Swanson to Get 2012 Golden Mike

Dennis Swanson, president of station operations for Fox Television Stations, will be honored with the 2012 Broadcasters Foundation of America Golden Mike Award Feb. 27 at the Plaza Hotel in New York. The fundraising event will benefit the Foundation's mission to provide aid to broadcasters in need.

"A broadcast industry leader and visionary whose sweeping impact has been extensive and far-reaching, Dennis continues to donate his time and energy to serving our industry and the community," stated chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation Philip J. Lombardo. "We strive to honor his achievements and his commitment to ‘giving back' with the Broadcasters Foundation of America Golden Mike Award."

Prior to joining Fox Television Stations, Swanson was executive vice president and COO of Viacom Television Stations Inc., where he oversaw operations of the division's 39 television stations. He has been the vice president and general manager of WNBC New York and station manager of KABC Los Angeles.

"The Broadcasters Foundation of America is the only organization exclusively devoted to providing aid to broadcast industry colleagues who have encountered devastation and loss that has rendered them in desperate need of help," said Swanson. "It is a privilege to be recognized by this unique charity and I encourage everyone in our business to support this noble cause."

Swanson was named Broadcasting & Cable's "Broadcaster of the Year" in 2002.

Post-Newsweek chief Alan Frank received the 2011 Golden Mike.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.