61. A Growth Story

Johnathan Rodgers
Title: President/CEO, TV One
Age: “Baby Boomer”
Years in Industry: 10
Years Left in Industry: 100

Keith Bowen
Title: EVP, ad sales and marketing, TV One
Age: 41
Years in Industry: 18
Years Left in Industry: “As soon as Jack and James graduate college, I’m heading for the beach!”

Susan Banks
Title: EVP, marketing and creative services, TV One
Age: “Only my mother knows.”
Years in Industry: 28
Years Left in Industry: 28

Why Them? It’s all about the growth, baby. With 33 million homes, TV One is among the fastest growing Nielsen-rated networks to launch since 2002. Better yet, more than half of its carriage is on basic. Having Comcast as a backer helps things, but TV One’s been pretty successful outside the family, inking deals with 8 of the top 10 distributors since its January 2004 launch. It launched its first local ad sales initiative this year and also struck a deal with Warner Bros Domestic cable for a full slate of African-American targeted movies and series. Another plus: TV One joined Nielsen's weekly ratings rankers late last year. - AM

Johnathan Rodgers

What is your favorite word? “Wonderful”
What is your least favorite word? “Exploitation”
What turns you on? “Great ratings.”
What turns you off? “Violence, on-screen or off.”
What sound do you love? “Spring rain falling on the roof.”
What sound do you hate? “Traffic, morning, noon or evening.”
What profession other than yours would like to attempt? “Politics.”
What profession would you not like to participate in? “Politics.”
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “Yo Brother!”

Keith Bowen

What is your favorite word? “Beach”
What is your least favorite word? “Wait!”
What turns you on? “Good friends, good wine and good food.”
What turns you off? “Office politics and bad rounds of golf.”
What sound do you love? “The sound of my children laughing.”
What sound do you hate? “The sound of traffic.”
What profession other than yours would like to attempt? “Teaching”
What profession would you not like to participate in? “I couldn’t be a surgeon, as I can’t handle the sight of blood!”
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “Let’s get this party started!”

Susan Banks

Defining career moment: “When I left my safe and secure world of 23 years at CBS Television in Los Angeles and took a job with a new, untested channel in the Washington, DC area called TV One.”
Person I most admire in the cable industry and why: “Johnathan Rodgers. As an African American, and up and coming executive at CBS many years ago, I most admired him when he was at the network. He was a shining example to all of us, that we too could make it in the broadcast world. But then he made the leap to cable and created another legendary career at Discovery and then TV One, proving to me once again, that it can be done… and done well. He is and always will be an inspiration to African Americans everywhere.”
Top personal achievement in 2006: “Three Promax Gold Awards the first time my team at TV One entered the competition.”
Favorite city: Las Vegas
Favorite TV show: “‘24.’ I love the suspense. At some point during the first season of the show, I realized that when the commercial came on, I was sitting on the edge of the couch with my hands clenched, heart racing and adrenaline flowing.”
Favorite movie: “From my youth, it’s ‘West Side Story.’ Natalie Wood was so good in it because she wasn’t Hispanic, and she couldn’t sing…but somehow she pulled them both off believably. My latest favorite movie is ‘Idlewild,’ not so much drama but great singing and dancing.”
The world would be a better place if: “More value were placed on human life. The war in Iraq is a perfect example of how not nearly enough concern is focused on the many lives that are lost there daily. The AIDS tragedy in Africa is another example of where more attention should be given to the saving of human lives. Unfortunately, the examples could go on and on.”

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