November 20, 2008

If Hillary Clinton had defeated Barack Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination (and then defeated her Republican counterpart), our presentation of our annual Most Powerful Women in Cable list undoubtedly would have taken on a more triumphant sheen. Many Hillary supporters have been saying since her concession speech that voters in the U.S. are not ready yet for a woman president; some of those supporters who work in cable might also be saying that the industry still isn’t ready for a woman CEO at a top 10 cable operator.

Despite the relative lack of women in the choicest corner offices at the biggest MSOs, the cable industry has made room for women at or near the very top on the programming side. As cable programming chieftains, executives like Bonnie Hammer, Judy McGrath, Abbe Raven, Anne Sweeney and Andrea Wong wield immense corporate and cultural power, and point the way for new generations of women joining the industry.

Our list of the Most Powerful Women in Cable was created by the CableFAX staff, which took into consideration the hundreds of online nomination forms completed by cable industry professionals. In addition to the nomination forms, rank within an organization, the size of a company, years served in the industry, ratings data (in the case of programmers), influence beyond one’s own company and our experience covering the industry came into play. As was the case last year, the Top 50 women are ranked numerically, and the Second 50 are listed alphabetically. Executives who are appearing on our Most Powerful Women in Cable list for the first time are noted with a "1st Year" emblem.

Also, we once again present in conjunction with WICT the Top Women in Cable Tech list — a roll call of prominent women working on the technology side of cable.

View the electronic edition of CableFAX: The Magazine's Most Powerful Women in Cable issue.

2008 Most Powerful Women in Cable
The Top 50
The Second 50
Top Women in Cable Tech

Also in This Issue:
Few Losers in Battle Among Tough Cops, Army Wives and Runway Models

Cable by the Numbers: 2008 Most Powerful Women in Cable Edition

Editor's Note: Next Topic

The End: A Look at Current and Future Issues Facing Women in Cable