Behind the scenes at Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame

It was a special evening as I helped celebrate the Class of 2018 and recognize the industry’s most accomplished leaders.

The Class of 2018 features individuals working from coast to coast across the wild, wide spectrum of media, in programming and distribution, in management and finance, in front of the camera and behind it. Women leaders this year deserve special attention, including CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Gayle King of CBS This Morning and Courteney Monroe of National Geographic Global Networks. In recognition of her industry leadership, this year’s Chairman’s Award goes to Linda Yaccarino of NBCUniversal.

My dad bought me my first car - a $200 Ford Maverick!

Was this a way of telling me something?

My first car was a light blue, two-door 1974 Ford Maverick. It had a classic sporty shape, but in 1985 or so when the Mav was my ride, it reminded me of something some fella would drag race on the back roads. The radio receiver didn’t work, but the cassette player did. I fed it a regular diet of The Outfield, Crowded House and John Cougar Mellencamp albums.

I came home from school one afternoon during my junior year of high school, and my dad asked me to go get something for him from the garage. Thank goodness I didn’t whine about it, because when I opened the door there was the Maverick! A piece of cardboard was propped up on its windshield with the word “Surprise!” scrawled in his writing. He picked it up for a mere $200 from a co-worker.

I have great memories of piling my friends inside to go toilet paper someone’s house. It must have had a pretty deep trunk, because that’s where the Charmin got stacked to supply our night of shenanigans. It was my transportation for all your classic high school moments: football games, high school dances … and, eventually, the drive to college.

By the time I was a junior in college, my dad was afraid the old Mav would give up the ghost and leave me stranded on some frozen Ohio highway. Somewhere he came across a white 1980 Chevy Citation and switched the Mav out for that. I drove the Citation until one day when the road curved and I didn’t. You get the picture.

I'm hosting the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame with Kathie Lee Gifford and Rosanna Scotto

NYC Television Week, presented by Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News magazines, is having their NYC Television Week featuring five mega events including Advanced Advertising, TV Data Summit, Next TV Summit, NYC Television Week's 40 under 40 and the star-studded Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.

I'm pleased to be hosting this prestigious event.

"We have assembled an exceptional lineup of speakers and panelists who are proven experts in their field of business. Attendees will have many valuable opportunities to hear first-hand about the latest industry developments and how to navigate the immediate business challenges facing the television and video industries. The tremendous support that this event continues to receive emphasizes the importance of having an industry platform where leading executives and senior managers can come together to discuss lessons learned, new trends and technologies, and perspectives of where the future of the industry lies," said Mr. Charlie Weiss, Vice President, Group Publisher, Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News.

The preliminary speaker lineup includes such industry leaders as:

Ian Ferreira, EVP, Programmatic – WideOrbit
Lance Neuhauser, CEO - 4C Insights
Julie Sterling, Director, Broadcast Partnerships - Google
Jim Keller, VP, National Advertising, Hulu
Mark Gorman, CEO - Matrix Solutions
Jessica Hogue, SVP, Product Leadership – Nielsen
Radha Subramanyam, Chief Research & Analytics Officer, CBS Television
Natasha Hritzuk, VP, Consumer Innovation and Research – Turner Broadcasting System
Nicolle Pangis, CEO – NCC Media
Ross McCray, CEO – VideoAmp
Michael Powell, President & CEO – NCTA – The Internet and Television Association
Jennifer Koester, Lead Director of Telco and Video Distribution Partnerships – Google
Andy McCollum, CEO – Philo
John Hendricks, Founder & Chairman– CuriosityStream
A sampling of topics to be covered include how data insights can guide programming decisions, segmenting markets, profiling viewers and providing solutions to advertisers; in-depth looks at the latest digital advertising technologies and how to use them to succeed; OTT growth and business models; transformative TV technologies; video consumption trends (and the way to measure those trends); how to manage talent and content in the digital age; and much more.

For a detailed look at all of the NYC Television Week events, speakers, programs and registration information, visit www.nyctvweek.com.