December 10, 2009

CableFAX: 10. A Royal Pain for Competitors: Bonnie Hammer

Bonnie Hammer

Title: President, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions

Age: 50

Education: BA, School of Communications, Boston U

Why Her? Hammer’s greatest talent may be her insistence on a team-oriented approach to programming. It’s hard to argue with the results, particularly at USA. The net routinely dominates cable in prime, and its string of success with originals such as Royal Pains and White Collar remains estimable. Even acquisitions like NCIS, which Hammer says was pushed strongly by a colleague, seem to shine under her leadership. Financially, USA and SyFy routinely post profit growth and receive much praise from GE management. Initially maligned by fans, Syfy’s re-brand is progressing nicely.

Boncastic? If Comcast swoops in, will Philly recognize Hammer as a critical asset and allow her impressive run to continue? Absolutely, we’d hope. And additional responsibilities might be forthcoming.

The Year Ahead:

The Comcast deal offers the only pause; otherwise, it’s foolhardy to bet against Hammer.

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