The Atlanta Hawks are planning to take the business strategy of vertical integration to a whole new level.
According to a report from Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlanta Hawks are planning to name Steve Koonin as their Chief Executive Officer. He will replace Bob Williams, who will remain with the organization, working in some capacity with arena operations.
Koonin is currently the president of Turner Entertainment Networks, which is a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. The Hawks, who were once owned by Ted Turner, are currently owned by Atlanta Spirit LLC, a Georgia-based partnership that includes Ted Turner's son, Beau Turner. For all intents and purposes, it looks as if Turner is simply shifting around its employees.
According to Koonin's bio, he currently oversees programming, marketing, scheduling, strategy and operations for TNT, TBS and other Turner Entertainment channels.
The Hawks are likely looking to boost their lackluster attendance figures. Despite qualifying for the playoffs, the Hawks rank 26th in terms of attendance percentage (% of seats sold).
in addition to being named CEO, Koonin will also reportedly claim a part-ownership of the Atlanta Hawks.
