December 12, 2007

Stealing the Crown

Name: Henry Schleiff
Title: President/CEO, Crown Media Holdings
Age: 59

Why him? P.T. Barnum has nothing on Henry Schleiff. Right now, the master salesman is pitching his Hallmark Channel as cable's miracle elixir—a family friendly net that even FCC chairman Kevin Martin could swallow. It's a calculated move, aimed at getting FCC-plagued operators to shell out higher affiliate fees for Hallmark. And with programming EVP David Kenin minding the family-friendly store, Schleiff has plenty of confidence. At the same time, Schleiff's on his stump telling everyone in earshot that the network's not for sale, but, gosh-darn, it's such an amazing deal with its stellar ratings that he wouldn't be shocked if someone snatched it up and used it in a tying arrangement to bolster demands for cash. In other words—get in while the getting is good, folks. And maybe he has a point—look at Oxygen. With contract renewals up for the bulk of Hallmark's sub base this year, Schleiff and his savvy svp, network distribution Janice Arouh have gotten a few big names to step right up. EchoStar, Mediacom and NCTC. And he also just hooked the biggest fish, which might explain Schleiff's unnatural obsession with Brian Roberts.

Defining career moment: “Meeting Brian Roberts.”
Person I most admire in the cable industry and why: “Brian Roberts; his humor, his warmth, his 24 million subs.”
Biggest cable surprise of 2007: “How tall Brian Roberts is.”
Favorite Movie: “Brian’s Song”
My perfect vacation goes like this: “Brian, me…”
My most embarrassing cable moment was: “At the Kaitz dinner, in the bathroom stall next to me, Brian Roberts…”


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