Linda Yaccarino

President, Cable Entertainment & Digital Advertising Sales, NBCU

By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/27/2012 12:01:00 AM

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.