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Mr.Eurnekian has since used his profits from the Cablevision sale to plunge intothe tourism and agriculture businesses. But he retains his closely held mediaproperties, even though most apparently are unprofitable. Some journalistsemployed by Mr. Eurnekian say that'sbecause he finds their work useful as a bargaining chip with authorities.
As theairport bidding entered its final round, for instance, Mr. Eurnekian pulled theplug on a hard-hitting interview program called "Dia D" that hadfrequently uncovered scandals in the Menem government. The host of the program,Jorge Lanata, says he believes the sudden cancellation of his highly rated showwas a quid-pro-quo for the airport deal. Mr. Eurnekian calls Mr. Lanata'sinterpretation "a ridiculous invention."
"Idon't use my journalists to further my business interests," he insists."I don't interfere with the news, although I reserve the right to doso." Mr. Eurnekian's subordinatessay their boss personally vets the contents of news broadcasts and oftensubjects his staff to scathing outbursts when he disagrees with an issue.
RichardAblon, the chairman of Ogden, says that Mr. Eurnekian's reputation as anautocrat doesn't bother him in the least. "It's true that Eduardo has astrong personality," he says. "But he's a tremendously successfulbusinessman and one who is quick to make decisions. We don't need him towin any popularity contests."
