The Hawks are about to take a major step in their effort to re-brand their franchise.
Steve Koonin, currently the president of Turner Entertainment Networks, will become part-owner and be named Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Hawks, according to several people familiar with the decision.
An announcement could come as soon as this week. The Hawks had no comment on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report Sunday.
According to his bio on Turner’s website, Koonin oversees programming, marketing, scheduling, strategy and operations for TNT, TBS, Turner Classic Movies and truTV. He also oversees Atlanta-based Peachtree TV. He joined Turner in 2000, first in charge of TNT and later the other networks.
The Hawks have long been trying to improve their image, tarnished with an ownership lawsuit that lasted several years and the sale and relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers NHL franchise. Koonin led network re-brandings with TNT: We Know Drama and TBS: Very Funny. He is credited with bringing late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien to TBS in a surprising move.
Koonin issued a statement to Turner employees Sunday after news of his involvment in the Hawks was reported by the AJC.
“It is no secret that I have a passionate love of sports, particularly for our local teams,” Koonan wrote in the letter to employees. “In the past few months, I was invited to become an investor in the Atlanta Hawks. During our investor conversations, it became quickly apparent that the Hawks needed local leadership as well as a face and voice for the franchise. I have accepted the position of CEO and Part-Owner of the Atlanta Hawks. The job is consistent with my desire to make a difference in my community and finish my career in Atlanta.”
The Hawks are currently 28th in the NBA in home attendance. The have an announced total of 576,009, an average of 14,400 in 40 games. NBA teams can count tickets distributed in reported attendance figures.
Bob Williams remains in a high-level management role as President of Business Operations for the Hawks and Philips Arena. Danny Ferry remains President of Basketball Operations and General Manager.
The Hawks hired Ferry in 2012 to run the basketball operations. Ferry has completed two roster makeovers and hired head coach Mike Budenholzer before this season. The team clinched its seventh straight playoff appearance Saturday despite a sub-.500 record.
The Hawks recently added five minor investors to their ownership group. The investors did not have a significant ownership in the team nor did their additions change the current structure. More investors could be added in the future. Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon Jr. are the managing partners.
The Turner networks deal in several sports, broadcasting NBA, Major League Baseball and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Koonin, an Atlanta native, spent 14 years at Coca-Cola as the vice president of consumer marketing.
According to his network bio, Koonin studied marketing at the University of Georgia. He serves on the boards of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Aquarium, the Fox Theatre, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and GameStop. He is a trustee of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.
