Cartoon Network chief resigns

Turner Broadcasting has confirmed that Cartoon Network head Jim Samples resigned on Friday.

The general manager of the Cartoon Network said in a statement to colleagues that he was resigning in light of the Boston controversy over a marketing campaign gone awry.

The Cartoon Network is the television network owned by Turner Broadcasting responsible for the blunder in which devices for a guerilla marketing campaign for the Adult Swim cartoon show Aqua Teen Hunger Force were mistaken by Boston authorities for bombs.

"I am sure you are aware of recent events in which a component of an Adult Swim marketing campaign made Turner Broadcasting the unintended focus of controversy in Boston and around the world. I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign. As General Manger of Cartoon Network, I feel compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch," Samples said in his statement.

The ads resembling Lite-Brite were placed randomly throughout the city, and caused a scare when people mistook them for possible bombs. Several roads in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville, Mass., as well as part of the Charles River, were closed as police and first responders investigated the reports.

On Monday, Turner Broadcasting and its marketing firm agreed to pay the Massachusetts cities $2 million to compensate for the problems its marketing campaign caused.