December 1, 2008

CableFAX: 19. Child’s Play: Cyma Zarghami

Cyma Zarghami
Title: President, Nickelodeon
Last Year: #47
Age: 45
Education: U of VT, BA

Why Her? Will Nick relinquish its crown as the top-ranked network in total day? Ever? Q3 marked its 54th consecutive Q at the top for kids and total viewers. Also impressive, Zarghami even figured out a way to bring in new voices this year for Dora the Explorer, with the preschool crowd being none the wiser. (Parents of preschoolers are nodding in agreement because they know how this group loves change — just try giving them the red sippy cup instead of the blue one.) Plus, she helped Noggin pull in double-digit growth in the past year. Can nothing knock Zarghami down? Having the 16-year-old star of one of your most popular series become pregnant seems like a crisis. Instead, Nick rode it out quietly, and Jamie Lynn Spears’ Zoey 101 averaged 3.5mln viewers for its final season, a series high. How does she do it? We hope Nick will launch a series called Cyma Explains It All.

Proud Moment: Every time the Nielsen numbers arrive.

Year Ahead:
With the buzz Disney gets for HSM and Hannah Montana, it seems like Disney inevitably will surpass Nick’s ratings. But Zarghami’s philosophy of steady vs fad programming keeps Nick at the top.

AM

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