Toby Byrne
Title: President, sales
Network: Fox
2013 upfront sales: $1.8 billion*
Outlook: With American Idol still fading, Fox has to find must-buy programming fast. The network’s promise of yearround programming and fewer reruns is attractive, but hits would help in maintaining a high CPM.
Jo Ann Ross
Title: President, network sales
Network: CBS
2013 upfront sales: $2.7 billion*
Outlook: The No. 1 network adds NFL football on Thursday nights at the start of the TV season. The rich get richer, and Ross is likely to deliver on CEO Les Moonves’ boast that CBS will have the biggest increases in CPMs and volume among broadcasters in the upfront.
Keith Turner
Title: President, advertising sales and marketing
Network: Univision
2013 upfront sales: Not available
Outlook: Facing intensified competition, particularly from Comcast, Univision recently launched a campaign emphasizing that Hispanics can’t effectively be reached using only English-language media.
Geri Wang
Title: President, sales & marketing
Network: ABC
2013 upfront sales: $2.4 billion*
Outlook: Except for weekend NBA and college football programming from ESPN, ABC is devoid of sports, leaving it dominated by programming that skews female. Getting ratings up will be a priority of Ben Sherwood as he succeeds Anne Sweeney as president of Disney/ ABC Television Group. That would make Wang’s job easier.
Linda Yaccarino
Title: President, advertising sales
Network: NBC
2013 upfront sales: $2.1 billion*
Outlook: NBC has the Super Bowl next February, and rivals are already buzzing about how Yaccarino will use the big game to push price. NBCU believes it is underpriced on both broadcast and cable, and its new sales structure puts both in the same portfolio.
*Source: B&C estimates
