The chief executive of WarnerMedia has apologized after saying that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been ''really good for ratings,'' during a virtual technology conference on Thursday.
"It turns out the pandemic is a pretty big part of the news cycle and that’s not going away any time soon ... It turns out it's really good for ratings,'' WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said during the conference, according to The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint.
Flint noted that Kilar’s comment seemed similar to a remark that former CBS Corporation chairman and CEO Les Moonves made in 2016 that former President Donald Trump’s campaign ''may not be good for Americans, but it’s damn good for CBS.''
''Careful,'' Flint wrote. ''That's awful close to Moonves' line that Trump may be bad for U.S. but he's good for CBS.''
Kilar tweeted on Thursday: ''I agree Joe. I would like nothing more than for this pandemic to be well behind us. I mean that with every fiber in my body. I wish I could go back and be more thoughtful about my communication.''
He added, ''I am sorry for the sentence and for uttering it. My apologies. Thx for highlighting it and holding me accountable.''
Responding to another Twitter user later, Kilar said, ''I absolutely should have said it differently. I am sorry. I was attempting to communicate that we as a team wake up each day seeking to deliver more value to fans (through lower prices and/or more great stories). Because that matters to everyone, as it should. I am very sorry.''
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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