77 | The Entertainer
Ted Harbert
Title: President/CEO,
Comcast Entertainment Group
Last Year: #34
Age: Grecian Formula #16
Education: Brutal nuns and priests
78 | HD Dog
Steve Schiffman
Title: EVP/GM, Nat Geo Channel
Last Year: #37
Age: 6 1/2 (in Dog Whisperer years)
Education: Kellogg Graduate School
of Management
79 | Weather or Not
Debora Wilson
Title: President/CEO, The Weather
Channel Companies
Last Year: #55
Age: 51
Education: George Mason U, BS,
Business Admin
Why Him? E!, Style and G4 are on
track to deliver their most-watched years Why Him? Schiffman was upped to
in ’08, helping Comcast’s programming GM in ’07, and helped NGC to a suc-segment command a 5% revenue gain to cessful upfront: ad sales jumped 30%,
$347mln during Q3. Harbert beefed up with 100 new advertisers in the fold. In
reality programming on E! and Style (think addition, the network’s prime-time HHs
Pamela Anderson, Denise Richards and, grew 5% in Q3 this year, compared with
yes, Ruby Gettinger), successfully wooed the same period the year before, and
Ryan Seacrest and celebrated a ratings Nat Geo ranked as adult subs’ favorite
high for the season seven (!) premiere of digital basic cable net for the second
Style’s Clean House. He brought G4 to life consecutive year, according to Beta’s
with Lost and Heroes, and oversaw the digital cable subscriber study. The 100th
relaunch of E! Online and Mystyle.com. episode of Dog Whisperer in September
Worth Watching: How Harbert perhaps best symbolizes Schiffman’s six-finesses the folding of FEARnet into year tenure at NGC. It should be noted
Comcast Entertainment. that Schiffman began his selling career
Year Ahead: as a 6-year-old Kool-Aid hustler on New
Harbert’s calculated programming moves York’s Upper East Side.
in ’08 should continue to reap rewards. Proud Moment: NGC received the
2008 Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for
its Preserve Our Planet initiative.
Year Ahead:
More HD sets, more viewers of HD content.
Favorite Food: Ruffles Reduced Fat
Potato Chips
Favorite Music: Earth Wind and Fire
Unnecessary Luxury I Like Most:
Ruffles Reduced Fat Potato Chips
Favorite Show Not on My Network: Favorite Restaurant: The Source in
30 Rock the Newseum in D.C.
Last Book Read: How to Make Ruffles Favorite Food: Pan-Asian
Reduced Fat Potato Chips Favorite Show Not on My Network:
Favorite Part of My Job: The work Entourage
Worst Part of My Job: Washing Ryan Philosophy: One cannot think well,
Seacrest’s Bentley love well, sleep well, if one has not
My Company Is Preparing for the dined well.
Future By: Searching for my replacement Favorite Sports Team: World
Hero: My father Champion New York Football Giants
CO SG
Why Her? Weathering an uncertain
six months before Weather’s sale from
Landmark to NBCU and the full-throttle
launch of the network’s HD programming were all in a year’s work for
Wilson. Weather’s already capitalizing
on HD with new ratings winners such
as When Weather Changed History.
Proud Moment: Opening of Weather’s
$60mln HD production facility in Atlanta.
Silver Lining: Bad weather generally
means good ratings, and Mother Nature’s wrath this year afforded Weather
several victories. During Hurricane
Gustav in Sept, Weather reached 65mln
unduplicated viewers, surpassing ESPN
and TBS during the three-day period.
Year Ahead:
NBCU purchase should bring stability eventually, but there will be pain—
Weather laid off 100 in late Nov.
Favorite Restaurant: Any small
trattoria in the heart of Tuscany
Drink: A great glass of red wine
Music: Jazz (so who do you think picks
the music for Local on the Eights!?)
Unnecessary Luxury I Like Most:
Sleep
In ’09 I Resolve: Not to sell The
Weather Channel (again)!
Best Business Advice Received:
The harder you work the luckier you’ll get
Hero: My wonderful parents
CO
