Go PAX/Byron Allen (10 most powerful blacks in tv)
Ebony, Oct, 2002
PAX buyout offer $2.94 by Byron Allen
Among the leading members of this group are the 10 people, divided evenly between men and women, on the following pages. Like their White peers in the big offices in New York, Hollywood and Chicago, they have the power to green light projects and to make or break dreams. Some on the list are household names, but most are relatively unknown and work behind the scenes, moving and shaking the TV industry tree. Known or unknown, they help determine what you see and what you don't see.
PAMELA THOMAS-GRAHAM
CNBC
PAMELA Thomas-Graham is president and CEO of CNBC. Named to her position in July of 2001, Thomas-Graham is responsible for the $500 million company's domestic operations, including programming, advertising sales and ensuring brand synergy across CNBC's TV and Internet platforms. Previously, the lawyer/mystery writer had been serving as president and CO0 of CNBC since February 2001, and served as president and chief executive officer of CNBC.com. CNBC provides business news programming and financial market coverage to more than 198 million homes worldwide, including more than 82 million in the United States and Canada.
LANA CORBI
Hallmark Channel
LANA Corbi is president and CEO of Crown Media United States. A 20-year broadcast veteran, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the network, which reaches roughly 44 million subscribers throughout the United States. Prior to becoming CEO, she was executive vice president and COO of the holding company, which owns the $114 million Hallmark Channel. A Los Angeles resident and mother of twins, Corbi held several top-level executive positions at Fox Broadcasting Company before joining Crown Media.
OPRAH WINFREY
Harpo
OPRAH Winfrey is chairman and CEO, Harpo Productions, and co-founder of Oxygen Media, which includes a women's cable network. As producer and host of arguably the most successful TV program in history, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey is a television icon. Her influence and reach far exceeds that of the show, which debuted in 1986 and has 26 million U.S. viewers. She has maintained control of her image and her company, housed in a one-time hockey rink near downtown Chicago. When a book was featured on Oprah's Book Club, it became an instant bestseller. In addition to her "day" job, Oprah has a development deal with ABC through Harpo Productions, resulting in the award-winning TV movie, Tuesdays with Morrie, among others. She also stars in and produces the Oxygen Network show, Use Your Life.
ROBERT L. JOHNSON
BET
ROBERT L. Johnson is founder and CEO, Black Entertainment Television (BET). Johnson founded the network, which reaches more than 71.9 million U.S. homes, in 1980 and sold it to Viacom last year for nearly $3 billion--a blockbuster deal that, observers say, clinched his position as the nation's first African-American billionaire. Under the deal, Johnson continues to serve as CEO of BET and BET.com. Other BET Digital Network channels include BET Jazz, BET Hip-Hop and BET Gospel. In 1998, Johnson established BET Pictures and BET Arabesque Films to produce and market Black-themed film releases, documentaries and made-for-TV movies.
CHRISTINA NORMAN
VH1
CHRISTINA Norman is executive vice president and general manager of VH1. Norman was named to her position in April, and is responsible for the leadership, strategy and management of VH1, a subsidiary of Viacom that reaches more than 82 million households in the United States. She also supervises VH1's sister channels, VH1 Classic, VH1 Mega Hits, VH1 Soul, VH1 Country and VH Uno, as well as the Web site VH1.com. Previously, Norman, who lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters, was at MTV for 11 years, most recently as senior vice president of marketing and on-air promotion. Under Norman, MTV won numerous advertising, design and promotion awards.
BYRON ALLEN
CF Entertainment
BYRON Allen is chairman and CEO of CF Entertainment. The company, which the comedian and former host of NBC's Real People, founded eight years ago, now syndicates eight different TV shows, including Entertainers With Byron Allen, Kickin' It With Byron Allen, Every Woman and Destination Stardom, making it the largest independent producer/distributor of first-run, syndicated television in the world. In 2000, Allen took his shows to the Internet, creating what one interviewer called a digital archive of entertainment news and interviews and averaging nearly 2 million weekly visitors.
PAULA MADISON
KNBC
PAULA Madison is president and general manager of NBC4 (KNBC), NBC's owned and operated station in Los Angeles. She is the first African-American woman to become general manager at a network-owned station in a Top 5 market. The Harlem, N.Y., native also became regional general manager for three NBC/Telemundo television stations in Los Angeles (KNBC, KVEA and KWHY) when NBC purchased the Telemundo network in April. She began her journalism career as a print reporter, moving into television news in 1984.
RICHARD PARSONS
AOL Time Warner
RICHARD D. Parsons is CEO of AOL Time Warner, the world's biggest media company, which owns HBO, Warner Bros., and Turner Broadcasting, which includes CNN. Parsons is responsible for all the company's businesses and divisions, and is a member of AOL Time Warner's Board of Directors. Prior to his current position, the Brooklyn-born lawyer was the company's co-chief operating officer.
PRESTON DAVIS
ABC
PRESTON Davis is president of broadcast operations and engineering for ABC. Named to this position in 1993, Davis oversees the area of the company that provides personnel and technical support for the entertainment, news and sports divisions of the network group. The department also plans, designs and acquires equipment and broadcast facilities for the network. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Davis is currently spearheading the company's multi-year transition from analog to digital technology, which was recently mandated by the Federal Communications Commission.
WILLIE E. GARY
MBC
WILLIE E. Gary is chairman and CEO, Major Broadcasting Cable Network. An attorney, Gary is the founder and co-owner of the Atlanta-based network, along with Evander Holyfield, Cecil Fielder, entertainer Marlon Jackson of the Jackson 5 and broadcast veteran Alvin James. Their entertainment programming consists of syndicated shows, movies, live Black college sports, talk, information and music. MBC's vision is to provide "intelligent, family-oriented programming that embraces values in the business, entertainment, sports, non-profit and government sectors." Founded in 1998, the network is available to roughly 21 million cable subscribers in more than 1900 cities.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
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