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Cartoon Network Chief Quits Over Terrorist Scare

Posted Feb 9th 2007 2:55PM by TMZ Staff

The head of the Cartoon Network has resigned over the marketing stunt that turned into a terrorist scare -- and a public relations fiasco. Jim Samples, General Manager of the network, wrote in an internal memo to colleagues, "I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign."
Cartoon Network signs.
The network had to pay $2 million in fines to the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, and to the city of Boston. The light-board signs, placed to advertise a show in its Adult Swim block of programming, caused major traffic snarls and other disruptions when residents mistook them for explosive devices.

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16. DB thank you for saying what we are all thinking!

Posted at 3:46PM on Feb 9th 2007 by Noddy is a wanker

17. i heard that the signs had actually been up for at least two weeks before all this drama.

damn...another reason to hate boston...or shall i say baaston. don't they know that Frylock's on top, rockin like a cop??? Apparently not.

Posted at 3:52PM on Feb 9th 2007 by sl

18. The terrorists have won. We are a nation of fraidy cats. And yes I live in a city where those things were posted. And no, my city did not shut down because of them. Neither did the other nine cities where these marketing pieces were posted. And besides, after they had already been up for almost three weeks, don't you think the Boston Police could have noticed them before?

What a joke we all have become.

Posted at 3:43PM on Feb 9th 2007 by Uh-Huh

19. There was nothing funny about this marketing campaign. Don't be idiots and try to justify it. Fake bombs are as bad as yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded room. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Fucking morons. You're probably the same dumbasses that think Parasite Hilton is cool.

Posted at 12:19PM on Feb 11th 2007 by Only 10 yr olds & idiots find humor in fake bombs

20. Rose is Genius! The Mooninite's hate us for our freedom! We need to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here! (aka the rest of the country other than Boston that can take a joke). Don't Cut and run!!

Posted at 3:55PM on Feb 9th 2007 by Rose is a fairy

21. Some guy thought it was a bomb, because he knows very little about bombs, and made a call. Logical. Police react to the call in an orderly and professional fashion. Logical. Word of mouth spreads around that the city is covered in bombs. Human error.

If you're so smart that you can't laugh at this, what's the likelihood you would react in the same way? If you saw a lite-brite on the street, would you panic and call the cops? I doubt it.

Another terrorist attack? Unlikely. But that comment shows how little faith you have in our government, our security, and above all, the good men and women in the various uniforms of state.

That said, it was a clever viral marketing campaign that took a wrong turn. I took a class in advertising, and this, to me, looks like a good idea. On paper. It was poorly executed, insensitive, and yes, the guys that were hired to do it don't seem to be the most intelligent. Just because it didn't work, or because it gave a few people flashbacks, doesn't mean it was all complete idiocy in it's conception.

Posted at 3:47PM on Feb 9th 2007 by Sideblinder

22. Rose -
You are inaccurate with what you "think" happened. The guys that put the signs up did not video tape it and laugh about the have they were causing. One was informed by a neighbor that there was a bomb threat, the kid grabbed his video camera because he's a free-lancer on the side and then when he realized what they thought was a bomb, called his supervisor to inform them of what happened.

On a side note.....a little far-fetched about the whole killing, video-taping, and laughing. They made a simple mistake and took responsibility.

Posted at 3:52PM on Feb 9th 2007 by Had Enough

23. What kind of idiots are running the Mass. Police and investigative dept.? Talk about going to far..... Jesus, work a little common sense in to your investigative skills!

Posted at 4:26PM on Feb 9th 2007 by Sir Conan

24. OMG!!!! THEY WERE AN EARLY SIGN THAT ANNA NICOLE SMITH'S UNTIMELY DEATH WAS TO COME!!! WE DIDNT PAY ATTENTION!! WHY GOD? WHY?
haha

Posted at 4:17PM on Feb 9th 2007 by lworth

25. I live in Boston and here are some facts. We were not paralyzed with fear, the city did not shut down, and we did not panic. A little traffic was diverted and some people were annoyed getting late to work. There was concern, not panic. I am PROUD of the mayor, police, and others involved in this decision. If Boston had done nothing, then perhaps I would be upset. The boxes were placed in strategic places, on support beams of major bridges, the subway, near schools, hospitals. These are typical terrorist placements. Let's see, an unknown electronic device placed in serious locations...hmmm...no, we did not overreact or underreact. Remember the 911 twin towers flight originated in Boston. We take our security, such as it is nationwide, seriously, but we do not live in a constant state of fear. Thanks to the media it has been overblown. The network should pay for the damages, and the extra goodwill is a fine gesture. These "kids" are 27 yrs. old, full grown men. They made a very stupid decision and hopefull will get over their bad hair day and learn a real lesson. Wonder how they would feel after a tour of duty in Iraq.

Posted at 4:04PM on Feb 9th 2007 by jen

26. i use to like Boston, but they are wicked dumb. F- BOSTON!

Posted at 4:08PM on Feb 9th 2007 by heather

27. This was a great marketing campaign. Millions of people heard about it after people in Boston freaked out. I think it's horrible that the head of Cartoon Network had to step down because people don't know the difference between a sign and a bomb.
I bet sales in lite-brights also went up.

Posted at 4:15PM on Feb 9th 2007 by sarah

28. Wow. This is the dumbest shit I've ever seen in my life. I guess this is a post-9/11 world where you have to fear everything, even light bulbs. The government has done a good job of putting the fear in you and conning you out of your liberties in exchange for "security". Terrorists are an illusion. You're all victim to political strategy. Wake the fuck up.

Posted at 4:11PM on Feb 9th 2007 by Mike

29. Um...This didn't just happen in Boston, It happened in LA too...and numerous oher cities...People here (LA) just laughed and went on their merry way. It's obvious by the character on the board that this was not terrorism. Terrorists would have hidden them so no one would notice and they could get the greatest effect when activated..

Posted at 4:16PM on Feb 9th 2007 by Jelani

30. Ridiculous !!!!! - How could these be taken as a terrorist threat/bomb? The signs were up in my city and I didn't see any harm in them.

Posted at 4:18PM on Feb 9th 2007 by LuvTMZ

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