Sarah Pilla, an Emmy-winning multimedia journalist specializing in climate and weather at Spectrum News 1 in Southern California, will host the upcoming L.A. TV Week 40 Under 40 Awards on June 18 at The Ebell of Los Angeles.

The 40 Under 40 Awards celebrates a diverse of West Coast-centric media and entertainment professionals who share leadership qualities and the esteem of their peers. Their profiles appear in the upcoming issue of B+C Multichannel News and are online now. To attend the 40 Under 40 Awards, visit this site. L.A. TV Week also includes Wonder Women of Los Angeles earlier on June 18, also at The Ebell. Hosts for that event will be announced shortly. The next 40 Under 40 class will be part of NYC TV Week in September. Those honorees will be announced later this summer.

Pilla, who herself was a member of the 2022 class of 40 Under 40 at L.A. TV Week, can be found live on Spectrum News 1’s morning show Your Morning during the weekdays, covering extreme weather as it’s happening, climate stories and what to expect in upcoming weather. She has established herself as an expert in the field and has built a strong reputation as a climate journalist. In 2021, she received recognition for her “Oceana Trash” story on the impact of plastic pollution on marine animals.

Pilla has covered timely and diverse topics such as the Colorado River water crisis, extreme weather, energy, pollution, biodiversity, sustainability and climate adaptability. Earlier this year, she produced and hosted a 30-minute climate special called “Innovations for a Sustainable Climate,” highlighting technological advances in energy, transportation, food, and water. 

In addition to her current role, she is a regular fill-in news anchor and weather anchor. She is an active member of the Television Academy and the SoCal Chapter of The WICT Network. She is interested in expanding her role as a climate journalist and expert on the national and global stage to raise awareness about important climate issues and effective solutions.

As Americans face a presidential election choice that seems to turn off many voters but yet is hugely important, media covering the campaign take their roles seriously and are taking great pains to make sure information is accurate, updated in a timely fashion and that coverage is about what voters are saying not just politicians.

Those were takeaways from representatives of ABC, CBS, CNN and the Associated Press tasked with political coverage at their outlets during a panel at The Business of TV News event in Washington on May 2.

Moderator Greta Brawner, executive producer for public affairs programming at C-SPAN, started by reading the headline from a new survey by the AP and the American Press Institute. "News organizations have trust issues," she said. About half of Americans in the survey said they were extremely or very concerned that news organizations will report inaccuracies or misinformation during the election, she said. Some 42% express worry that news outlets will use generative artificial intelligence to create stories. "One of the reasons for this is that people are less familiar with how journalism works," Brawner said.

The panelists all made clear that voters' views are central to their coverage, along with analysis of polls, campaign tactics and what the candidates are saying and doing, as David Chalian, VP and political director at CNN, explained. He said CNN boss Mark Thompson made clear soon after arriving that in addition to all of that "the critical component is putting the voters at the center of everything."

Ed O'Keefe, the CBS News senior White House and political correspondent, said that because the presidential candidates were decided so early and are so well known that "we're now much more curious to know who will make the ultimate decision, the voters" and much of the coverage is themed Listening to America.

ABC News deputy political director Averi Harper said "it has always been our longstanding motto, your voice, your vote. And that is about listening to voters." The network has reporters traveling the country and talking to voters all the time. "And those are voices that you see come up across our shows, across our platforms."

Harper also said, in regard to weeding out faked videos: "When we do stories about AI we have to label them very clearly, because we never want anyone who's viewing our stories, viewing our work, to get confused about what's real and what's fake."

Associated Press Washington bureau chief Anna Johnson, responding to a question about deciding who has won an election, said the AP is putting a lot of effort into being transparent about how races are called. "We've hired people right onto our decision team who are experts whose job is it to actually explain how we're doing that." Johnson spoke about efforts at "prebunking" misconceptions people might have about how elections work, including with a how-it-works series for AP members called "Our Very Complicated Democracy." 

Along with stressing their interest in voters' views, the panelists spoke about how careful their organizations are not to pass along misinformation or manipulated video, and that when stories are developing and facts change (or mistakes are made) that updates are made on air to clarify and correct the information promptly and fully. 

Chalian, Harper and O'Keefe also explained that in 2020 news organizations had to explain why it was important to wait until enough votes are counted to reliably call a race as won, Harper recalling the "red mirage" of some early counts indicating a Republican lead that were wiped out after Democratic votes (such as mailed-in ballots) were added in. This time around, media would be wise to be patient, again.

"Keep in mind that election day is in early November, but this process is not done until at least inauguration," O'Keefe said.

The Business of TV News was a daylong event produced by Future B2B's B+C, Multichannel News and Next TV.

Future B2B’s B+C Multichannel News magazine has named the 2024 “40 Under 40” class to be celebrated at L.A. TV Week on June 18 at The Ebell of Los Angeles.

These up-and-coming executives, in a range of different occupations and companies in the media and entertainment space with a connection to the West Coast, were selected by the editors of B+C Multichannel News on the basis of nominations and endorsements. The magazine picks two “40 Under 40” classes yearly, with the next one coming this fall as part of NYC TV Week. The celebration at The Ebell will follow the Next TV Summit and Advanced Advertising panel sessions and keynotes at the venue. The day kicks off with the gala breakfast celebrating Multichannel News Wonder Women of Los Angeles. 

In alphabetical order by last name, here is the 2024 “40 Under 40” class to be celebrated at L.A. TV Week on June 18 in Los Angeles.

Amelia Amphonphong, Senior Technical Product Manager, Central Systems, at Paramount Plus.

Barry Buren, Television Talent Agent, Creative Artists Agency.

Jordan Cipala, Vice President, Strategy and Operations, Cox Media Group.

Alison Dammann, Senior Vice President of Development, Good Caper Content, an ITV America company.

Alex Dunn, Global Account Executive, Amazon Web Services

Sophie Flay, Community Journalist, KABC (ABC7).

Weston Garret Gonzalez, Owner and Creative Director, westhaus.

Francesca Grea, Partner, Entertainment & Sports Law Department, Fox Rothschild LLP.

Ben Haigh, Senior Vice President, Scripted Programming, and Co-Head of Scripted Series, AMC Networks.

Rachel Horwitz Lewis, Principal, Creative Development, Amazon MGM Studios.

Scott Hunter, Vice President of Development, the Intellectual Property Corporation, a part of Sony Pictures Television.

Jessica Kastlunger, Senior Manager, Marketing, Samsung TV Plus, Samsung Electronics America.

Luke Kelly-Clyne, Co-Head of Hartbeat Independent, Hartbeat.

Rebecca Knaack, Senior Vice President of Entertainment, Metro Public Relations.

Vivian Kwok, Vice President, Casting, 20th Television.

Lady Learned, Senior Director, Content Programming & Strategy, Tubi.

Tom Lerner, Vice President of Programming & Creative Affairs, A+E Studios.

Alona LeSchack, Executive Director, Product Planning, Sony Pictures Television.

Julian Malagon, Vice President, Development, Sony Pictures Television - Kids.

Cameron Miille, Former Head of Revenue and Growth, Freewheel.

Julia Moonves, Senior Vice President, Advertising Sales & Brand Partnerships, pocket.watch.

Kelly Morshead, Head of Marketing, Willow.

Lauren Pancrazi, Senior Global Account Leader, Amazon Web Services.

Ricardo Perez-Selsky, Senior Director, Digital Production Operations, Fox Sports.

Santini Reali, Nonfiction Television Agent, Creative Artists Agency.

Alex Reardon, Senior Manager, Branded Content & Partnership Strategy, Fox Sports.

Alex Rodriguez, Partner Marketing Lead -- Content Distribution, TelevisaUnivision.

Tara Roy, Director of Original Programming, Starz.

Sahand Sepehrnia, Executive Vice President of Digital Content Strategy and Business for CBS News, Stations, Entertainment and Sports.

James Shechet, Content Operations Manager, YouTube.

Paige Sherman, Director, Digital Video Programming, Shout! TV.

Niara Simon-Hollis, Senior Marketing Director, Streaming, Tastemade.

Josh Sizer, Senior Vice President, Scripted Programming & Co-Head of Scripted Series, AMC Networks.

Theo Slipko, Senior Manager, Content Programming -- Curation and Editorial Strategy, Samsung TV Plus.

Carissa Smith, Vice President, Government Relations, Fox Corporation.

Kameron Tarlow, President, Development & Production, Two Shakes Entertainment.

Anne Vander Kooy, Vice President, Current Programming, UCP.

Adam Waltuch, Executive Vice President, Global Distribution and Partnerships, TelevisaUnivision.

Megan Weiss, Director of Sales, Ampersand.

Matt Wilson, Vice President, Group Media Director, Investments, Mediahub. 

The Business of TV News, a new one-day event featuring Martha Raddatz, Shannon Bream, Glenn Kirschner and other major figures in television news, happens at Hotel Washington in our nation’s capital May 2. B+C, Multichannel News and NextTV are the hosts. 

The event (agenda here) is designed for everyone who works in local or national news, as it discusses election reporting, weather, multiplatform coverage and other timely topics. Register to attend the event here.

Raddatz, ABC News chief global affairs correspondent and co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos, delivers the opening keynote. Following that are panels on Election Coverage, from the on-air talent; The Growth of Local Programming, How Much Faster Can We Get Our News?, producer-focused Finding and Retaining Star-Producing Talent, and the midday keynote from Bream, the Fox News chief legal correspondent and Fox News Sunday anchor. 

After lunch, it’s a second panel about the election, this one from the executive perspective; then Beyond Broadcasting – The Pivotal Role of TV Networks, presented by CGTN America; then weather-focused panel Storm Troopers. 

Glenn Kirschner, NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst and host of Justice Matters on YouTube, delivers the closing keynote. 

Other speakers include David Chalian, CNN VP and political director; Ed O’Keefe, CBS News senior White House and political correspondent; Scott Livingston, senior VP of news, Sinclair Broadcast Group; Sean McLaughlin, VP of news, Graham Media Group; Angie Grande, senior director of streaming news channels, NBCUniversal Local; Gary Brown, CEO of Talent Dynamics; Adam Levy, executive producer and news editor, BBC News; and Angela Fritz, senior climate and weather editor, CNN. 

The editors and publishers of Multichannel News have announced the 2024 Wonder Women of Los Angeles, who will be celebrated on June 18.

These 15 female executives in media and entertainment roles have made a lasting impact on their companies and on the industry overall and will be honored at a gala breakfast gathering at The Ebell of Los Angeles. Read more about them on the event website and in the June issue of B+C Multichannel News.

The same venue will host Future’s Next TV Summit and Advanced Advertising event on June 18, and the latest 40 Under 40 celebration will be celebrated there that evening.

Since 1999, Multichannel News and sister publications Broadcasting+Cable and Next TV have been saluting the leadership of women in the media and entertainment industry. Our event partner for Wonder Women of Los Angeles, once again, is the Southern California chapter of The WICT Network.

In alphabetical order, here are the 2024 Wonder Women of Los Angeles. 

Judy Agay, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, ESPN, Disney Entertainment, and ESPN Technology, ESPN.

Teri Arvesu, Senior Vice President, Social Impact & Sustainability, TelevisaUnivision.

Carolyn Bernstein, Executive Vice President, Scripted and Documentary Films, National Geographic.

Alisa Bowen, President, Disney Plus, The Walt Disney Co. 

Karey Burke, President, 20th Television Studios, a part of Disney Television Studios, Walt Disney Co. 

Nicole Clemens, President, Paramount Television Studios, Paramount Global.

Jessica Fang, Executive Vice President, Distribution, Marketing & Strategy, Fox Corporation.

Stephanie Jackson, Senior Vice President, Ad Sales, Western Region, Warner Bros. Discovery.

Tana Jamieson, Executive Vice President & Co-Head of A+E Studios, A+E Networks.

Angela Molloy, Senior Vice President, Development & Original Production, AllBlk/WEtv, Unscripted, AMC Networks.

Geraldine Moriba, Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer, Allen Media Group LLC, and president, TheGrio.

Heather Olander, Head of Unscripted Programming, The CW Network. 

Connie Orlando, Executive Vice President of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, BET Media Group.

Amy Reisenbach, President, Entertainment, CBS.

Beatrice Springborn, President, UCP and UCP and Universal International Studios.

Stay tuned for more honoree announcements for Wonder Women of Los Angeles.

Wonder Women of New York, the gala luncheon honoring 15 leading women executives in the TV industry and the 2024 Woman of Influence, Sarah Kate Ellis, has announced three prominent network anchors who will present the awards at the March 21 event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. 

Victoria Arlen, the ESPN host and reporter; Kristine Johnson, anchor at CBS New York/WCBS Channel 2, and Natasha Verma, anchor at FOX 5 New York, will host the ceremony, honoring the 26th annual Multichannel News Wonder Women of New York. Once again, the New York chapter of The WICT Network is MCN's event partner for the Wonder Women awards.

Multichannel News is proud to have these three skilled on-air news professionals join us in celebrating the accomplishments of women who are helping lead their media and entertainment organizations to success now and in future.

