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I took him at his word and did it, and the first ten years were a ball. The second ten years was tough, because it had to do with all the color hearings and the development of television. The expansion of the company took place during that period, and while he was in and out, he still wasn't calling all the shots. Then as the third ten years--and it was quite ten-year cycles, but as we got into the latter period, I ran that part of the company that I thought I was best equipped to run and deferred to him in terms of the entertainment side. But I ran news and I ran the rest of the company.

Despite the difficulty of those years and his decision not to retire, were you still taken by surprise when he did not appoint you as CEO?

That was my decision.

That was your decision?

Yes.

Tell me about that.

It had been on again, off again. I think Bill liked me. I know he respected me, or he wouldn't have kept me in the job. Because nobody else [laughs] stayed five minutes. Which was another sign, I think, of him trying to get back in charge of things. He didn't want anybody to exert the kind of leadership that I did.

I think he enjoyed what I did for the company. I guess not “enjoyed.” Respected it. I think