The Cable Center announced the 2012 class of inductees for The Cable Hall of Fame.
The six honorees are:
- Ann Carlsen, founder and CEO of Carlsen Resources
- Leo Hindery Jr., managing partner at InterMedia Partners
- Larry King, former host of Larry King Live and host of Larry King Specials on CNN
- Debra Lee, chairman and CEO of BET Networks
- H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, president and CEO of The Lenfest Group
- Phil Lind, vice chairman of Rogers Communications.
The honorees were chosen based on their achievements and contributions to the cable industry.
The 2012 Cable Hall of Fame selection committee was chaired by Abbe Raven, president and CEO of A&E Networks and a 2010 Cable Hall of Fame inductee.
“It is a true honor to welcome these six individuals into the Cable Hall of Fame,” said Raven. “This year’s class is an incredibly diverse group of leaders who have helped shape this innovative industry.”
Carlsen has specialized in identifying talented managers for the industry for years. She has helped place executives at ABC, Bresnan, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Current, DigitalGlobe, Discovery Networks, Google, NBC, Scripps Networks, Time Warner and Viacom Networks. She has earned numerous industry honors, including WICT Woman of the Year.
Hindery ran Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) through its acquisition by AT&T, where he remained for several years as CEO of AT&T Broadband. In 2001, he founded the Yes Network, and in 2004 moved on to found InterMedia, an equity fund that invests in media properties.
Larry King’s show on CNN ran for a quarter-century, from 1985 to 2010. He is the recipient of an Emmy and several Peabody’s and Cable ACE awards.
Lee joined BET’s legal department in 1986. Ten years later, she succeeded BET founder Robert Johnson as president and COO of BET Holdings, and in 2005 she became president and CEO. She has served on the board of the NCTA.
Lenfest founded the cable company that bore his name in 1974. In 2000, he sold the Lenfest Communications to Comcast for $6.7 billion. In addition to running the Lenfest Group, Lenfest is also chairman of TelVue.
Lind joined Rogers in 1969 as programming chief and has served as senior vice president of programming and planning. He is a former member of the board of the National Cable Television Association in the U.S. and is a former chairman of the Canadian Cable Television Association. The 15th-annual Cable Hall of Fame Celebration will be held on May 21, 2012, at the Marriott at Copley Plaza in Boston.