Please meet the hosts of Wonder Women of New York 2024: 

Paralympian gold medalist Victoria Arlen joined ESPN in December 2015 and works as a host and reporter. She has hosted the television, international and Snapchat versions of SportsCenter as well as ESPN digital programs including SportsNation, Hoop Streams, TUF and Caps Off. She also has been a fill-in host for First Take. In addition, she is a reporter for the X Games and Special Olympics.

Hired at the age of 20, she became one of ESPN’s youngest regular reporters ever. She made her ESPN television debut as a features venue reporter at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. She also has reported from the Invictus Games and for the SEC Network’s coverage of swimming and diving, among other assignments.

Arlen has a remarkable story of overcoming odds and adversity. At 11 years old, she was diagnosed with two rare conditions; Transverse Myelitis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis. She soon lost the ability to speak, eat, walk and move. She slipped into a vegetative state in which doctors had written her off as a lost cause. Arlen spent nearly four years “locked” inside her own body, completely aware of what was going on but unable to move or communicate. Doctors believed there was little hope of survival and recovery was unlikely, but Arlen was not ready to give up. In 2010, after almost four years, she began the nearly impossible fight back to life, learning how to speak, eat and move all over again.

During her recovery, she became an accomplished motivational speaker, actress, model and competitive swimmer. In early 2012, Arlen qualified to compete in the 2012 London Paralympic Games, winning a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle event in a new world record time along with three silver medals in the 50-meter, 400-meter and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. In addition, Arlen has also broken several other World, American and Pan American Records.

In the spring of 2016, Arlen defied odds yet again and after spending nearly a decade in a wheelchair paralyzed from the waist down, she was able to learn how to take one step after another and eventually learn how to walk again. Within a year and a half in the Fall of 2017, she learned to dance as a contestant on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, advancing to the final five before being eliminated.

Her autobiography, entitled “Locked In,” was published in 2018 and in April of 2018, ESPN Films debuted a 30 for 30 titled “Locked In” based on her story.

Arlen is carrying out her dream of helping others, serving as the Founder and Co-Chair of Victoria’s Victory Foundation, a nonprofit that assists those with mobility challenges to achieve their own personal victory.

In addition to her work with ESPN, she also is a co-host of American Ninja Warrior Junior.

Born in Boston, Mass., Arlen was raised in Exeter, New Hampshire, and attended Exeter High School. Despite missing five years of schooling, she returned to high school and graduated within three years.

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Kristine Johnson co-anchors the 5 p.m. & 11 p.m. news at the CBS owned and operated station in New York City. She joined CBS New York in the fall of 2006. Since then, she has been the recipient of several Emmy awards. She has navigated her viewers through numerous breaking news events, including Hurricane Sandy, the Newtown school massacre, the Boston marathon bombings and two separate papal visits to the Big Apple. She also anchors weekly on the network's digital streaming platform, is a fill-in anchor for CBS Mornings and has filed reports for CBS Sunday Morning.

In 1994, Johnson began her career at WPRI in Providence, Rhode Island. She was hired as a part-time assignment editor. Over the next 10 years she transitioned through several production positions to her ultimate goal of reporting. 

She left Providence for New York City in 2004. She was hired by MSNBC and anchored daytime coverage. She is honored to represent WCBS at various events around the Tri-State Area. She's worked closely with the greater New York chapters of the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure, March of Dimes, The Brain Tumor Foundation and the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run. She lives with her family in Northern New Jersey. She completed two NYC marathons and credits yoga for keeping her "balanced."

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Natasha Verma is the co-anchor of The 5 O'clock News, The 6 O'Clock News and The 10 O'clock News at WNYW FOX 5. Verma joined FOX 5 in October 2022 from KUSA in Denver, where she was a weekday morning anchor. Prior to her time in Denver, Verma worked as a reporter and anchor for NBC10 in Boston, and WBBH in Fort Myers, Florida. 

She started her career in broadcast journalism as a reporter for News 12 The Bronx in New York. A graduate of Columbia University, she holds a master's with honors in Journalism, earned at age 18. She is the University of Texas's youngest-ever graduate and recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Young Texas Exes Award. 

At 17, she earned two undergraduate degrees, in Broadcast Journalism and Biology Pre-Med. She is also a cancer survivor and founder of the Verma Foundation, which is a national non-profit organization committed to giving real-hair cap wigs to cancer patients.

The deadline to enter for the 2023 Media & Entertainment Best in Market Awards has been extended until Tuesday, December 5. Here is where to enter: https://future.swoogo.com/mebim23/login.

To learn more about the awards and the benefits, please visit the awards site: https://future.swoogo.com/mebim23#benefits

The 2023 Media & Entertainment Best in Market Awards are judged and awarded by the Future brands Next TV, TV Tech and TVBE Europe. 

Future's Best in Market Awards have returned! 

If your company launched a product or brought new upgrades to an existing product in 2023 that has shone within the media & entertainment landscape, the now independent Media & Entertainment Best in Market awards are perfectly suited for you.

Brought to you by Next TV and sister outlets TV Tech and TVBEurope, these awards are great for those businesses looking to end the year in style and have their product crowned Media & Entertainment Best in Market award winners for 2023.

File your nomination here. Deadline is Nov. 28. 

José Vélez-Silva, VP of multicultural brand marketing for Comcast Cable, read a letter to himself as he will be in five years at the Hispanic TV Summit, helping to kick off a new Hispanic Heritage Month ad campaign that launched on Xfinity Latino's Instagram account today. 

The warmly written note congratulated his future self on achieving career and family goals and encouraged future José to “keep going with the same heart and feeling that you put into everything.” The full room at etc. venues in midtown Manhattan applauded. Velez-Silva encouraged attendees to write their future selves a note, too. “I found it very freeing," he said.

He urged marketers who only think to market to Hispanics during October to not bother if they are not going to be doing so year-round, as Comcast does. He pointed out that the last time Comcast defied the trends and showed positive subscriber growth, the gains were "all because of the Hispanic audiences.”

“We support the Hispanic community every single day of the year,” he said, not just with ads but by designing products inspired by Hispanic households, including the first bilingual voice-activated remote. 

He was joined on stage by José Pablo Rodriguez, managing director of GALLEGOS United, the multicultural marketing agency used by Comcast for more than two decades and the one responsible for executing the new “Querido Futuro” letter-writing campaign. They said a half-dozen celebrities will take part in the campaign, which will expand depending on the social feedback generated. The individuals selected are quite diverse and the LGBTQ community will be represented within them, Rodriguez said.

"I celebrate being Puerto Rican, gay and an American every single day of the year,” Vélez-Silva said.

News 12 Long Island reporter and anchor Antoinette Biordi and Fox 5’s Good Day New York co-host Bianca Peters have been named as hosts of the 40 Under 40 Awards on Thursday, September 14, during NYC TV Week.

The honorees, who are profiled in the September issue of B+C Multichannel News magazine, will be celebrated at 230 Fifth in Manhattan. 

Peters joined WNYW New York, known as Fox 5, in September of 2019 and was previously the co-host of Good Day Wakeup, weekdays from 4:30-7 a.m. She joined Fox 5 from WFOR Miami, Florida, where she served as a traffic anchor and sports reporter. Prior to that, she was a news anchor and reporter for KOBI in Medford, Oregon. Earlier she had been a host and segment producer for JUCE TV in Tustin, California after having been a host and reporter for ESPN’s X Games in Los Angeles. She began her career in broadcasting as a sports anchor and reporter for College Beat Productions in Long Beach, California. A graduate of California State University, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.

Antoinette Biordi is a four-time Emmy Award winning reporter and anchor for News 12 Long Island and has been a TV reporter since 1997. She began her career as a “one man band reporter” producing, shooting, writing and editing daily stories for News Center 7 in Ithaca, New York. In 1998 she became a reporter/anchor for WETM (NBC) in Elmira, New York. In 1999 she worked at WNYT (NBC) in Albany, New York, and FOX 23 News in Albany. After five years in upstate New York, she jumped at the chance to be closer to home and began working as a freelance news reporter at News 12 Long Island before working full time at News 12 Westchester in 2003. In 2010, she transitioned to News 12 Long Island, where she is now a weekday reporter and weekend anchor. 

NYC TV Week, produced by Future US publications Broadcasting+Cable, Multichannel News and Next TV, includes Advanced Advertising, the Next TV Summit and the Hispanic TV Summit in addition to 40 Under 40. 

Nominations (free) are now open for Wonder Women of New York City, the long-running Multichannel News celebration of women leaders in media, entertainment and broadband industries.

To nominate a Wonder Woman of New York, click this link. To read more about Wonder Women, visit mcnwonderwomen.com. The nomination window will close on September 22, 2023.

Wonder Women of New York will be profiled in B+C Multichannel News magazine. They will be honored at a gala luncheon on March 21, 2024, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York.

The Broadcasters Foundation of America is circling Thursday, July 20, on the calendar ("Giving Day") as a time to highlight its efforts to support colleagues in broadcasting who need financial assistance due to critical illness, accident or disaster. It's also using the day to raise awareness of the foundation so that anyone in radio and television who might qualify for aid knows about its charitable mission and can apply. 

“Giving Day is an opportunity for everyone in radio and television to help our colleagues,” Tim McCarthy, president of the Broadcasters Foundation, said in a statement. "As broadcasters, we are storytellers. Whether behind the scenes in marketing, sales, or administration, part of the production team, or on-air talent, everyone in the radio and television broadcasting profession has a common goal: to share vital stories with their communities. But who is there to help these essential community members when a natural disaster strikes, or an illness disrupts a family’s financial security and safety? The Broadcasters Foundation of America’s unique mission is to support our professional community during these hard times, when our colleagues are unable to work and struggling to pay basic living expenses.”

To read what some recipients have said about the help they received — in their own words — click here.

“Support for the Broadcasters Foundation of America comes directly from within our broadcasting community,” added Scott Herman, chair of the Broadcasters Foundation. “Over the past 15 years, our grantmaking has increased dramatically, distributing $400,000 in 2007 to almost $2 million in 2022. We currently help an average of 400 broadcasters each year through our two grant programs. Our monthly grants support broadcasters on a continual basis while they recover from an illness or accident. Our emergency grants provide one-time financial aid following a devastating natural disaster or home emergency."

To make a donation to the Broadcasters Foundation click here. To apply for financial aid or make a general donation, radio and TV professionals may visit www.broadcastersfoundation.org, call 212-373-8250, or email info@thebfoa.org.

Multichannel News has announced the 2023 “40 under 40” class to be celebrated during NYC TV Week this September.

Selected after a nomination process, these 40 women and men represent a range of companies and occupations in the media and entertainment industry, from programmers and distributors to technology and service providers. 

For more information about the 40 Under 40 event at 230 Fifth on Thursday, September 14, and the honorees, please visit https://www.tvweek40under40.com/NYC. To learn more about NYC TV Week events please visit https://www.nyctvweek.com/.

Cristina Arango, Vice President, Head of Business Development, Fubo.

Katie Beltz-Long, Vice President, Head of U.S. Demand Sales, Beachfront.

Melanie Brown, Vice President, Advanced TV, Tubi.

Amber Callahan, Vice President, Distribution, AMC Networks.

Lori Cassorla, Senior Vice President, Group Media Director, Investments, Mediahub.

Karen Chan, Group Director, Investment Innovation, GroupM.

Michael Chiodotti, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Endeavor Streaming.

Christina Chung, Vice President, Business Operations, Estrella Media.

Shawn Donilon, Executive Vice President, Government Relations, National Association of Broadcasters.

Matthew Duarte, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, YES Network.

David Dworin, Chief Product Officer, FreeWheel.

Matt Farina, Senior Vice President, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal.

Laura Florence, Senior Vice President, Global FAST Channels, Fremantle.

Meredith Garofalo, Freelance Meteorologist & Space/Science Correspondent, Spectrum News NY1.

Katie Gray, Director, Content Fulfillment & Vendor Management, A+E Networks.

Courtney Huber, Vice President, Partnership Marketing, Hallmark Media.

Marielle Kaar, Director, Preschool Production & Development, Nickelodeon.

Andrew Kaplan, Director, Research & Data, New York Interconnect.

Rob Kelly, Senior Director, Marketing, Ampersand.

Ryan Kristafer, Entertainment Anchor/Reporter, Fox 5 NY.

Dan Lanzano, Vice President, Advertising Sales, Warner Bros. Discovery.

Deon LeCointe, Director, Networked Solutions, Sony Imaging and Professional Solutions -- Americas.

Abigail Neugebauer, Senior Director of Content, Magnolia Network, Warner Bros. Discovery

Molly O’Connor, Senior Vice President, Business Planning & Strategy, Warner Bros. Discovery. 

Andy Oh, Principal, Sports Partnerships, Amazon.

Matt Olson, Sports Media Agent, Creative Artists Agency.

Marc Paskin, Agent, UTA

Denise Peluso, Vice President, Research & Insights, BBC Studios.

