Fri 9 Feb 2007
In the wake of the recent bomb scare in Boston, the head of Cartoon Network has resigned.
The bomb scare caused by a Cartoon Network advertising campaign has cost the head of the Atlanta-based network his job.
Jim Samples, the General Manager and Vice-President of the network owned by Turner Broadcasting, stepped down Friday.
In an e-mail to company employees Samples said “I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign.”
“I feel compelled to step down in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch.”
The company agreed earlier this week to pay $2 million to the city of Boston to cover the cost of the bomb scare that shut down highways and roads across the city.
But let’s just say that the signs in Boston were not greeted by panic. Doesn’t it strike anyone as odd that in Cartoon Network’s judgement it would be a great idea to have an advertising campaign in major cities consisting of posting pictures of a cartoon character making an obscene gesture? For that alone, the head of the network should have been ashamed and embarassed… but I guess that’s not the age in which we are living.
