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[via press release]

AOL Time Warner’s Kids’ WB! and Cartoon Network to Combine Ad Sales Units

(February 25, 2003 – Burbank, CA and Atlanta, GA) – The national advertising sales efforts of AOL Time Warner’s Kids’ WB!, the number-one kids’ broadcast network and the top-rated service in all television among boys, and Cartoon Network, the top-rated 24/7 animation network attracting kids, teens and adults alike, will be combined at the end of the broadcast season in September, it was announced today by Jed Petrick, president and chief operating officer of The WB, and Mark Lazarus, president of Turner Entertainment group sales and marketing. The unified Kids’ WB! and Cartoon Network advertising sales group will report to Kim McQuilken, executive vice president Cartoon Network ad sales and marketing, who reports to Mr. Lazarus. While the sales units will be combined, programming and marketing for each network will remain independent, yet collaborative.

“There’s no stronger combination in kids television than Kids’ WB! and Cartoon Network,” said Mr. Lazarus. “Combining the sales efforts of these two powerhouses will result in new growth opportunities for our marketing partners. Our customer-focused approach will create unprecedented options for the kids television marketplace.”

“The sharing of programs such as ‘Pokémon,’ ‘The Powerpuff Girls,’ ‘Scooby-Doo’ and ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’ between Kids’ WB! and Cartoon Network began when Jamie Kellner moved to Atlanta, and since then we have greatly increased our collaboration,” Mr. Petrick said. “Combining the AOL Time Warner kids television sales efforts into one specialized unit was a natural progression. I would be surprised if the company’s joint kids efforts end here, and I believe that the combined AOLTW kids properties are on the verge of leading this space. The WB sales head Bill Morningstar and his staff have done a terrific job growing our Kids’ WB! revenue these past years.”

“This unification brings two leading assets even closer together for the kids buying marketplace,” commented Mr. McQuilken. “We cannot wait to bring to our partners the limitless opportunities and potential this combination creates.”

“We’re incredibly proud of what the sales team has accomplished for Kids’ WB! since its inception,” said Bill Morningstar, executive vice president, media sales for The WB. “This will allow us to focus all our energies on our young adult prime time advertisers.”

The combined strength of Kids’ WB! and Cartoon Network is evident. In January 2003, the four-week combined reach of Kids’ WB! and Cartoon Network in the key demographics of Kids 2-11 (72.5%) and Kids 6-11 (72.2%) puts the partnership head-to-head with the Nickelodeon and CBS combo.

Kids’ WB!, a leader in kids’ television, is the children’s programming service of the WB Network. The number one broadcast and cable network for the core demographic of Boys 6-11, Kids’ WB! has maintained its position as the number one broadcast network since Spring of 1999. Continuing to set precedent with its new powerhouse 2002-2003 programming slate, Kids’ WB! introduced this season’s all-new “What’s New Scooby-Doo?,” the ground-breaking “!Mucha Lucha!” and the innovative buddy-cop comedy “Ozzy & Drix.” The network also brings viewers the returning highly-rated hits “Yu-Gi-Oh!,” “Jackie Chan Adventures,” “Pokémon: Master Quest,” “X-Men: Evolution,” “Static Shock,” “The Mummy: Secrets of the Medja”i and other Kids’ WB! favorites. Kids can find more on Kids’ WB!’s web site at www.KidsWB.com.

Cartoon Network, currently seen in 82.1 million U.S. homes and 145 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s 24-hour, ad-supported cable service offering the best in animated entertainment. Drawing from the world’s largest cartoon library, Cartoon Network also showcases unique original ventures such as “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “Samurai Jack,” “Justice League,” “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” “Ed, Edd n Edd”y and other Cartoon Cartoons. Since its launch in 1992, Cartoon Network has remained one of ad-supported cable’s highest-rated networks. Cartoon Network’s Web site is located at http://CartoonNetwork.com (AOL Keyword: Cartoon Network).
Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc., the advertising and marketing arm of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., generates all advertising revenue for the company’s cable networks and web sites, which include TBS Superstation, TNT, Cartoon Network, Turner South, CNN, CNN Headline News, CNNfn, CNN International, CNN en Español, and place-based media like CNN Airport Network.