Jackie Perez, Director, Business Development, Spectrum Reach.

Kendra Prasad, Vice President of Acquisition, The Farmer's Dog.

Cosmina Schulman, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, NESN.

Travis Scoles, Senior Vice President, Advanced Advertising, Paramount.

Jenna Silver, Senior Vice President, Industry Marketing, U.S. Advertising Sales, TelevisaUnivision.

Josh Sims, Fox NASCAR Studio Host & Reporter, Fox Sports.

Thomas Staples, Master Control Operator, Cheddar News.

Lindsay Stewart, Vice President, FAST & AVOD Revenue Strategy, AMC Networks.

Adam Verdugo, Executive Producer, CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell, CBS News.

Brian Weiss, Vice President, Entertainment Programming and Multicast Networks, TEGNA.

Patrick West, Senior Manager — Sales, Amagi.

Travis Winkler, General Manager of Video & Audio, Bloomberg Media.

KCAL News anchor Kalyna Astrinos, Access Hollywood co-host Kit Hoover, ESPN anchor Mina Kimes and Fox 11 LA anchor Jennifer Lahmers have been confirmed as hosts for the Wonder Women of Los Angeles event on Tuesday, June 20, at the Sofitel Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills.

Wonder Women of Los Angeles leads off this year’s L.A. TV Week events, which also include the Advanced Advertising and Next TV summits and the 40 Under 40 awards, all at the Sofitel on June 20 and 21. More information is at https://www.latvweekevents.com/.

Fifteen female leaders in media and entertainment are being honored as Wonder Women of Los Angeles: Michele Barney, president of affiliate distribution, Warner Bros. Discovery; Valerie Bruce, general manager, BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions; Carrie Brzezinski-Hsu, VP, ESPN Creative Studio, ESPN; Kristen Cuffee-Brown, assistant VP of content acquisition, Cox Communications; Terri Hines, executive VP of communications, Fox Sports; Amina Hussein, head of sports talent, Amazon Prime Video; Holly Leff-Pressman, chief client engagement officer, Screen Engine/ASI; Sharon Levy, CEO, Endemol Shine North America; Ramsey Naito, president, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, Paramount Global; Kirsten Polley, senior VP, operations, WWE; Lisa Richardson, executive VP, business and legal affairs, associate general counsel, Fox Corp.; Jennifer Rogers, executive VP, consumer and corporate marketing, TelevisaUnivision; Donna Thomas, senior VP, studios, Vubiquity; Robin Thomas, executive VP, content strategy and research, Hallmark Media, and Erin Underhill, president, Universal Television. 

Also being honored at the gala breakfast are Giselle Fernandez, anchor, Spectrum News 1, Southern California, the 2023 Multichannel News Woman of Influence, and Holly Henderson, senior VP, distribution, Hallmark Media, The WICT Network: Southern California’s Catalyst Award winner. More information is at https://www.mcnwonderwomen.com/LA.

A powerful lineup of honorees calls for a stellar roster of event hosts, and Future plc’s Multichannel News, Broadcasting+Cable and Next TV are pleased to announce a dynamic foursome of hosts in Astrinos, Hoover, Kimes and Lahmer.

Kalyna Astrinos anchors KCAL's 4 AM newscast and serves as traffic anchor for KCAL News Mornings. She also hosts The Morning Wrap, which airs weekdays at 11:30 AM on the streaming channel CBS News Los Angeles. She returned home to Southern California after working at KTNV Las Vegas as the morning and mid-day anchor. There she earned two Regional Emmy Awards for best morning show and breaking news coverage of the civil unrest following the death of George Floyd. Her previous experience also includes serving as anchor/reporter in both San Diego and Bakersfield, California. 

Kit Hoover is a host of two nationally syndicated programs: the Emmy-nominated nightly entertainment show Access Hollywood and the daily lifestyle entertainment show Access Daily with Mario & Kit. Securing her latest job at 40, the Atlanta-native mother of three has always been up for an adventure. Hoover made her television debut in 1995 as a cast member on the original season of MTV’s Road Rules, which sparked her interest in pursuing a career in television. Soon after, she joined King World Production as entertainment reporter for American Journal. Hoover then went to Fox News in 1999 as a correspondent for Fox Broadcasting Co.’s news magazine, Fox Files. In 2003, she hosted ESPN2’s Cold Pizza and served as a guest judge on ESPN’s reality contest Dream Job. Additional hosting roles include TLC’s lifestyle makeover series Real Simple, Real Life; ABC’s Shaq Vs. and Lifetime’s Celebrity Home Raiders. She hosted Animal Planet’s live two-hour special, Give a Dog a Home, which aired in December 2019.

Mina Kimes is an NFL analyst, senior writer, podcast host and television contributor for ESPN. Since joining ESPN The Magazine in 2014, her profile has grown steadily across the company’s multimedia platforms, spanning digital and print, television, radio and podcasting. In June 2020, Kimes was named an NFL analyst, joining ESPN’s daily news and information show, NFL Live. She also offers football analysis on Get Up, SportsCenter, First Take and more, in addition to being a regular contributor to Around the Horn and Debatable, ESPN’s daily digital show. Kimes has been at the forefront of ESPN’s podcasting efforts. She hosts The Mina Kimes Show podcast and launched the ESPN Daily podcast in October 2019, where she remains a contributor in the NFL offseason. Previously, Kimes co-hosted ESPN Radio’s The Morning Roast national weekend show with Domonique Foxworth and Clinton Yates, which the trio launched together in January 2017. She has also contributed to special ESPN live Twitter shows, including ESPN’s digital NFL Draft coverage since 2018, and more recently, the SportsNation NFL Draft digital show in 2021. Prior to ESPN, Kimes was an investigative reporter for Bloomberg News (2013) and a business writer for Fortune Magazine (2007-13), where she penned pieces on topics from arms exports to tainted drugs.

Jennifer Lahmers co-anchors the 6-9 a.m. weekday hours of Good Day LA with Melvin Robert on FOX 11 LA. Lahmers has been a correspondent and weekend co-host at EXTRA since 2019. Prior to that, she spent five years at WNYW FOX 5 NY, where she served as a reporter for various station newscasts and co-host for Good Day Wake Up. Previously, Lahmers worked as a weekend anchor and weekday reporter at FOX61 in Hartford, Connecticut, while also penning a weekly humor column for The Hartford Courant and a monthly column for New Haven Living. She began her career in broadcasting as a weekend news anchor and reporter at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee. Lahmers is a graduate of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism in Athens, Ohio.

For more information about Wonder Women of Los Angeles, please see https://www.mcnwonderwomen.com/LA.

Giselle Fernandez, Spectrum News 1 anchor in Southern California, has been named 2023 Woman of Influence by Multichannel News and will be celebrated at the Tuesday, June 20, Wonder Women of Los Angeles breakfast event at the Sofitel Hotel Los Angeles.

Fernandez, a former correspondent and anchor for national CBS News and NBC News programs, has been an anchor at Charter Communications's Spectrum News 1 in Southern California since the channel launched in 2018. Among many career milestones, she's interviewed Fidel Castro, Henry Kissinger and presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush. She's co-hosted Access Hollywood and This Week in History on The History Channel. A seven-time Emmy winner, she was a reporter and anchor at KTLA in Los Angeles early in her career. 

Previous Woman of Influence honorees include CBS Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan (2023, in New York); Martha Raddatz, chief global affairs correspondent for ABC News and co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos; actress and author Holly Robinson Peete; Deborah Norville, anchor of Inside Edition; and Debra L. Lee, BET (Black Entertainment Television) CEO emeritus. 

Wonder Women of Los Angeles opens up the Future U.S. TV-industry events series L.A. TV Week. Other events at the Sofitel Hotel Los Angeles June 20-21 are the Advanced Advertising and Next TV summits and 40 under 40. Hosts for the Wonder Women event will be announced soon. More information is at latvweekevents.com.

The WICT Network: Southern California has named Holly Henderson of Hallmark Media as this year’s recipient of the chapter’s Catalyst Award, to be presented at the Wonder Women of Los Angeles gala breakfast on Tuesday, June 20.

The award salutes a WICT Southern California chapter member who has positively impacted the industry through mentorship, leadership, and dedication to female career empowerment through involvement with WICT Network programs.

“Holly is the epitome of the Catalyst Award,” The WICT Network: Southern California president Jennifer Miles said. “Not only have I known Holly through her time on the WICT board, but through our business dealings as well. She is always looking for ways to lift up those around her and is an inspiration to many. I’m so pleased to honor her with this award.”

As senior VP of distribution at Hallmark Media, Henderson is responsible for the distribution of Hallmark Media’s original content across multiple platforms. Hallmark Media is home to Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama, and SVOD streaming service Hallmark Movies Now. She is based in Los Angeles and reports to Stefanie Nimick, senior vice president, portfolio distribution and growth marketing. 

Previous recipients of the chapter's Catalyst Award include Carmen Palmer, chief product officer at Marketcast, Bonnie O'Donnell, Fox Networks, and Mary Pouliopoulos, Division Vice President, West, for Spectrum Reach.

The WICT Network: Southern California is the event partner for the Multichannel News Wonder Women of Los Angeles awards, part of L.A. TV Week. For more information, visit mcnwonderwomen.com or latvweekevents.com. L.A. TV Week also includes the Next TV Summit, Advanced Advertising and "40 Under 40" Awards.

Wonya Lucas, the CEO of Hallmark Media, is a longtime programming marketer and chief executive, who has the coincidental distinction of being named to two halls of fame -- the Cable Hall of Fame and the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame -- on consecutive weeks at the same venue, the Ziegfeld Ballroom. We like to think the latter speech, given on May 3 at the B+C event, was the greatest -- like her uncle, Henry Aaron, was in baseball. Here is a lightly edited transcript of her induction speech:

Good evening! Good evening. Yeah. Call and response, y'all. I'm so excited to be here with you today and I am deeply humbled to join the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, which includes so many people that I have admired throughout my career. So I thank you. As the leader of Hallmark Media, I know firsthand the impact positive stories of love and hope can have on many lives. It reminds me why I love this medium so very much. 

You know, as a young girl living in the small footprint of the South, I quickly understood that I could transcend my physical boundaries and discover experiences that extended beyond my tiny space in the world. I was mesmerized by great storytelling, and I am the beneficiary of its powerfully unwavering ability to expand the mind and warm the heart. Now, later in life, I knew my destiny somehow, some way, was in television.

Now, my trajectory to this evening has not been a linear one. Like many of you, I stand on the shoulders of greatness. People like Decker Anstrom, Julia Sprunt, Scot Safon, Pat Mitchell, Mike Perry and so many others who have poured their wisdom and sometimes tough love into me. So tonight I want to focus on a few lifelong lessons about grace, generosity, and grit.

There is no me without three people who instilled these three qualities within me. So let me tell you a story, not about a man named Jed, but about Hank, Ted and Ruby.

Now, as a child, I had a front row seat to overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges through the sheer power of grace. You see, I watched my uncle, the late great Hank Aaron, pursue his home run record while receiving constant death threats. I watched my uncle sharpen his focus, chase his dream, show grace to those who wished him harm. So as leaders, when we see someone struggling with difficult challenges, show them grace. You never know. Show grace.

You never know if they will be the one to metaphorically hit it out of the park one day.

Also: Jim Nantz Invokes Jim McKay at B+C Hall of Fame Induction

Generosity and kindness also changed the trajectory of my life. Weeks before my high school graduation, my father [Bill Lucas] died suddenly when he was the GM for the Atlanta Braves. I vividly remember Ted Turner saying to my mother, "I will always take care of you." And so he did, when life was so uncertain for us. He helped put me through college that fall, and throughout the duration of my tenure there, he took my mother from being a classroom teacher to the corporate boardroom at Turner Broadcasting. My point is, as you move through your career, you never know when a moment of generosity can have an amplifying effect on a life. So take time, and care, to live with a generous heart. 

Last but not least, my mom, Rubye, who's here tonight. [Applause.] My mom is the epitome of grit. And although she stands barely five feet tall, probably like 4-6, I don't know, she is simply fearless. While in the TBS boardroom with the likes of John Malone, Gerry Levin and Brian Roberts, she asked if there was an opportunity for kids’ content. And one board member, not the aforementioned, just putting it out there, not Gerry, Brian or John, scoffed at the idea. But Ted listened. He moved forward and it became Cartoon Network. [Applause.]

This story taught me that the perceived tiniest voice in the room could have the biggest idea. So look for that tiny voice, that potential change agent who has the courage and the grit and deserves to be seen and heard.

So I want to close with three things. Gotta say, the best title I have ever had is that of Mom. Thank you to my three daughters, one of whom, Alexis Kirton, is here with me tonight. They inspire me every day. And I am so incredibly grateful for the Hallmark Media team that is here today. I call 'em my A Team, y'all. They're my A Team. They are brilliant, scrappy and, most importantly, they are kind. 

