Arnesen follows Forbes out of the door at Turner

Finn Arnesen has become the second high-ranking executive to announce his departure from Turner this month, following the news of Dee Forbes’ exit last week.

Arnesen, Turner Broadcasting senior VP and general manager for original series, is one of the best-known faces in the kids business and his departure from Cartoon Network came as a surprise to the industry and Turner employees alike.

Turner issued a statement noting it is sorry to see Forbes and Arnesen leave. A Turner spokeswoman said it is too early to be able to give any information on Arnesen’s replacement.

Forbes’ departure was announced last week. She is leaving Turner, where she is senior VP and general manager, Turner Broadcasting UK and Ireland, to run Discovery’s UK channels.

Kids producers and distributors at the Cartoon Forum event in Stavanger, Norway expressed surprise at the news. There was speculation among attendees that Arnesen is on the shortlist for the job of controller, BBC Children’s, with Richard Deverell vacating the position later this year.