A LEGEND ENVISIONS NEW START; WALL STREET HAILS RECORD OF SUCCESS.Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer The man who gave us ``The Simpsons'' and ``Married . . . With Children'' wants to start again as a Hollywood mogul. Barry Diller, revered on Wall Street as a living legend among entertainment industry executives, re-emerged Monday from several years of obscurity as the force behind a blockbuster plan to build a seventh TV network. Diller, who has a reputation for not overpaying in deals, is using his HSN HSN Home Shopping Network HSN High Speed Network HSN Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy HSN Highly Saturated Nitrile HSN Healthy Schools Network, Inc. HSN Hopping Sequence Number HSN Historical Sample of the Netherlands HSN Haiti Support Network Inc. cable-shopping network to buy most of Seagram Co.'s Universal Studios television assets for $1.2 billion in cash and 45 percent of HSN. That gives HSN the USA and Sci-Fi networks. Diller will use his 12 Silver King stations - now serving as carriers for Home Shopping Network “HSN” redirects here. For other uses, see HSN (disambiguation). The Home Shopping Network (HSN) is a mostly 24-hour shopping network that is seen on cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the United States. - to start a network built on local news, entertainment and sports from each of its markets. The analysts who track the entertainment industry already believe, citing Diller's track record. ``Wall Street loves this guy,'' said Arthur Rockwell, an analyst with Yaeger Capital Markets. ``He's a rare combination of a shrewd businessman and someone who can create programming.'' Diller, 55, is a no-nonsense leader known both for screaming at underlings and taking chances on never-before-seen concepts. He began his career in the mail room at the William Morris Agency Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency is the largest diversified talent and literary agency in the world, with offices in New York City, Beverly Hills, Nashville, Miami, London, and Shanghai. and got a job at ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. after getting into an argument at a party with a top executive. At the network, he helped invent the mini-series and Movie of the Week before becoming CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Paramount Pictures at age 32 in 1974. Diller's Paramount credits include `Cheers,'' ``Happy Days,'' ``Raiders of the Lost Ark'' and ``Beverly Hills Cop.'' He joined Fox in 1984 after losing a power struggle at Paramount and stayed for eight years, transforming Fox into a serious rival of the Big Three Networks and restoring its status as a powerful movie studio. Diller left because Rupert Murdoch would not make him an owner, then bought 13 percent of QVC QVC Quality Value Convenience QVC Question Valid Command to make a run at Paramount before bowing out in favor of Viacom when the price became exorbitant. He also considered a run at CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. in 1994 but again passed. He then began making a series of smaller deals that gave him control of Home Shopping Network, Silver King, Savoy Pictures and half of Ticketmaster. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Barry Diller |
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