And lastly, my humble soul admires each of the phenomenal awardees who are being honored here tonight. Now, your body of work speaks for itself, and your influence on the industry is obviously clear. Yet it is how you walk through life, and your character while doing so, that is most impressive. You each in your own unique way are the living embodiment of grit, generosity, and grace.

I thank you.

Click this link to watch Wonya Lucas's time at the podium (and Craig Melvin's introduction plus video) at the 2023 B+C Hall of Fame.

The 31st Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame class was inducted on May 3 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom at a black-tie dinner. The final speech of the evening fell to Jim Nantz, the CBS Sports announcer and recipient of the hall's Lifetime Achievement Award, a distinction the legendary sports voice referred to jokingly once or twice in his 18-minute speech, spoken behind a blank teleprompter. The evening emcees were NBC News's Craig Melvin and CBS Sports's Tracy Wolfson. Here is Nantz's speech (video is here). 

OK. Hello friends, and good evening. I'm just gonna check my phone for a minute here. It's 8:57. Bill [McGorry, the B+C Hall chairman], I want to thank you, because you told me a couple days ago, "You’re gonna be the last man up, but you have to be done at 9:30.” [Laughter.] So we're gonna get a little extended play here tonight. Thirty-three minutes of my career coming up. Bill, I promised you, I promised you, I've gotta live up to my words. So, um, here's the long-form version of my story.

Actually, how great have both Craig and Tracy been tonight? I mean, I'm so proud of Tracy. Craig's awesome. I did the back half of this night, well, it was, it was 12 years ago. Regis [Philbin] did the front half. I did the back half. I said goodnight. It was 11:18. [Laughter.] Yeah, I'm not kidding. And when everyone walked out that night, somebody walked out with an idea for a new show: The Walking Dead. Yeah, great creative ideas come out of this evening. Sean McManus, an amazing friend and leader, boss. He was the one who originally called me and told me that I was receiving this award. He said, "Jim, you're getting the BC lifetime achievement award." I said, "Sean, I didn't go to Boston College. I went to Houston." And I couldn't believe it, because I had been here before and I sat out there to cheer on Sean, getting his induction. I think it was 2011. Never in a million years did I think that I would be on this stage in this capacity. Never. It still makes no sense to me. It truly doesn't make any sense to me.

Also: Hallmark Media's Wonya Lucas's Three Pillars of Strength

I would congratulate my fellow inductees, except I'm not an inductee. I'm the old guy. [Laughter.] 

I get the Lifetime Achievement Award. [Laughter.] Never been made to feel so old and ancient in my life. So thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. How come I didn't get the Hall of Fame? And Al [Roker] didn't get the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ray Cole said he was 68 years old, that is way older than I am. He got the Hall of Fame. I got the Lifetime Achievement Award. [Laughter.] Makes no sense. [Laughter.]. None of this does. My career. I don't know where they got that 18 generations down the road video of me talking into a camera. 

But the true story. I was 11 years old. I had this obsession with wanting to work for CBS. Totally obsessed. I know that's not a good thing, but I was obsessed. I admit to it. Fast forward 15 years later, I'm 26 years old, I get a call out of the blue to come to New York to audition for the host of the College Football Scoreboard show. This was 1985. It happened literally overnight. I got the call and the next morning I was on a plane to New York to go audition at the Broadcast Center on 57th Street. I was so excited to get that call that when I got to New York and got dressed to go down to the broadcast center, I suddenly realized I had forgotten to pack a tie.

Staying at this hotel on this block. And I walked to the Broadcast Center and I ducked into a clothing store that no longer exists. There's a Greek restaurant or something right up here on Seventh Avenue between 54th and 57th, somewhere in there. And I grabbed a very thin yellow tie, thinner than the one I'm wearing tonight. And I thought, OK, that might look stylish. Not. But I went in and I did a couple of scoring segments without any advanced warning of how this was gonna work, ad-libbing through the whole thing, which is comfortable for me. I hate scripts and I hate teleprompters because I feel like I've got a deer in the headlights look into a teleprompter. So my goal, my whole career has been to ad lib through it all. [Applause.] I would rather be uneven, choppy, stumbling through it, but talking from right here, than being letter perfect and clean and scripted. So I went into the Broadcast Center, I was the fifth of five to audition. Went through a couple of scoring segments, and then they said for the third segment, they're gonna bring out a college football expert and you need to interview him.

And around the corner comes this guy and he sticks a hand out and says, I'm Mike Francesa. [Laughter.] Says, you ask me anything you want. We did like a four-minute segment. I won the audition. I was 26 years old. This has been my dream. The first three or four years of my life, Mike Francesa was behind the scenes, behind the cameras, coaching me.

Again, nothing was scripted, but he would be almost like a conductor or an orchestra leader. And he'd be hanging on my every word, encouraging me. I could get through it. Because I was nervous, I was mortified. I had massive anxiety. Mike's here tonight. I wouldn't have made it in this business if it wasn't for Mike lifting me on his shoulders back when I was just a kid. And, um, he dedicated those four years through football, basketball, the Final Fours and hosting, all of that. And of course he went on to become a huge massive star here in New York. But Mike, thank you man, you're a wonderful friend. 

Then I was talking about Sean. So this, this dream is, uh, building and building and building. And I hear all these voices of my youth. A lot of you know who they are. The Pat Summeralls and Jack Whitakers and Kurt Gowdys and Keith Jacksons. It's a dangerous game to go down this road. Chris Schenkel, and the ultimate one, Jim McKay. I wrote them letters. Rachael [Ray], you get letters. Soledad [O'Brien], you get letters. Al you get letters. Tracy, I know you get a lot of mail. What do you do with them, Craig? What do you do with them? I feel an obligation to write every single one of 'em back because Jim McKay wrote me back. 

Of course, what do you do when he writes you back? You hurriedly write him back again. [Laughter.] You wanna, you wanna create a relationship. But no, I was in awe of him. So much so that when I graduated from college, he said, “Hey, I'm really proud of you. Why don't you come up to Connecticut? We'll play a round of golf.” And I did. I hopped on a plane and I slept on a locker room floor at a place called the Connecticut Golf Club in Easton, Connecticut. And the next morning I played 18 holes with my hero. It was bigger than life, but it made it all feel like it was possible. I was around greatness and he was encouraging and uplifting and I wanted to be him. And I hung on his every word. Three years later, I was hired by CBS, through a roundabout way of obsessing and dreaming, working passionately.

My friendship with Jim McKay became larger and larger as time would go on. So much to the point that, when he did his last show, it was at The Open Championship at St. Andrews in 2000, I had to be there, for his last show. I called and asked, fearing he might think this is getting past the line of friendship and into the realm of stalking. [Laughter.] I said, “Would you mind if I came over and was with you on the morning of your last show?” He said, “If you would really come all the way over to St. Andrews, Scotland, absolutely.” So I did. And I went over there to see him.

What was really nice, uh, it also happened to coincide with Tiger completing his career Grand Slam. And I wanted to be there to see that too, as it would turn out he would win that one and become the youngest ever to do that. But the morning of the final round, I went to the Rusacks Hotel in Scotland and I called his room from the lobby. And I went up to his room, knocked on the door, expecting to see Jim McKay in the biggest three-bedroom suite with the baby grand piano you ever saw in your life. Instead, it was a room, 10 by 14 maybe. I mean, it was so small. A tiny desk, one little twin bed. He wasn't even overlooking the 18th hole, he was overlooking the street. There was a bottle of red wine on the windowsill that had been uncorked, about halfway consumed, with a little wine glass there.

He had his notes on the desk. I sat there for an hour and just talked to him about his career, that magical journey that I wanted to live for myself. Now at this point, I'm 15 or 16 years into my career at CBS, but I was looking at the back end of it. He was 79, he was ready to go home. He missed Margaret. He'd had a difficult time connecting through Heathrow to get to St. Andrews. And he dreaded at this point going back through that to get back to Maryland. Here's a man who traveled the world and brought the world to us when Wide World of Sports really introduced us to the world. He was our tour guide. And he was not a road warrior anymore. All he wanted to do was be home with his family. I'm 63. I don't quite have that same feeling that he had that day. But I can see that, I can see how that comes. We're road warriors, those of us in live sports television. It's the golden hamster wheel. 

We're storytellers. You know, I'm uplifted by stories. I heard — Wonya [Lucas], I don't know you, but that was beautiful what you said. And Mr. Bond, that death-defying experience that you went through. Uplifting. To hear the positivity in this room in a day when you're a storyteller or you're a member of the media and people think that's a bad thing. Tonight is affirmation that there's a lot of really good people in our industry, in front of and in back of. 

I hate that term by the way, I'm sorry I even said it. We're all in front of, this is all in front of us. This is our lives. This is what we do. We inform people, we present them content, we tell them stories. But the positivity is what I've spent my whole career trying to do. Trying to be like Jim McKay, who took me around the world. Sean, you've been an amazing friend. I can't even begin to thank you for what you've done for my career. To work side by side with you, storybook. That's the way it's been. So thank you for that, Sean McManus. 

We have, in sports television, there is no script. I was gonna joke that with the writers' strike that I have nothing to say tonight. OK? I wish everybody well on figuring that one out. But we are, we are extemporaneous speakers and storytellers. We see something and instantaneously we have to tell you what we see. And so do the people behind it. There I go again, but I'm talking directors here. I'm talking about the people that put the story on the line visually. After all, we are a visual medium, and I have to be respectful of that and just be a little bit of an undercurrent. 

And I see out here tonight, friends like Suzanne Smith, who I started with. Mark Grant, who I had the blessing of working the Final Four with this year. He directed that. And Bob Fishman is here tonight, who just got the Lifetime Achievement Award by the DGA in Los Angeles, the first sports director in history to ever get that recognition. They are storytellers and I'm in awe of them. 

So we only have 20 minutes to go. [Laughter.] I want to to say this. I've got my CBS family, I can't see, but they're table 15. I love you all. Thank you Jen Sabatelle. Thank you Harold Bryant, you're awesome. Steve Karasik, thank you. You guys live it every single day. I know David Burson's not here tonight, but I want to recognize him. And then I have my family and friends' table over here. Melissa [Miller], who for 25 years I've been honored to have her represent me in virtually everything, in my work and personal life, as my chief of staff. Sounds important. And she is important. She's vitally important in my life. Sandy Montag, who's just an extraordinary friend, the first stats guy I ever had. Now he is a big time agent, doing great things. But my Caroline. Caroline Beasley, you were here tonight and I was hearing all those stories about your dad. My Caroline is here tonight. She's my first of three. She doesn't know this. I've never worn these until tonight. She's a little girl who had to put up with her dad being gone all the time. 

I don’t know if you can see these on the IMAG. Can you see that? Cufflink of a little girl with a smile on her face? 

To my Caroline, my Finley, my Jameson. I can't thank you enough for putting up with daddy wandering around the world, wondering around the world, wandering around the world, whatever it is. Somebody put in a prompter for me, please. [Laughter.] Um, tolerating this nomadic life as I continue to chase an 11 year old's dream. These are great nights when you walk away feeling inspired. I hope one day I do get in one hall of fame. It's a tough one. There're only three voters. It has to be unanimous. And that's for one day for my kids to say on my last day that I was a hall of game dad throughout, throughout it all. 

So I'm getting outta here, Bill. We're gonna leave early. This is not gonna be the night of The Walking Dead. But on that night, a month ago, it was a month ago tonight. It was April 3rd. I didn't even think of that, Tracy. It was April 3rd. I didn't want to have anything about this being my last of 37 Final Fours. And at one point, Grant Hill and Bill Raftery tried to bring it up and I said, no, this is not my night. This night belongs to Dan Hurley and the National Champion UConn Huskies. But they circled back after the confetti had fallen and Tracy had done an interview with, uh, with the coach. They came back and they said something. And now I knew with a countdown of 30 seconds to go and the music underneath, that perfect little NCAA music bed undercurrent. You heard it in the tape. But I'll say it again, for the last time. 

We've been given a responsibility to do a lot of things. Those of us and every one of us in this room. Everybody has a dream. Everybody. Everybody has a story. Try to find that story in others. Try to find it. Your relationship will be better. And be kind. Wonya, you said that a couple of times tonight. And be kind. 

And yes, I make eye contact with that camera every time I come on, as a message to my late father saying, “Hello, friends.” I'm talking to him. It makes me fall into the broadcast feeling I'm speaking to one person. But that night I said it, and I'll say it tonight, to everyone in this room, especially my family and friends at tables 14 and 15, those who have come here to support me tonight from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for being my friend. 

Thank you all very much.

B+C and Next TV have announced their Best of Show Awards for the 2023 NAB Show, April 16-19 in Las Vegas. The awards are judged by a panel of industry experts on the criteria of innovation, feature set, cost efficiency and performance in serving the industry.

The winners will be featured in B+C Multichannel News magazine, read by thousands of broadcast professionals in the United States, around the world and online. In addition, all nominees will be featured in a Best of Show Program ebook.

The Best of Show Awards, from B+C, Next TV and other brands at parent company Future US, were chosen from companies that exhibited at the 2023 NAB Show and submitted nominations.  

