About
"We made sure that every kid in America would see himself, herself in [Power Rangers]. ... We had stories that kids could relate to and then they were super entertained."
In his one-and-a-half-hour interview, Haim Saban talks about his childhood in Egypt and Israel, and his early ambition to go into business. He discusses his first foray into the music business: by playing bass and serving as the manager for a Beatles cover band before going on to become a music manager/agent with his own agency. Saban tells the story of moving to Paris and representing the child singer Noam Kaniel, who had many hit records and who recorded the theme song to the animated show Goldarak – Saban’s first taste of music publication for television series. He talks about moving to Los Angeles, producing music for animated series and eventually producing the series themselves, including X-Men. He then talks about how he came to produce Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, his eight-year quest to get it on television, Fox Kids executive Margaret Loesch’s championing of the show despite skepticism and pushback from affiliates, and the show’s immense popularity when it did finally air. Saban shares details of negotiations with Rupert Murdoch, Michael Eisner, and other executives as he built his business, describes the merger of Saban Entertainment with Fox Kids Network to create Fox Kids Worldwide, recalls the creation of Fox Family Worldwide, and talks about the sale of Fox Family Worldwide to Disney. He concludes by discussing his and his wife Cheryl’s philanthropy, his thoughts on AI, and how he would like to be remembered. Jodi Delaney conducted the interview on January 23, 2024 in Beverly Hills, CA.
Highlights
Haim Saban on why Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was so popular with kids
Haim Saban on Fox Kids Worldwide buying International Family Entertainment (owner of The Family Channel), in an effort to compete with Nickelodeon, creating Fox Family Worldwide
Haim Saban on his eight-year quest to get Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on the air, and on its ultimate success when it finally aired
Haim Saban on his and his wife Cheryl's philanthropic work
Haim Saban on his client Noam Kaniel recording the theme song to the animated series Goldorak and how it became a massive success for him because he owned the master recording
Haim Saban on Fox Family Worldwide being sold to Disney in 2001, and on the negotiations that led to the sale
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his childhood and his parents, and on fleeing Egypt for Israel when he was twelve; on the struggles his family faced in Israel, and on his interest in pursuing business; on entering the music business by becoming the bass player and manager for a Beatles cover band
On the music agency he founded with a partner in Israel, and on various misfortunes that led the company into debt; on moving to Paris in 1975, and on producing the hit song "Difficile de Choisir," as performed by his client Noam Kaniel; on Kaniel going on to even greater success, including recording the theme song to the animated series Goldorak, which was a windfall for Saban; on moving to Los Angeles
On moving from producing music for animated series into producing the shows themselves; on producing the animated series X-Men; on how he came to buy the rights to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the difficulty of selling the show; on Fox Kids finally buying Power Rangers, and on pushback from the affiliates due to the violence on the show; on Power Rangers' success when it finally aired, and on why the show was so popular with kids
Chapter 2
On Rupert Murdoch approaching him to buy his company after the success of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and on negotiations leading to the creation of Fox Kids Worldwide through the merger of Fox Kids Network and Saban Entertainment; on Fox Kids Worldwide purchasing International Family Entertainment (owner of The Family Channel) in an effort to compete with Nickelodeon; on Fox Kids Worldwide becoming Fox Family Worldwide, and on how he convinced Rupert Murdoch to go along with the deal
On his negotiations with Fox after the launch of The Family Channel was less successful than he had hoped; on Disney buying Fox Family Worldwide in 2001 and the negotiations with Rupert Murdoch and Michael Eisner that led to the deal; on AI and how he sees it continuing to impact the television industry; on his and his wife Cheryl's philanthropic work; on advice to someone entering the entertainment industry, and on how he would like to be remembered
Shows
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Haim Saban on how he came to buy the rights to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which he saw on television in Japan, and on the challenges he had selling it
Haim Saban on the deal he made with Fox Kids to sell Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the affiliates initially not wanting to air the show due to depictions of violence, and on the ultimate success of the series
Haim Saban on how it felt for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to become an instant success, and on why the show was so popular with kids
X-Men
Haim Saban on producing the animated series X-Men
Topics
Advice
Haim Saban on advice for someone entertaining the entertainment industry
Criticism of TV
Haim Saban on initial pushback from affiliates due to the violence on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which went all the way up to Rupert Murdoch, and on the series ultimately going on the air with great success
First Big Break
Haim Saban on his client, Noam Kaniel recording the theme song to the animated series Goldorak, which became a massive hit and a huge windfall for Saban because he owned the master recording of the song
Media Consolidation
Haim Saban on Fox Kids Worldwide buying International Family Entertainment (owner of The Family Channel), in an effort to compete with Nickelodeon, creating Fox Family Worldwide
Haim Saban on Fox Family Worldwide being sold to Disney in 2001, and on the negotiations that led to the sale
Network Creation
Haim Saban on negotiations with Rupert Murdoch which led to the creation of Fox Kids Worldwide
Pivotal Career Moments
Haim Saban on how he came to enter the music business: by finagling his way into a Beatles cover band as both bass player and manager (eventually he stopped being the bass player and was just the manager)
Haim Saban on his client, Noam Kaniel recording the theme song to the animated series Goldorak, which became a massive hit and a huge windfall for Saban because he owned the master recording of the song
Sex & Violence
Haim Saban on initial pushback from affiliates due to the violence on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which went all the way up to Rupert Murdoch, and on the series ultimately going on the air with great success
Technological Innovation
Haim Saban on his thoughts on AI and how it will continue to impact the television industry
Television Industry
Haim Saban on initial pushback from affiliates due to the violence on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which went all the way up to Rupert Murdoch, and on the series ultimately going on the air with great success
Haim Saban on negotiations with Rupert Murdoch which led to the creation of Fox Kids Worldwide
Haim Saban on Fox Kids Worldwide buying International Family Entertainment (owner of The Family Channel), in an effort to compete with Nickelodeon, creating Fox Family Worldwide
Haim Saban on Fox Family Worldwide being sold to Disney in 2001, and on the negotiations that led to the sale
Haim Saban on advice for someone entertaining the entertainment industry
Professions
Executives
Haim Saban on negotiations with Rupert Murdoch which led to the creation of Fox Kids Worldwide
Haim Saban on Fox Kids Worldwide buying International Family Entertainment (owner of The Family Channel), in an effort to compete with Nickelodeon, creating Fox Family Worldwide
Genres
Animation
Haim Saban on how he came to move from producing music for animated shows into producing the shows themselves
Children's Programming
Haim Saban on his eight-year quest to get Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on the air, and on its ultimate success when it finally aired
People
Michael Eisner
Haim Saban on the deal for Disney to buy Fox Family Worldwide in 2001, including the negotiations between Saban, Rupert Murdoch, and Michael Eisner
Margaret Loesch
Haim Saban on trying to sell Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to a network for eight years until finally Margaret Loesch, as head of Fox Kids, bought it
Haim Saban on initial pushback from affiliates due to the violence on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and on Margaret Loesch making the ultimate decision to air the show -- which was an instant success
Rupert Murdoch
Haim Saban on his negotiations with Rupert Murdoch which led to the creation of Fox Kids Worldwide through the merging of Saban's company and Fox Kids Network
Haim Saban on the negotiations for Fox Kids Worldwide to purchase International Family Entertainment, including how he convinced Rupert Murdoch to see the value of the deal
Haim Saban on exercising his out in the deal that created Fox Family Worldwide after The Family Channel was not as successful as hoped, and Rupert Murdoch's response
Haim Saban on the deal for Disney to buy Fox Family Worldwide in 2001, including the negotiations between Saban, Rupert Murdoch, and Michael Eisner