“With Jon, it wasn’t just going to be an emotional negotiation. You better have your numbers ready to go to be able to go toe to toe with him. ” 

— Maureen Bosetti, Chief Investment Officer, IPG Mediabrands 

By Jon Lafayette

Picture the head of sales for a TV network. You’re thinking of Herb Tarlek from WKRP in Cincinnati and his loud jackets. Or maybe Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross. Despite two decades running sales at Scripps Networks Interactive, Discovery and Warner Bros. Discovery (he departed as chief U.S advertising sales officer in April), Jon Steinlauf doesn’t fit the stereotype.

“Jon is not a typical salesperson; he’s not the glad-handing type,” said Kathleen Finch, a top programming executive who worked with Steinlauf at Scripps Networks Interactive, Discovery and WBD, retiring in 2024 as WBD’s chairman and CEO, U.S. Networks. She means that as a compliment. “He's brilliant with numbers. He always had such a strong grasp on the entire business, not just ad sales.”

Analytical Bent

Media buyers also said Steinlauf was unique. “The way he reads the market is very, very different,” Maureen Bosetti, chief investment officer at IPG Mediabrands, said. “He has an analytical mindset, which is becoming increasingly critical. With Jon, it wasn’t just going to be an emotional negotiation. You better have your numbers ready to go to be able to go toe to toe with him.”

After earning a marketing degree from Duke University, Steinlauf returned to Yonkers, New York, and in 1980 landed a TV buying job at ad agency Young & Rubicam. He decided he’d be more valuable to a TV network generating revenue than servicing clients at an agency and looked for a sales job. Steinlauf’s father owned Herman’s World of Sporting Goods. He grew up loving sports. “The only way I was going to break into sales was going to be in sports, because I had the passion to offset some of my unorthodox value to a sales organization.”

He landed a job at a little network called ESPN, starting a long career selling cable. “It was 40 years in the trenches,” he said. “I give myself some credit for the respect cable got from advertisers.”

John Muszynski, chief investment officer at Publicis, said that since he added buying responsibilities for clients that wanted to be on HGTV and Food Network, he’s worked more closely with Steinlauf.

“Jon was able to articulate the incremental value that those two networks brought to the table,” Muszynski said. “He’s a student of the marketplace and I like to think of myself the same way, so we’ve had a lot in common in that regard,” Muszynski continued, calling Steinlauf a great listener. “He’s not this big, outgoing personality. When you sit down and talk to him, he’s a great guy and also a really good person.”

Beyond supply and demand, Steinlauf understands market psychology, which helps get deals done, Muszynski said. He also brought a calm demeanor to negotiations, even when the pressure was on at WBD to get bigger price increases for its cable networks. During tough talks, “Jon kept his cool and he was able to put the emotions aside and find a solution.” Steinlauf said he succeeded in an industry where $70 billion moves between the agencies and networks annually in deals that are largely lawyer-free, because of integrity.

“If you’re not as good as your word, you don’t survive.”

He rose to head sales for one of the five biggest TV companies. “I didn't get there by being the loudest voice in the room,” he said. “I’m an intense listener and I built trusted, long-term relationships with authenticity, with substance.” As an ad salesperson, Steinlauf respected the creative side of the business, killing what could have been money-making ideas if they didn’t serve viewers, Finch said. But he was also early to sell sponsorships and integrations in branded content and digital platforms.

Survival Skills

Finch also saw Steinlauf survive a series of ownership changes. “It wasn’t a matter of surviving. It was more a matter of thriving. [WBD CEO David] Zaslav knew he was the right person for the job and he just worked incredibly hard,” she said.

Steinlauf said managing through one acquisition, a pandemic and then another merger was a remarkable part of his career. “That comes with the challenges of cost-cutting, restructuring and layoffs, but blending cultures might be the hardest part,” he said.

He said he’s proud of the impact he’s had on people who have worked for him, “inspiring them, empowering them, elevating them, especially in challenging, uncertain and disruptive times.”

Now, Steinlauf is spending time in the Hamptons, not far from Finch’s place there. “It’s funny not to see him in a suit,” Finch said. “With Jon, what you see is what you get. He’s just a nice human being.”

Can a guy who has numbers running through his brain and who breathes and lives the TV business stay on the beach? “I honestly don’t know,” she said. “It'll be interesting to see if he finds [being on the sidelines] relaxing or not.”