Here are this year's winners:

B+C -- 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) -- AWS Studio in the Cloud

Backlight -- Wildmoka | Digital Media Platform

Homatics and THX Ltd. -- HOMATICS™ X THX® Home Click Smart-home theater speaker system

Matrox Video -- Matrox ORIGIN

Next TV -- 

Vizrt Group -- Viz Vectar Plus

QUANTEEC -- QUANTEEC

Evertz -- Reflektor On-Premise & Cloud Signal Processor

Zixi -- Software Defined Video Platform 5G

Backlight -- Zype Apps Creator

Quickplay and VionLabs -- Quickplay-VionLabs Preview Clips

Cobalt Digital -- SafeLink-8TS-VM (Virtual Machine) 

B+C Multichannel News is pleased to announce the 2023 Wonder Women of Los Angeles, set to be celebrated at the start of L.A. TV Week on June 20 at the Sofitel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills. For more about the event, see https://www.mcnwonderwomen.com/LA.

Also: Future Names 2023 "40 Under 40" For L.A. TV Week

For more than two decades, Wonder Women has celebrated female leaders in media, entertainment and technology making a lasting impact on their businesses and the industry. Read about the honorees on the event website. While there, find out more about our Wonder Women of New York celebration happening at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on March 23. 

Meet the 2023 Wonder Women of Los Angeles:

Michele Barney, President of Affiliate Distribution, Warner Bros. Discovery.

Carrie Brzezinski-Hsu, Vice President, ESPN Creative Studio, ESPN.

Valerie Bruce, General Manager, BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions.

Kristen Cuffee-Brown, Assistant Vice President of Content Acquisition, Cox Communications.

Terri Hines, Executive Vice President, Communications, Fox Sports.

Amina Hussein, Head of Talent, U.S. Sports, Amazon Prime Video.

Holly Leff-Pressman, Chief Client Engagement Officer, Screen Engine/ASI.

Sharon Levy, CEO, Endemol Shine North America.

Ramsey Naito, President, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, Nickelodeon and Paramount.

Kirsten Polley, Senior Vice President, Operations, WWE.

Lisa Richardson, Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs and Associate General Counsel, Fox.

Jennifer Rogers, Executive Vice President for Consumer and Corporate Marketing of U.S. Networks, TelevisaUnivision. 

Robin Thomas, Executive Vice President, Consumer Insights, Strategy and Analytics, Hallmark Media.

Donna Thomas, Senior Vice President, Studios, Vubiquity.

Erin Underhill, President, Universal Television.

Multichannel News is pleased to announce that news anchors from ESPN, WNYW Fox 5 New York and Spectrum News NY1 will host the March 23 celebratory luncheon for Wonder Women of New York, a more than 20-year institution honoring women in leadership roles in media and telecommunications.

Kimberly A. Martin, NFL reporter for ESPN; Natasha Verma, co-anchor of The 5 O’Clock News and The 10 O'Clock News at WNYW, and Cheryl Wills, anchor at NY1, will help present the Wonder Women awards at the Ziegfeld Ballroom event.

“We are so excited to have these accomplished on-air anchors with us to help us salute an incredibly accomplished group of women leaders in media,” Kent Gibbons, content director for Future’s Multichannel News, said. “Our hosts are a vital part of the program, along with our event partners including the New York chapter of The WICT Network and the sponsors who make it all possible.”

You can read more about the event and our honorees — including 2023 Woman of Influence awardee Margaret Brennan of CBS News — at the event website. 

But for now, please meet the hosts of Wonder Women of New York:

Kimberley A. Martin, who has covered the National Football League as a national writer, columnist and beat reporter for more than a decade, joined ESPN as an NFL reporter in March 2020.

She showcases her versatility as a reporter, analyst, TV personality, writer and host on a variety of network programming, including Sunday NFL Countdown, Fantasy Football Now, NFL Live, Get Up!, First Take, Around the Horn, SportsCenter, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, Outside the Lines and Andscape.

Martin also is the co-host of ESPN’s only all-female podcast, First Take Her Take, a weekly show that discusses the biggest stories in sports and culture and provides insight into the unique professional roles and personalities of its three hosts.

Notable ESPN features for Martin include the award-winning piece, “Gratitude,” highlighting Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller’s journey toward sobriety and NFL stardom, as well as profiles on Maia Chaka, the first Black woman to officiate a game in NFL history, and the late Bill Nunn Jr., a trailblazing scout for the Pittsburgh Steelers and a 2021 member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Martin joined ESPN from Yahoo Sports where she served as a senior NFL writer and columnist. Prior to Yahoo, Martin had a stint with The Washington Post as a Washington beat writer (2017-18). She also served as a columnist for The Buffalo News in 2017 and was a New York Jets beat writer for Newsday (2012-17).

In addition to football, Martin has covered a variety of sports, including Major League Baseball and the NBA.

A member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Martin received NABJ’s Emerging Journalist of the Year award in 2011. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and African-American Studies, before earning her master’s degree in magazine, newspaper and online journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Natasha Verma is the co-anchor of The 5 O'Clock News and The 10 O'Clock News on WNYW Fox 5, which she joined in October 2022 from KUSA Denver. She had been a weekday morning anchor at KUSA.

Prior to her time in Denver, Verma worked as a reporter and anchor for NBC10 in Boston and WBBH in Fort Myers, Florida.

She started her career in broadcast journalism as a reporter for News 12 The Bronx in New York.

A graduate of Columbia University, she holds a master’s degree with honors in Journalism, earned at age 18. She is the University of Texas’s youngest-ever graduate and recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Young Texas Exes Award. At 17, she earned two undergraduate degrees — in broadcast journalism and biology pre-med.

She is also a cancer survivor and founder of the Verma Foundation, which is a national nonprofit organization committed to giving real-hair cap wigs to cancer patients.

Cheryl Wills is an original. Literally. She's one of the few staff members at NY1 since the beginning. She joined the station on July 13, 1992, and considers reporting on the city where she was born and raised to be a privilege.

Her list of accomplishments is long and impressive. She is the only NY1 reporter to ever interview a sitting president (Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia). In 2018, she became the first African-American reporter in NY1's history to win an Emmy. Add those to the awards she's received from the New York Press Club and the Associated Press, and Cheryl Wills's mantle is getting pretty crowded!

When not at work, she spends her time lecturing and writing books about her great-great-great grandfather Sandy Wills — a slave who fought in President Lincoln's army during the Civil War.

Wonder Women of New York will take place on Thursday, March 23, at the historic Ziegfeld Ballroom. ▪️

Future has launched the Best of Show Awards for the NAB Show. The prestigious annual awards recognize outstanding products and solutions in the M&E tech sector shown at the NAB Show.

The awards, from industry-leading brands of Future plc, provide a great opportunity for companies to stand out at one of the most attended shows in the industry. There are a range of benefits, from fully licensed winner’s badges to physical trophies for display and a suite of winner’s marketing assets to editorial coverage from our brands, including Broadcasting+Cable, Next TV, TV Tech, Radio World, Sound & Video Contractor, Mix and TVBEurope.

“This is the 10th anniversary of the Best of Show Awards, and we at Future are proud of having helped shine a light on NAB Show exhibitors for their innovation and dedication to helping advance the cause of media and entertainment,” Future content director Kent Gibbons said. ”We can’t wait to see what's new and exciting this year.”

The Best of Show awards are chosen from companies that exhibit at the NAB Show in April and that submit nominations (nominees pay a fee to enter). All nominees and winners will be featured in a post-convention Program Guide distributed to our readers. (Here’s a look at last year’s guide.)

Click here to begin your entry ahead of the March 31 deadline, or continue to browse through the site to find out more about the awards including how to enter, which Future plc brands are involved in the awards, benefits for entering and a range of FAQs. ■

Nominations for Multichannel News Wonder Women of Los Angeles and 40 Under 40 of Los Angeles close this Friday, January 13, after a brief extension ends. Nominations are free to submit.

Wonder Women and 40 Under 40 of L.A. are returning to the Sofitel Hotel at Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, on June 20-21.

Do you know an influential woman in media who should be recognized? Or know someone in media under 40 years of age who deserves a shout-out? Now is the time to nominate them. 

Here is the link to nominate a Wonder Woman of L.A. 

Here is the link to nominate someone for 40 Under 40 of L.A. ■

Next TV and other Future brands including TV Tech have named the recipients of the 2022 Best in Market Awards. The entry-based awards were judged by a panel of industry experts on the criteria of innovation, feature set, cost efficiency and overall performance. The winners will be featured in a Best in Market Program ebook.

Best in Market awards were also handed out by Future brands TV Tech, TVBEurope and Radio World.

The Next TV Best in Market Award 2022 Winners are:

Nexstar Digital -- Stellar.

LTN -- LTN Lift.

SSIMWave -- SSIMPLUS Sports Benchmarking. ■

Multichannel News today announced the 2023 Wonder Women of New York, who will be celebrated at a gala luncheon at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Thursday, March 23, 2023. For details about the event please visit mcnwonderwomen.com.

The Wonder Women awards, a key fixture on the media calendar since 1999, honor excellence in women leaders in media businesses including programming and operations, streaming, marketing, advertising and technology. MCN proudly notes that the luncheon's event partner, once again, is the New York chapter of The WICT Network. 

More New York honors, including the 2023 Woman of Influence award, will be announced in coming days. MCN also is accepting nominations for Wonder Women of Los Angeles and 40 Under 40 of Los Angeles, to be celebrated in June. 

In alphabetical order, linked to their bios, here are the 2023 Wonder Women of New York. 

Samira Bakhtiar, Director, Global Media and Entertainment Sales, Amazon Web Services.

Karen Barroeta, Executive Vice President, Production and Development, Telemundo Global Studios.

Marnie Black, Executive Vice President, Public Relations, AMC Networks.

Pola Changnon, General Manager, Turner Classic Movies. 

Sonia Coleman, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Disney General Entertainment Content and ESPN, The Walt Disney Company.

Nina L. Diaz, President of Content & Chief Content Officer, Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios.

Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer, US Networks Group, Warner Bros. Discovery

Annie Howell, Chief Communications Officer, Hallmark Media.

Kate O'Brian, Executive Vice President, Scripps News Division, The E.W. Scripps Company.

Rori Peters, Senior Vice President of Content Distribution and Marketing, TV One Networks.

Sharon Peters,  Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Charter Communications.

Michelle Strong, Senior Vice President of Distribution, A+E Networks.

Suzanne Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Fox Entertainment Ad Sales, Fox Corporation

Melody Smalls, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Allen Media Group.

Monica Williams, Senior Vice President, Digital Products & Operations, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal. ■

Future’s Best in Market awards are back for 2022. 

If your company has launched a standout new product targeted to media and entertainment clients — or has upgraded an existing one — the now-independent Media & Entertainment Best in Market Awards can highlight your hard work and put your product in front of those who’d like most to know about it. 

The awards program is brought to you by Next TV, TV Tech, TVB Europe and Radio World, and all winning products will be showcased digitally and in print across all of these titles. Nominees will also be featured in a free digital ebook.

Entries are due by December 1. 

During COVID, Future’s brands created a Best in Market option alongside our annual Best of Show awards for businesses that were unable to take part in live events. Despite the gradual return toward normality in show attendance, the popularity of the Best in Market option prompted us to launch the program as its own independent awards. 

The awards program is a great opportunity for businesses looking to wrap up the year in style and have their product crowned Media & Entertainment Best in Market award winners for 2022. To enter the awards or browse the site for more details, click here. ▪️

Nominations (free) are now open for Wonder Women of New York City, the long-running Multichannel News celebration of women leaders in media, entertainment and broadband industries. The nomination deadline is Friday, October 14. 

To nominate a Wonder Woman of New York, click this link. To read more about Wonder Women, visit mcnwonderwomen.com.

Wonder Women of New York will be profiled in the March issue of B+C Multichannel News. They will be honored at a gala luncheon on March 23, 2023, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York.

NYC TV Week wrapped up a successful return to live-event status by honoring the 2022 “40 Under 40” New York with an awards party at 230 Fifth in Manhattan on September 15. Forty under 40 recognizes a select group of emerging executives who are pushing the boundaries of innovation in the video industry. NYC TV Week also included the Advanced Advertising Summit, Next TV Summit and Hispanic TV Summit. For more coverage from the weeklong event, click here. 

The 20th Annual Hispanic Television Summit, held September 15 at etc.venues as part of NYC TV Week, explored the multiple ways that television programming is embracing Hispanic culture in 2022 across platforms from streaming to broadcast to traditional pay TV, with a special focus on the increasing preference for programming made by Hispanics for Hispanics. The event also included the annual Hispanic Television Awards, honoring top executives and on-air personalities in the sector. Here are some snapshots from the daylong event.  

Hispanics feel underrepresented, almost invisible, on TV — and that should be a concern for marketers missing out on what could be effective campaigns to Latinos, experts on the subject said Wednesday at the Hispanic TV Summit during NYC TV Week.

