Salaam Coleman Smith

The ABC Family programming machine has been in full force with The 13 Nights of Halloween set to segue into the 25 Days of Christmas, both packed with specials and special episodes and social media tie-ins for shows including “Pretty Liars” and “Switched At Birth.” Steering strategy and content decisions for the heavily female-skewing network is Coleman Smith, who has plenty of experience hooking and reeling this audience from her days running Style Network. While she gives 110 percent at the office, she recommends “choosing vacation spots with limited cell phone reception.”

How can cable do better job at supporting the industry’s women?

The cable industry can deepen its commitment to existing organizations like WICT that have long track record of fostering diversity in cable and nurturing strong and innovative leaders.

What’s been the biggest story in cable this year?

Two big stories for me:

–  ABC Family earned the ratings crown this summer as the No. 1 highest-rated network for W18-34 in primetime and our ratings and fan-driven juggernaut, Pretty Little Liars remains the most social show on television, broadcast and cable.

–  “Walking Dead”–cable’s zombie apocalypse–trumped the unbeatable Sunday Night Football and shattered cable records with more than 17.3 Million viewers tuning in to the new season premiere.

Best trick for maintaining the personal-professional life balance?

Choose vacation spots with limited cell phone reception.