Everybody who's anybody was there. Indeed, more than 500 media execs
and guests poured into New York's posh Waldorf-Astoria ballroom on Nov. 8 for
the 14th Annual Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame dinner to pay tribute to
10 media superstars and one super program. It was a record crowd.
The hall added these names to its impressive roster of media greats,
bringing the total to 245 individuals:
William Baker, president/CEO of Educational
Broadcasting Corp. which operates public TV's powerhouse WNET;
George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN/ABC Sports;
Stephen Burke, COO of Comcast Corp.;
Catherine Hughes, founder and chairperson of Radio
One; Mario “Don Francisco” Kreutzberger, the host
of Univision's Sàbado Gigante; Jerry
Lee, president of WBEB-FM, Philadelphia, an FM pioneer;
Judith McHale, president/CEO of Discovery
Communications; Leslie Moonves, co-president and
co-COO of Viacom; Dick Robertson, president of Warner
Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, the giant syndicator; Jeff
Smulyan, chairman of Emmis Communications, which operates 27 radio
and 16 TV stations; and ESPN's
SportsCenter, the ubiquitous sports show that,
in 25 years, has changed the quality and tone of sports coverage by adding
intelligence, depth and lots of wit.
Two wonderful media-related charities, The Broadcasters' Foundation
and Cable Positive, received a share of the evening proceeds.
The date coincided with the debut of a revamped design for
B&C, now in its 73rd year. “It's been a privilege
to chronicle this industry as it as evolved from cathedral radios to 50-inch
HDTVs,” B&C Editor in Chief J. Max Robins told the
crowd. The magazine's new logo, Robins noted, “emphasizes how closely
broadcasting and cable are tied together.”
For one night last week, they celebrated together, too.
