So far, its flashiest effort surrounded the Super Bowl. For MTV, the collaboration provided perhaps the cable brand's widest exposure ever. And for CBS, MTV was a fountain of youth. With last week's restructuring, AOL Time Warner is hoping to convert rival siblings into teammates. The WB is the successful young broad-caster in the family.
More collaborations are forthcoming.
Such coziness is a new thing at Time Warner. Having acquired Turner Broadcasting in 1996 and been acquired itself by AOL in January, Time Warner saw synergy as goal, not as reality. Since 1989, when journalism giant Time Inc. acquired showbiz concern Warner Communications, corporate-culture clashes have scuttled most efforts at collaborating. The WB and Turner networks could hardly coexist. It grew especially intense as the money-losing upstart broadcaster sought to become a powerhouse in kids' programming, in direct competition with Turner's Cartoon Network.