Carlos Santiago is a co-founder of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA’s) Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing. At the 20th anniversary Hispanic TV Summit Wednesday, he said Latinos have the strongest interest of any multicultural consumer group in seeing programming they feel authentically represents them. They also respond well to ads that feel culturally relevant to them, Santiago and a co-panelist, Veronica Hernandez, product manager of inclusion analytics, at Nielsen, said. 

Also: More Coverage from the 10th Anniversary NYC TV Week

“From all of the segments, the segments where culture has the most weight to the sales success of a campaign is among Hispanics,” Santiago said. “It explains 78% of the success of a campaign. For other segments, it’s a little bit below 60%. Hispanics, when they see culture, they make a connection that takes them to the purchase.”

Using the Spanish language in ads, he said, can add 22% to the success of a campaign, all of which means authentic and relevant content is key to return on investment. “The impact is not marginal. The impact is astronomical.”

Severely Under-Represented

Nielsen estimated Hispanics make up only 13% of on-screen casting on TV, and the figure drops to 7% when Spanish-language programmers are removed from the mix, Hernandez said. By contrast, Hispanics were about 19% of the population as measured by the 2020 U.S. Census.

Hispanics also are the multicultural consumer category (77%) most likely to feel stereotyped in portrayals on TV, Santiago said. And 59% of Hispanics, according to AIMM research, believe they are under-represented or not represented at all in shows on TV. “They feel invisible because they are invisible,” Santiago said of Hispanic TV viewers.

On English-language networks, there’s a scarcity of shows that feel culturally relevant to Latinos and not enough such shows being developed, Santiago said, citing the cancellation of shows such as Jane the Virgin (The CW), Vida (Starz) and Netflix’s La Casa de las Flores and Mr. Iglesias. Not enough similar fare is being developed, he said. “There really is nothing out there,” Santiago said.

Hernandez said Hispanics love to watch programming on streaming platforms: 44% of the content Hispanics watch is on streaming, 9 points higher than the general population. An increase in free ad-supported streaming channels in Spanish would give marketers more opportunities to reach those consumers with culturally relevant advertising, she said. For more about Latinos' preferences for streaming, read this Nielsen report released the day of the summit. 

She also said the U.S. Hispanic population is increasingly diverse. There are 3.8 million Afro Latinos, she said, and the Asian Latino segment has grown 23% since the 2010 Census. “We’re young, we’re queer, we’re differently abled, so there is just not enough content to capture all of the nuance that exists in the community,” Hernandez said.

U.S. Hispanics are mostly (67%) born in the U.S., she said. “This generation has also been really exposed to social justice and equity issues. That empowers us to demand more as consumers of the content that is being offered to us.”

“I think that the expectations from Gen Z is not just to see your identity but to see it in a positive light,” Santiago added. “It’s beyond having someone in the cast that is Hispanic. It’s to make sure that that representation is accurate. That you feel proud of that representation. When all of that is encapsulated in a great storyline, great series, then consumers, respondents, viewers are rating that at a high level. When combined with advertising that is in that context, that increases ROI.”

Not Enough Content

The summit began with comments from Gonzalo Del Fa, chairman of the Hispanic Marketing Council and president of GroupM Multicultural, urging TV executives in the room to insist that English-language programmers have Latinos represented more fairly before and behind the cameras. "Besides the Hispanic networks, is there enough relevant and authentic content? Not at all," he said. 

Among the growth statistics Del Fa cited about the Hispanic population was its spending power: $1.9 trillion, he said, compared with $495 billion in 2000 when the first Hispanic TV Summit was held. In 2025, he said, U.S. Latinos' estimated spending power will be $2.5 trillion. 

NYC Television Week also included the Advanced Advertising and Next TV summits. It ends tonight (September 15) with the 40 Under 40 Awards. ￭

Nominations (free) are now open for Wonder Women of New York City, the long-running Multichannel News celebration of women leaders in media, entertainment and broadband industries.

To nominate a Wonder Woman of New York, click this link. To read more about Wonder Women, visit mcnwonderwomen.com.

Wonder Women of New York will be profiled in the March issue of B+C Multichannel News. They will be honored at a gala luncheon on March 23, 2023, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York. ■ 

B+C, Multichannel News and Next TV have named the 2022 “40 under 40” class to be celebrated on September 15 as part of NYC TV Week.

The class was chosen by the publications’ editors from a nomination process and will be profiled in the September edition of B+C Multichannel News magazine. For more about NYC TV Week, with live events happening September 12-14, please visit https://www.nyctvweek.com/2022. 

Here is the 2022 NYC TV Week 40 Under 40, individuals listed alphabetically:

Ben Belmont, Senior Director, Integrated Marketing, Paramount Global.

Dan Callahan, Senior Vice President of Data Strategy and Sales Innovation for Fox Ad Sales, Fox Corporation.

Denise Bailey-Castro, Head of Finance, BET Networks, Paramount Global.

Matthew Chazen, Television Agent, Creative Artists Agency.

Daniel Church, Head of Advanced TV Product, Beachfront.

Kevin Connelly, Senior Director of Programmatic Monetization, Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Mike Correia, Vice President, U.S. Networks Distribution, Paramount Global.

Patrick Courtney, Head of Digital & Business Development, Fuse Media. 

Samantha DiPippo, Senior Vice President of Development, Crown Media Family Networks.

Sean Doherty, Jr., Co-Founder and COO, Wurl.

Matt Dominguez, Senior Manager of Distribution, Cox Media Group. 

Mike Fisher, Vice President, Head of Advanced TV, Essence/Group M.

Lauren Fry, Chief Revenue Officer, Simulmedia.

Tara Gotch, Senior Vice President, Senior Vice President, National Services, Comscore. 

Angela Grande, Director of Streaming News Channels, NBCUniversal Local. 

David Koonin, Sports Media Agent, Head of Sports Media Marketing and Endorsements, Creative Artists Agency.

Courtney Kundtz, Head of Client Services & Ad Business Operations, Roku.

Erin Leigh, Senior Vice President, The TV Group, Screen Engine/ASI.

Brian Lin, Senior Vice President of Product Management,  Advanced Advertising, TelevisaUnivision.

Socrates Lozano, Senior Director, ScrippsCast and Newsroom Innovation, E.W. Scripps.

Kevin Maloy, Vice President, Advanced TV Solutions, Amobee.

Lindsey Mandia, Vice President, Production, Fox Sports.

Jason Manningham, CEO and Founder, Blockgraph.

Joe Marino, Managing Partner and Head of Client Success Organization, MadHive.

Ken Norcross, Head of Data Licensing & Strategy, Vizio.

Corey Petruccelli, Vice President, National Sales, New York Interconnect.

Kirsten Polley, Senior Vice President, Operations, WWE.

Yana Podroubaeva, Media & Entertainment Global Account Lead, Amazon Web Services. 

Isabel Rafferty, CEO and Founder, Canela Media. 

Justin Rosen, Senior Vice President, Data and Insights, Ampersand.

Seth Rubinroit, Manager, Content Integrations and Audio, NBCUniversal Local. 

Adam Salmons, Vice President, Content Acquisition, Philo.

David Sanderson, CEO and Founder, Reelgood.

Christy Smith, Director, Social Creative Strategy, Nickelodeon. 

Brad Stockton, Senior Vice President, Video Innovation, dentsu.

Courtney Thomasma, General Manager, AMC Plus, AMC Networks.

Sapna Vyas, Vice President, Scripted Content, Lifetime Network, A+E Networks.

Simon Wong, Executive Vice President, Sabio Inc.

Jimmy Zasowski, Senior Vice President, Platform Distribution Strategy, The Walt Disney Co.

Samuel Zimmerman, Vice President, Programming, Shudder, AMC Networks. ■

Future’s NYC TV Week returns with live events on September 12-14, with the Advanced Advertising Summit, Next TV Summit and Hispanic Television Summit, ending with the 40 Under 40 celebration on September 15. 

Some of the hottest topics facining the multichannel industry will get a thorough airing — including connected-TV advertising, FAST (free ad-supported television) channels and the state of Hispanic programming among them. 

The week leads off with Advanced Advertising on Monday, September 12, at etc.venues 360 Madison. Topics covered include local OTT and connected-TV advertising, measuring cross-screen reach, programmatic buying and selling and addressable advertising.

The Next TV Summit is the next day, Tuesday, September 13, at the same venue. Topics covered include areas where subscription streaming can find renewed growth, the prospects for ad dollars across the FAST and ad-supported VOD services and the future of virtual pay TV providers.

The Hispanic TV Summit takes place on Wednesday, September 14, also at etc. venues 360 Madison. The 20th-anniversary edition of the biggest TV event in Hispanic television will tackle the universe of issues concerning Spanish-language television. 

A celebration of the 2022 class of “40 Under 40” closes out the week on Thursday, September 15, at 230 Fifth. 

For more information about NYC TV Week please visit NYCTVWeek.com.

Actress, author, talk show host, activist and philanthropist Holly Robinson Peete will be honored as a “Woman of Influence” at the Wonder Women of Los Angeles celebration on Monday, June 6, at the Sofitel Los Angeles hotel.

Robinson Peete, known for her roles in 21 Jump Street and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper and, more recently, for her work with Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (including Our Christmas Journey, in which she starred and was executive producer), has been very engaged in providing support to people suffering with Parkinson’s Disease and families  affected by autism. Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, formed the HollyRod Foundation in 1997 to provide resources to those causes and others. 

The Woman of Influence award, chosen by the editors of Multichannel News, is presented to a woman in media who has, in her career and outside activities, been a trailblazer and set an honorable example for others to follow. The most recent honorees are Martha Raddatz of ABC News and Deborah Norville of Inside Edition, at Wonder Women of New York and of Los Angeles, respectively. Previous honorees include Connie Chung, Debra L. Lee, Hannah Storm and Lesley Stahl.

Wonder Women of Los Angeles kicks off the L.A. TV Week events, produced by Future Inc.'s Multichannel News, Broadcasting+Cable and Next TV brands. Other events occurring at the Sofitel Los Angeles include the Next TV Summit, Advanced Advertising, 40 under 40 and TV Tech Summit. 

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Los Angeles from the age of 10, Robinson Peete had her first experience in front of the camera at the age of four when she appeared on television opposite her father, Matthew Robinson, who served as a producer and portrayed the original beloved character of Gordon on iconic children’s program Sesame Street. While she knew even at that young age her calling was to be in entertainment, Robinson Peete opted to lead a more typical childhood rather than searching to be the next child star.

After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, where she majored in French, Robinson Peete’s heart led her back to show business. She soon landed the part that made her recognizable to viewers throughout the world on the groundbreaking series 21 Jump Street opposite Johnny Depp and went on to star in many other successful television series including Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper and For Your Love. She also appeared in a recurring role on Chicago Fire and in Mike & Molly. Her successful television career places her as one of only a handful of actresses to star in four shows in syndication. She helped launch The Talk as one of the original co-hosts. 

Robinson Peete has starred in six installments of Morning Show Mysteries for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Our Christmas Journey premiered in 2021 during the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries “Miracles of Christmas” programming event and dealt with a cause near and dear to her heart: autism. Also for the network, she starred in The Christmas Doctor and A Family Christmas Gift, opposite Patti LaBelle. On Hallmark Channel she starred in all four “Christmas in Evergreen” movies as the town’s beloved mayor, Michelle. 

The HollyRod Foundation initially was inspired by her father’s courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease, aiming to help improve the quality of life of people with Parkinson’s. Inspired by their eldest son’s autism diagnosis, HollyRod Foundation’s mission expanded to provide support and resources to those affected by autism. Through the HollyRod Foundation and her family’s personal experiences, Robinson Peete has become a trusted advocate for consistent and reliable education, outreach and support for both Parkinson’s and autism. In August 2020, the HollyRod Foundation teamed up with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) for the Delivering Jobs Campaign, which is creating pathways to 1 million employment and leadership opportunities for people with autism, intellectual and/or developmental differences by 2025. Her autism advocacy also extends to her book co-written with her daughter, Ryan Elizabeth Peete, entitled My Brother Charlie (Scholastic), a bestselling, NAACP Image Award-winning children’s book about autism from the sibling’s perspective. She co-wrote the follow-up children’s book entitled Same But Different: Teen Life On The Autism Express – which was co-authored by her twins Ryan Elizabeth & RJ. 

Robinson Peete’s philanthropic efforts have earned her numerous awards and honors including: Ford’s Freedom Sisters; American Mentor Award; The Southern California Broadcasters’ Association Community Service Award; Gerald R. Ford People Helping People Award; The March of Dimes Healthy Babies, Healthy Futures Award; USC Woman of Distinction Award; Anheuser Busch John E. Jacob Community Service Award; The Genii Award; The Girls Inc. Mentor Award; A Place Called Home Humanitarian Award; McDonald’s 365 Black Award and the Los Angeles Magazine Most Inspirational Women Award. ■

The editors of Multichannel News are pleased to announce the 2022 Wonder Women of Los Angeles, whose accomplishments will be celebrated at a breakfast event on Monday, June 6, at the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.

