation.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world. Turner brands and businesses include CNN/U.S., CNN Headline News, CNN International and CNN.com; TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, truTV, Peachtree TV and Turner Sports; Cartoon Network and Boomerang; and Adult Swim, GameTap and Super Deluxe.

Contact Info:
Shirley Powell
TBS, Inc.
(404) 885-4132
shirley.powell@turner.com
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