West Chester, Pa. -- Jim Klunder, the director of local ad
sales for Turner Network Sales, said last week that he'll join the Philadelphia
Interconnect as general manager May 4.
Klunder will oversee national and regional ad sales at the
third-largest interconnect, reaching about 2.1 million subscribers.
William Stanfield, president and chief operating officer of
Radius Communications, the interconnect's managing partner, said in a prepared
statement, "[Klunder] adds a new perspective ... coming from the network side of the
business."
This is the latest step in a long-term plan that began when
The Lenfest Group chairman Gerry Lenfest lured Stanfield away from Bay Cable Advertising
in the fall of 1995. A series of subsequent acquisitions and the partnership with Comcast
Corp.'s Comcast Cable Communications unified the Philadelphia market, which was once
considered by agencies as too complicated to buy.
At Turner, Klunder focused on the local-sales needs of
affiliates that insert Turner Broadcasting System Inc.'s networks.
Barely two weeks ago, he was mingling with the New York ad
community at the joint TBS Superstation/Turner Network Television upfront presentation. At
that time, he said that he was seeking ratings input from affiliates so that he could
create software on one-dozen target groups of TBS and TNT viewers -- the idea being to get
systems' sales forces to sell prospective advertisers on niche programs, rather than
on niche networks.