“After the successful return of Wonder Women of New York in March, we are excited about getting back together in Los Angeles to honor this diverse, dynamic group of women leading in so many realms of the media business,” MCN content director Kent Gibbons said. “This will get our LA TV Week events off to a great start.”

Also: Wonder Women of New York Profiles 

To learn more about Wonder Women of Los Angeles, visit mcnwonderwomen/LA. To learn more about LA TV Week, visit latvweekevents.com. LA TV Week also includes Advanced Advertising, the Next TV Summit, TV Tech Summit and 40 Under 40. The Wonder Women of Los Angeles will be profiled in the June edition of B+C Multichannel News.

In alphabetical order here are the 2022 Wonder Women of Los Angeles:

Sylvia Bugg, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming, PBS.

Lisa Hamilton Daly, Executive Vice President of Programming, Crown Media Family Networks.

Ayo Davis, President, Disney Branded Television, Walt Disney Co.

Tara DeVeaux, Chief Marketing Officer, Wild Card Creative Group; Managing Director, 3AM & Insights@Wild Card.

Tara Duncan, president of Freeform and Onyx Collective, Disney General Entertainment.

Michele Edelman, Head of Growth, Premiere Digital.

Lisa Knutson, President, Scripps Networks, The EW Scripps Co.

Nikki Love, Senior Vice President, Development & Production, ALLBLK, AMC Networks.

Wendy McMahon, President and Co-Head, CBS News and Television Stations.

Tricia Melton, Chief Marketing Officer, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics.

Katherine Pope, Senior Vice President, Head of Original Content, Charter Communications.

Julie Rapaport, Head of Movies, Amazon Studios.

Shannon Ryan, President, Content Marketing, Hulu & Disney General Entertainment.

Jennifer Turner, Executive Vice President, TriStar Television, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Sarah Weidman, Head of Programming, Development and Multiplatform Content, AXS-TV.

Follow news about Wonder Women on Twitter at @MCNWonderWomen and the #MCNWW2022 hashtag. ■

Sinclair Broadcast Group promoted Hilary Walker to VP and general manager overseeing WGFL-TV and WNBW-TV in Gainesville, Fla., and WTGS in Savannah, Ga.

Walker had been local sales manager at the Gainesville stations. She succeeds Cory Culleton, who Sinclair picked to run stations in Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Fla.

“Hilary has a history of success in the Gainesville market and deep roots within the community. We are excited to elevate her to lead the stations in Gainesville and add her expertise to Savannah,” said Rob Weisbord, chief operating officer and president of broadcast for Sinclair.

Before joining WGFL and WNBW three year ago, Walker was a marketing consultant at Cox Media and an account executive at WOGX-TV, the Fox station in Gainesville.

“Sinclair Broadcast Group continues to evolve in the media landscape, providing the best experience for its viewers and clients. I am honored to be a part of the team and couldn't be more thrilled to lead the exceptional people in Gainesville and Savannah to build on their successes,” said Walker.  ■

Nominations are now being accepted for the B+C and Next TV Best in Market and Best of Show Awards for spring 2022. The deadline has been extended for one week, to Friday, April 15.

“We're looking forward to the likelihood of an in-person event in April,” said Tom Butts, editor in chief of sister publication TV Tech. “People want to return to some semblance of normalcy in our industry and we're hoping the 2022 NAB Show will bring some of that back, giving attendees the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and expanding their network of industry connections.

“TV Tech is proud to bring back the Best in Show and Best in Market awards that recognize technology excellence, allowing us to honor advances from companies that exhibit at the show or choose to participate through the Best in Market option.”

The Best of Show awards are chosen from companies that exhibit at the NAB Show in April and that submit nominations. The Best in Market is open to any company.

Participating brands include B+C, Next TV, TV Tech, TVBEurope, Radio World, Mix and Sound & Video Contractor. Each publication announces its own winners’ list.

All nominees and winners will be featured in a post-convention Program Guide distributed to our readers. (Here’s a look at last year’s guide.)

The nomination page includes answers to frequently asked questions. ■

Nominations are now open (until February 22) for the "40 Under 40" event planned in Los Angeles on June 7 by Future media and entertainment brands Broadcasting+Cable, Multichannel News and Next TV. The in-person event will be held at the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills as part of the Future publications' L.A. TV Week. 

For more information, please visit the event website. 

Nominations are open until February 11, meanwhile, for Wonder Women of Los Angeles, ahead of a gala breakfast event on June 6. For more please visit mcnwonderwomen.com. 

Nominations are now open for Wonder Women of Los Angeles, to help Multichannel News select the next group of dynamic women in media to celebrate at a gala luncheon on Monday, June 6, at a venue to be announced shortly. Nominate at this link. There is no charge to nominate and frequently asked questions about the process are answered here. The nomination window is set to close on February 11.

Wonder Women of Los Angeles is part of MCN's Wonder Women program, honoring female leaders in the multichannel TV industry since 1999. Wonder Women is returning to an in-person event in spring 2022, with Wonder Women of New York set for March 24 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. Wonder Women are celebrated at the luncheon and are profiled in the pages of B+C Multichannel News magazine. Read all about Wonder Women at mcnwonderwomen.com. ■

The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame -- the premier industry event paying tribute to the pioneers, innovators and stars of the electronic arts -- returns with a full, in-person live gala celebrating the event’s 30th anniversary. The Hall of Fame celebration will take place at New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom on Thursday, April 14, 2022.

The new B+C Hall of Fame inductees join the ranks of more than 400 honorees previously recognized by Broadcasting+Cable magazine. The new Hall of Fame inductees (alphabetically) are:

Emily Barr, president & CEO, Graham Media Group.

Nomi Bergman, president, Advance/Newhouse Investment Partnership.

Brandon Burgess, former president & CEO, ION Media. 

Susanne Daniels, global head of original content, YouTube.

Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor and chief legal correspondent, TODAY & NBC News.

Hoda Kotb, co-anchor and co-host, TODAY & TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.

Pearlena Igbokwe, chairman, Universal Studio Group.

Leo MacCourtney, president, Katz Television Group.

Dan Mason, chairman emeritus, The Broadcasters Foundation of America, and past president and CEO, CBS Radio.

Steve Miron, chief executive officer, Advance/Newhouse Partnership.

Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO, Hearst.

Curtis Symonds, president, HBCU GO TV/Allen Media Group.

ESPN, Iconic Network. 

While the Hall of Fame previously has inducted iconic shows, ESPN is the first network to be admitted into the fold. “It’s a tremendous honor for ESPN to receive the first Iconic Network Award from The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame,” Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, ESPN and Sports Content, told B+C/Multichannel News. “When we launched in 1979, ESPN immediately created an indelible bond with sports fans by matching their passion. Thank you to the thousands of dedicated ESPN employees who, over four decades, have continued to create a non-stop immersive sports experience.”

“The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame has always been one of the entertainment industry’s signature events,” said Bill McGorry, chairman of the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame. “In a year like no other, we are beyond thrilled to be able to welcome back our community with a star studded live 30th Anniversary gala that will surely be a night to remember. With great anticipation, we look forward to celebrating together in April.”

“Each year we are completely awed by our Hall of Fame honorees and this class of 2021 raises the bar yet again,” B+C Editor-in-Chief Bill Gannon said. “This class is particularly noteworthy for the visionary and innovative leaders who have changed the industry both before and during the pandemic. The Hall of Fame is thrilled to add these exceptional individuals to the prestigious classes of honorees that have come before them.”

“Broadcasting+Cable’s Hall of Fame is one of the most important events in broadcasting,” Jim Thompson, president of Broadcasters Foundation of America, said. “Their generosity in donating a portion of the proceeds to support the mission of the Broadcasters Foundation of America is admirable, and we cannot thank them enough. Over the past 30 years, the Hall of Fame has contributed more than $700,000 to help our fellow broadcasters who have been hit by debilitating illness, accident, or disaster. We are grateful for the continued support of the Hall of Fame. With their help, we can continue to provide aid to our colleagues in desperate need.”

Since the event’s inception, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Broadcasters Foundation of America, a charitable organization that provides financial grants to those of our industry colleagues and their families who are in acute need due to critical illness or accident, advanced age, death of a spouse or other serious misfortune. In addition, the event benefits The Paley Center for Media, a non-profit organization leading the discussion on the social significance and advancement of television, radio and emerging platforms for the professional and media-interested public.

For sponsorship, table, ticket and advertising information, please contact Jessica Wolin at  jessica.wolin@futurenet.com or 212-685-4233.

For more information please visit the B+C Hall of Fame website.

Follow the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame at #BCHOF2021. ■

NATPE has named the 2022 Iris Award honorees, ahead of a luncheon event (in-person) at NATPE Miami on Wednesday, Jan. 19. They are:

Lew Klein Award for Leadership: Valari Dobson Staab, President, NBCUniversal Local.

NATPE Chairman Award for Lifetime Achievement: Emerson Coleman, Senior Vice President, Programming, Hearst Television.

Award for Excellence, Global Content and Branding: Wolf Entertainment (the iconic creators of the Law & Order, Chicago and FBI brands).

Award for Excellence, Television Performer: Tamron Hall (Host and Executive Producer of the Tamron Hall show, produced by ABC News and syndicated by Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution).

NATPE Enterprise Award: Alex Paen, Founder & President, Telco Productions, Inc.

Award for Excellence, Television Program, Special or Series: Inside Edition (syndicated newsmagazine, produced and distributed by CBS Media Ventures).

NATPE’s Iris Awards were created to recognize best-in-class executives, program producers, creators, talent and content that makes a significant impact on the industry and our culture.

The awards luncheon will take place as part of NATPE’s Station Group Summit, within the overall NATPE Miami event. Session programming for the Station Group Summit, including keynotes from leaders in the industry, will be released in the coming month. Hosted by Soledad O’Brien (journalist and CEO of Soledad O’Brien Productions), the luncheon event will cap off a full slate of programming dedicated to the most pressing topics concerning the station group community.

Also: NATPE Miami Event Will Be In Person 

Also in attendance to present, or accept the awards will be Deborah Norville (Inside Edition), Zeeko Zaki (FBI) and Elliot Wolf (EVP digital for Wolf Entertainment). More presenters will be confirmed soon, NATPE said.

NATPE CEO JP Bommel said in a release: “The Station Group community is an essential part of NATPE and as we continue to have important conversations about the shifts happening in the local content industry, it is essential that we  spotlight the leaders of broadcast and syndicated television. The extraordinary talent and influential content and companies recognized at the IRIS Awards this year are indicative of the vibrant event we expect from the Station Group Summit overall.” ■

Virtual Fall TV 2021 has ended but there’s still a way to enjoy all the content, for free, by registering here. 

The TV Tech Summit, Advanced Advertising, the Next TV Summit and the 19th Hispanic Television Summit convened during the week of Nov. 15. All sessions are available on demand in the conference hub after registering for free. 

Highlights included a top-level update on the state of addressable TV, in-the-news keynotes by top executives from Redbox and Fox Weather and a primer on how HBO targets Latinx viewers -- and that is just a sampling of the content produced by Future publications tv tech, B+C, Multichannel News, Next TV and our seasoned event producers. 

Also: Top Five TV Tech Summit Takeaways

If you are already registered and want to see events you might have missed, you can log into the conference hub with the credentials you received when you registered here. 

More information on the agenda, sponsors and available content is available at the main website www.FallTVEvents.com. ■

Addressable TV ads, the kind that are aimed at individual households by cable and satellite providers and streaming TV services, continue to grow as a category, offering brands the promise of targeting the right audience and digital-style reporting of business results. Advertisers today can reach a majority of households by running addressable ads across the available platforms, aiming at targets using more precise characteristics than Nielsen age and gender demographics.

A panel of experts, though, point out that there are still lags in stitching together different delivery platforms and in judging how successful a campaign is while it is still going on. B+C business editor Jon Lafayette led the panel at the Advanced Advertising event during Virtual Fall TV 2021. 

“Where we sit now is how to bring it all together so that from an advertiser’s perspective, an addressable ad can run across multiple platforms,” Adam Gaynor, veteran of the category who is now VP of network partnerships and head of addressable at TV-set maker Vizio. “I think we‘re there. We have enough homes, we have enough screens, I think there’s enough tech that’s out there. It’s just piecing it all together.”

Brian Lin, senior VP of product management and advanced advertising sales at Univision Communications, agreed that “bridging it all together is the hard part.” Tim Myers, head of strategy and product at Dish Media, said it‘s important to speed up the feedback on a campaign‘s results, or provide early indicators of success or advice on what to tweak. “That is one of the complaints that we hear from agencies, it just takes a lot of time to get results back.”

Daniel Church, head of advanced TV product at ad-tech provider Beachfront Media, joked that he was “very happy that I enjoy integrating systems and it’s one of the joys of my life, because it’s a lot of integrations across the board.” He did offer praise for industry partnerships working to make those integrations easier, especially Project OAR (which Beachfront and Vizio have worked with) and the Go Addressable initiative. Interoperability and standardization will continue to be priorities for addressable TV backers in 2022, Church and Gaynor said.

