December 10, 2009

CableFAX: 7. Zaslavian Response: David Zaslav

David Zaslav
Title: President/CEO, Discovery Communications
Age: 49
Education: BS, SUNY Binghamton; JD, Boston U
Social Media Quotient: 7

Why Him? The economic apocalypse. Worst recession in 70 years. An imploding advertising market. How has Discovery fared? Its stock has almost doubled since Jan. While many vital execs keep the gears turning, Zaslav’s endless energy fuels Discovery to new heights. Part of his success hinges on a willingness to make tough decisions quickly. Meanwhile, Discovery keeps posting ratings growth across several nets and ad sales numbers that are the envy of many programmers. It posted 5% YOY growth in domestic ad revenue in 3Q. Clearly the Zas is on fire. Fitting that his favorite food is hot tamales.

Year Ahead:

Stock up. Oprah in the wings. Life is good.

Favorite Food: Hot Tamales

Drink of Choice: Diet Coke

Favorite iPhone/Blackberry App: StockStream

Twitter is: Another tool in our arsenal.

Trait I Most Admire in People: Passion, candor, creativity

Favorite TV Show Not on Discovery: Saturday Night Live

Favorite Part of My Job: Working with John Hendricks and a great group of people at Discovery.

Best Business Advice Received: Winning in business is great because when companies win, people thrive and grow. – Jack Welch

Return to the table of contents.