Linda Yaccarino

Last year, Linda Yaccarino jumped from
the No. 2 ad sales post at Turner Broadcasting
to oversee sales for the cable
nets brought together when Comcast
acquired NBC Universal, including
USA, E! and Bravo. The move came as a
surprise to people who saw Comcast vet
Dave Cassaro collect sizable price and volume increases in the upfront.

But Yaccarino has no shortage of fans, who call her a big thinker, a
hard worker and someone who is going to make the NBCU nets more
responsive to advertisers. She quickly made a mark, moving USA’s upfront
to the same week broadcasters and Turner present their schedules.
With NBCU depending on its cable networks to drive revenue and
profits as its broadcast network struggles, the spotlight will be on her.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.