“The technology’s there, and the value prop is there, too,” Lin said.

Virtual Fall TV 2021 (free to attend) continues this week with the Next TV Summit and the 17th annual Hispanic Television Summit, and event-session replays are available to attendees. ■

Keynote conversations with top executives from Redbox and Fox Weather, fresh off new innovative streaming-TV launches, highlight the programming on Wednesday, Nov. 17, at the fourth annual Next TV Summit. With no cost to attend, Next TV Summit is part of Virtual Fall TV 2021 by Future publications including Next TV, B+C, Multichannel News and TV Tech.

Redbox, the kiosk-based DVD rental firm, just went public and is barreling headlong into a streaming future to augment its prowess in physical retail: streaming rentals (TVOD), ad-supported on-demand streaming (AVOD) and even hundreds of ad-supported linear streaming channels (FAST). WarnerMedia and Sony Pictures content have been added to the Redbox offerings, and CEO Galen Smith and chief strategy and digital officer Jason Kwong will discuss the company’s rapidly evolving trajectory with summit producer Tim Hanlon.

For Fox Weather, an unexpected turn into a new content vertical with a paradigm-changing "app-first" strategy (launched with over 1 million downloads), soon to be flanked by linear streaming channel (FAST) and over-the-air diginet broadcast distribution, features state-of-the art local/mobile technology that promises to make consumers' personal weather journeys more direct and relevant to their needs. Fox Weather president Sharri Berg and on-air meteorologist Amy Freeze will share insights about the launch with Hanlon and how Fox Weather plans to shake up the weather space.

"To say that the world of 'streaming TV' is quickly changing is a woeful understatement; in truth, the frenetic evolution of the "medium-formerly-known-as-television" is nothing short of astonishing,” Hanlon said. “Join us online Wednesday for a small sample of the hottest topics and most important issues in the industry at the Next TV Summit.”

Virtual Fall TV 2021 also includes TV Tech Summit, Advanced Advertising Summit and Hispanic Television Summit. Registration is free.

A group of gold-medal worth keynote speakers have been lined up for the Advanced Advertising Summit, which will take place virtually on Tuesday, Nov. 16, during Virtual Fall TV 2021 with no cost to attend.

The opening keynote speaker, Brad Stockton, senior VP, national video innovation at dentsu will provide a buyer’s perspective on new advertising technologies.

Dan Lovinger, executive VP, advertising sales, NBC Sports Group, will look ahead to the Olympics and discuss how advertisers are getting a bigger bang for their buck than ever, thanks to NBC’s portfolio of linear, digital and streaming platforms and enhanced consumer insights.

The closing keynote speakers, Kim Kelleher, president of commercial revenue & partnerships at AMC Networks and Evan Adlman, senior VP, advanced advertising & digital, at AMC Networks, will talk about how advanced advertising and new targeted media opportunities are transforming the traditional upfront market.

Panels will examine the latest trends in addressable advertising, the hot CTV market, and monetizing OTT in local markets. Panelists representing Comscore, Premion, Vevo, Xandr, NBCU, Hearst Television, Madhive, Beachfront, Univision and Dish Media will share their experience and expertise.

“Advanced advertising continues to make strides, so it's important to keep up with developments in the industry,” said B+C Business Editor Jon Lafayette. “The speakers at the Advanced Advertising Summit are at the tops of their game and attendees are sure to get valuable insights.” 

Winners of the inaugural Advanced Advertising Innovation Awards will claim their prizes during the summit for the outstanding campaigns they submitted. Getting awards are Gamut, Vevo, Fox and Pepsi, and Spectrum Reach.

Virtual Fall TV 2021 also includes TV Tech Summit, Next TV Summit and Hispanic Television Summit. Registration is free.

Multichannel News has announced the newest Wonder Women of New York, to be honored at an in-person luncheon on Thursday, March 24, 2022 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

They will be joined at the gala event by ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz, who was previously announced as MCN’s Woman of Influence.

“These 15 women have accomplished much for their companies and blazed trails in both traditional media and new forms of entertainment and communication,” William Gannon, VP and global editor-in-chief of Multichannel News, said. “We are pleased to recognize their accomplishments and to help bring their colleagues together to celebrate them in the best way possible, in person.”

“Wonder Women is an important institution that, for more than 20 years, has highlighted the key roles women have played in the evolution of media,” Kent Gibbons, content director for Multichannel News, added. “This group in particular demonstrates the effectiveness of women leaders and their role in advancing diversity and inclusion in the industry and in the entertainment we all consume and enjoy.”

Here are the 2022 Wonder Women of New York, in alphabetical order with links to their biographies on the Wonder Women home page:

--Karen Bailey, Executive Vice President, Original Programming, Starz.

--Tonya Cornileus, Vice President, Development, Inclusion and Wellness, ESPN.

--Katrina Cukaj, Lead of Ad Sales and Client Partnerships, WarnerMedia.

--Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO, GLAAD.

--Latasha Gillespie, Executive Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Amazon Studios, Prime Video and IMDb.

--Amy Israel, Executive Vice President, Scripted Programming, Showtime.

--Kim Kelleher, President, Ad Sales and Partnerships, AMC Networks.

--Jo Kinsella, President, TVSquared. 

--Mina Lefevre, Head of Development and Programming at Meta.

--Wonya Lucas, President and CEO, Crown Media Family Networks.

--Laura Molen, President, Advertising Sales and Partnerships, NBCUniversal.

--Roxanna Sherwood, Senior Executive Producer, Longform Content, ABC News.

--Courtney White, President, Food Network and Streaming Food Content, Discovery Inc. 

--Dalila Wilson-Scott, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corp. & President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation.

--Joella Wind, Group Vice President, Sales Operations, Spectrum Enterprise.

For more about Wonder Women, please visit mcnwonderwomen.com. Multichannel News, sister publication Broadcasting+Cable and streaming-TV site Next TV are part of Future plc. ■

Martha Raddatz, the chief global affairs correspondent for ABC News and co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos, will be honored as a Woman of Influence at the March 24, 2022, Wonder Women of New York luncheon. 

Raddatz, whose Iraq War nonfiction book The Long Road Home — a Story of War and Family was adapted into a 2017 miniseries on National Geographic Channel, is the latest high-profile woman in media saluted by Multichannel News as a Woman of Influence. Previous honorees include Deborah Norville, Connie Chung, Debra L. Lee, Hannah Storm and Lesley Stahl.

In addition to her extensive work overseas, starting in Bosnia in the late 1990s and most prominently in Iraq and Afghanistan, Raddatz has moderated vice presidential and presidential election debates and on Jan. 6, 2021, she reported from the Capitol grounds during the insurrection, when supporters of President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Her many accolades include the First Amendment Award from the Radio Television Digital News Foundation (RTDNF) for excellence in journalism and the prestigious Fred Friendly First Amendment Award. She has received four Emmy Awards, including an Emmy for being on the team covering the inauguration of Barack Obama and the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Multichannel News has been saluting the leadership and excellence of women in media as Wonder Women since 1999. Wonder Women of New York is returning as a live, in-person event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Thursday, March 24. More about the Wonder Women event and honorees is available at mcnwonderwomen.com. ■

Christina Romano has been named associate program producer at Hearst Television’s weekly syndicated show Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien. Romano has previously produced news reports for such outlets as PBS, CNN, ABC, Yahoo News and other outlets. 

“At Matter of Fact we are not everyday storytellers, and Christina’s is not an everyday story,” Emerson Coleman, senior VP, programming, Hearst Television, said in a statement. “She brings a rare variety of global assignments and news-making interviews to this new role. As Matter of Fact enters its seventh season, Christina’s wealth of broadcast and digital production experience, and her knowledge, insight, creativity and versatility bring an added dimension to the show as we pursue new and engaging stories with both a local and global outlook as well as timeless appeal.”

Recently, Romano produced Matter of Fact host Soledad O’Brien’s special interview with Vice President Kamala Harris for BET and the interview later aired on Matter of Fact. Other high-profile interviews she has produced include Monica Lewinsky, Jordan’s Queen Noor, former U.S. Secretary of State General Colin Powell, and former President Bill Clinton’s sit-down with Diane Sawyer following his heart surgery.

After graduating from Boston University, Romano spent two years in Madrid where she worked with an ABC News producer assisting in covering Spain's national elections and other stories. 

Also Read: Informing the Community and Bringing It Together

After moving to New York, she took a job as a receptionist at ABC’s 20/20, where she worked her way up to senior producer and head writer for ABC’s GMA Weekend. She also worked as a producer for ABC’s Primetime Live before moving to NBC-owned WRC Washington, D.C., where she served as senior producer. Along the way, she’s earned a Peabody, Front Page Award, two Gracie Awards and two Emmy nominations.  

Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, which is produced by Hearst Television and distributed by Sony Pictures Television, reaches approximately 95% of U.S. TV households in local television markets.

Randy Rainbow, yes, that’s his real name, is a two-time Emmy-award nominee, comedian, lyricist, and star of YouTube's popular Randy Rainbow channel. The program features witty political satire lampooning leaders in the news with musical parodies of popular show tunes or pop hits. Examples include Desperate Cheeto to the tune of Desperado; Rudy and The Beast based on Beauty and The Beast and Mr. Biden (Bring My Vaccine) using the tune of the 50’s pop classic, Mr. Sandman, Bring Me A Dream.   

Rainbow’s talents seem limitless. He composes the lyrics, plays multiple male and female roles in the cast, films and edits each episode in his apartment and then distributes the content on YouTube. The results are unforgettable moments of humor and quality entertainment. 

In a fun-filled and lively fireside chat (with producer Joe Schramm) during the June 23 Pride TV Summit, Rainbow discusses the history behind the development of the series and his motivation for creating the show.  He shares his childhood dreams of acting on Broadway and how those dreams have almost come true by co-starring with Broadway star Patti Lupone in one of last year’s episodes, If Donald Got Fired (1.7 million views) to the music of If Momma Was Married from the Broadway hit, Gypsy.  

Much to his personal amazement, Rainbow has attracted numerous famous celebrity fans, some of whom have agreed to work with him on upcoming projects. As an example, he mentions in the interview that he is working on an album with the Academy Award-winning composer and songwriter, Alan Menken. He also mentions that tickets are on sale now for his Randy Rainbow Live tour which starts at the Beacon Theater in New York on October 30. The website www.RandyRainbow.com offers a full list of the tour dates and ticket information. Randy Rainbow’s current and past parodies can be viewed on YouTube. Register for free to see Randy Rainbow and an insight-filled program at the Pride TV Summit. Below is a preview of his chat with event producer Joe Schramm.

Multichannel News is pleased to announce 15 Wonder Women of Los Angeles, who will be celebrated at a virtual event on Monday, June 7.

A diverse group of successful executives in a range of fields at companies involved with programming, streaming technology, advertising and consulting. This is MCN’s third L.A.-based extension of its Wonder Women program. Look for announcements (on mcnwonderwomen.com) coming soon about the 2021 New York Wonder Women, to be celebrated in September, and for a new Wonder Women program centered around San Francisco.

Wonder Women of Los Angeles on June 7 will kick off a packed month of Future events, continuing with the Summer TV Events slate of the TV Data+Measurement Summit on Wednesday, June 9, and TV+Sports Summit on Thursday, June 10, and closing with the Pride TV Summit on Wednesday, June 23.

“These 15 leaders in both traditional and emerging categories of the TV industry are true Wonder Women, whose stories we’re proud to share with our readers and guests at the event on June 7,” Bill Gannon, VP and global editor-in-chief of Multichannel News, Broadcasting+Cable and Next TV, said. “Their wit and wisdom will be a great beginning to our Summer TV Events season.”

Also read: Celebrating Women on Video's Cutting Edge 

In alphabetical order, with links to their bios, these are the 2021 Wonder Women of Los Angeles.

Lauren Anderson, Co-Head of Content and Programming, IMDb TV.

Andrea Clarke-Hall, Head of Global Business Development, Head of Global Business Development, Tubi.

Angela Courtin, Vice President of Brand Marketing, YouTube.

Jackie Donaldson, Vice President of Global Product Strategy, Disney Streaming.

Dee Harris-Lawrence, Showrunner, Executive Producer, David Makes Man, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

Jaya Kolhatkar, Executive Vice President, Data, Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International.

Amy Kuessner, Senior Vice President of Content Strategy and Global Partnership, Pluto TV.

Audrey Lee, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Starz.

Alison Levin, Vice President of Global Ad Revenue and Marketing Solutions, Roku.

Susan Levison, Senior Vice President and Head of WWE Studios, WWE.

Pooja Midha, Chief Growth Officer, Comcast Advertising.

Cathy Oh, Vice President and Global Head of Marketing and Analytics, Samsung Ads.

Duan Peng, Senior Vice President of Data & Artificial Intelligence, WarnerMedia.

Romina Rosado, Executive Vice President, Entertainment and Content Strategy, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.

Michelle Wroan, Managing Partner, Los Angeles, KPMG LLP.