Debra Lee

Title: Chairwoman/CEO, BET Networks

Years in Cable: 26

Education: BA, Brown; JD, Harvard; MPP, Harvard (School of Government)

Why Her? Lee has always been an adroit industry leader, balancing her business acumen, social agenda and creativity. And we applaud her moves to encourage not only more original programming on BET and its sister networks, but positivity among their audiences. She has been clear about her mandate that new content have a message, not be derogatory and show positive images. BET hit a high note this year when a soaring 7.7 million viewers watched the season four premiere of “The Game,” and new original series “Let’s Stay Together” also drew big numbers.

Centric goes Nielsen: The rebranded Centric continues to find its sea legs, posting gains among viewers since becoming Nielsen rated in 2010 and becoming a second home for “The Soul Train Awards,” also still simulcast on BET.

Year Ahead: BET’s brand remains strong, but TV One is knocking at the door, and there’s the buzz of several like-minded startups. ?

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