Welcome to the annual Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame awards! Tonight we gather here in New York City to celebrate a very special event — the 33rd B+C Hall of Fame class. We are proud to recognize this extraordinary group of leaders, innovators, and creative pioneers who have achieved legendary status by helping to shape the media landscape through their unparalleled vision.
Looking back to 1991, Broadcasting magazine created the first Hall of Fame to honor 60 significant contributors to television and electronic media. The original class included industry legends from William S. Paley to Bob Hope, cable pioneers from Bill Daniels to Dr. John Malone and C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb, to name but a few. In the ensuing years, we’ve inducted Hall of Famers as much for their impact on the community that consumes content as we have for their influence on the medium. This year is no exception, as exemplified by this unprecedented slate of inductees.
Honorees at the 33rd annual gala include award-winning actress, director, producer, and talk show talent Drew Barrymore, host and executive producer of The Drew Barrymore Show and co-founder of the production company Flower Films. Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, ESPN, is set to receive the Hall of Fame’s Chairman’s Award. Mr. Pitaro is responsible for ESPN’s portfolio of sports content, products and experiences across all of Disney’s platforms worldwide. Sheryl Lee Ralph, actress, producer, advocate and Emmy Award winner for her role in Warner Bros. Television’s Abbott Elementary, will be honored with the Hall of Fame’s Humanitarian Award in recognition of her career and her philanthropic work via the DIVA Foundation. We’ll also pay witness to a special honor awarded to the daytime drama Days of our Lives, celebrating its 60th anniversary on-air in November. Now streaming exclusively on Peacock, the series is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world. Days of our Lives will be honored with the Hall of Fame’s Iconic Show Award.
Rounding out this year’s incomparable class are the following entertainment industry leaders, pioneers and legends: George Cheeks, chair, television media at Paramount, a Skydance Co.; Kristin Dolan, CEO, AMC Networks; Richard A. “Dick” Foreman, president, RAFAMEDIA; Michael Gelman, executive producer, Live With Kelly and Mark, Disney/ABC; Melani Griffith, chief growth officer, GFiber, receiving the inaugural Technology Leadership Award; David Kline, president, Spectrum Reach, and executive VP, Charter Communications; Mark Marshall, chairman, Global Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal; Arthur Smith, chairman and CEO, A. Smith & Co. Productions and chairman, Tinopolis USA; Jon Steinlauf, former chief U.S. advertising sales officer, Warner Bros. Discovery; Sandra Stern, vice chairman, Lionsgate Television Group; and Rob Weisbord, chief operating officer and president of Local Media, Sinclair Inc.
As always, this year’s gala will support both the Broadcasters Foundation of America — which provides support to those in the TV and radio industry who find themselves in acute financial need — as well as the Paley Center for Media.
To read the 2025 Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame event program, click on the image above or here.
