Betty Cohen, the Turner Broadcasting System Inc. executive who helped to make
Cartoon Network a major force in the TV and kids' communities, will leave AOL
Time Warner Inc. at the end of September to pitch a multimedia project to
outside backers.
Cohen -- who stepped down as Cartoon president last summer to pursue what she
described as 'a youth-oriented multimedia project' -- said Friday that AOL Time
Warner gave her the go-ahead to shop the concept elsewhere.
She added that the media giant is 'focusing on existing businesses and would
not be pursuing this initiative anytime soon.'
In an interview, Cohen declined to specify the nature of her project. She did
say it is 'something that I am very passionate about and have been working on
for the past year. It's aimed at teens and young adults -- it's not for kids,
and it's not animated.'
Cohen thanked AOL Time Warner and Time Warner Inc. for affording her the
opportunity to work on the project, which she said she is prepared to showcase
to investors and companies. 'I'm ready to present it, show people how it would
work and share market research,' she said.
Jim Samples now heads Cartoon.
