CableFAX: 97. Ace & Arts: Ken Solomon
Ken Solomon
Title: Chairman/CEO, The Tennis Channel; CEO, Ovation
Last Year: #81
Age: 45
Education: UCLA, BA; Paramount, Disney, Fox Network, DreamWorks, Fine Living/Scripps, MA
Why Him? Tennis Channel started the year with a DBS ace, and though cable carriage remains a struggle, Solomon, irreverent and upbeat, snagged substantial U.S. Open coverage beginning next year. Solomon also gets (sorry) a standing Ovation for raising the arts network’s profile with a series of partnerships with cultural institutions.
Proud Moment: See photo above
Year Ahead: 
Tennis Channel will become more of a destination with its carriage of 60-plus live U.S. Open hours, including exclusive prime-time match play during the first weekend.
Favorite Tennis Spot: Center court, Arthur Ashe Stadium, at The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, during our first US Open, August ’09
Do You Fantasize About Playing at Wimbledon? Yes, especially after an 18-hour production day during our Wimbledon prime-time telecasts
Favorite Restaurant: Manhattan’s "21" (I know people there…)
Favorite Music: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Last Book Read: An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy by Robert Dallek
Philosophy: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." – Anne Frank
Trait I Most Admire: Compassion
CO