CARTOON NETWORK - MARKETING CAMPAIGN GONE WRONG SINKS CARTOON NETWORK CHIEF

The Adult Swim marketing campaign that Boston authorities viewed as a terrorist threat has sunk Jim Samples, the general manager of Cartoon Network. Samples, who joined the network in 1994, resigned on Friday, following an agreement by the network's corporate parent, Time Warner, to pay Boston $2 million to cover the city's costs to deal with the perceived threat. "I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign," Samples wrote in an internal memo. Mark Lazarus, president of Turner Entertainment Group, responded, "Jim's decision to leave his post is a reflection of his regard for the business he helped build and the people he trusts to move it forward."

12/02/2007