Cablefax The Magazine - December 2011 - 36

45 | WHAT'S
SO FUNNY?
Doug Herzog
Title: President, Viacom
Entertainment Group
Education: BS,
Emerson College
Michele Ganeless
Title: President, Comedy Central
Years in Cable: 21
Education: BS, Northwestern
University
Best Advice: Work with
people who make you laugh.
44 | GAME ON
Cyma Zarghami
Title: President, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids
& Family
Years in Cable: 26
Education: BA, U of Vermont
Why Her? Like the green slime that's ceremoniously
dumped during its signature Kids Choice Awards,
Nickelodeon has literally oozed its way into the very
soul of American popular culture. And Zarghami is
largely to thank for that. Not only is Nick the No. 1
rated cable network for 16 years and counting, but its
franchises-from Dora to iCarly-are staples across
the gamut of media platforms including digital, film,
music and, increasingly, gaming. And Nick fans may
grow up, but they never fade away. In response to
demand from fans on social sites asking to see iconic
Nick shows, Zarghami this summer launched " The
90s Are All That!, " a weeknight programming block
featuring Nick's '90s-era shows on TeenNick that
raised the network's ratings by record triple digits in
the 12-24 and 18-34 demographics.
Monkey Business: Augmenting its role in the
gaming universe, Nick launched Monkey Quest,
a virtual world and Massively Multiplayer Online
Game (MMOG) that's amassed 4 million registered
users since its April 2011 launch.
Year Ahead:
With Disney Junior racing onto
the playground in 2012, Zarghami needs to
keep her best game face on. ◆
36
cablefaxmag.com
December 2011
CableFAX: The Magazine
Why Them? Comedy Central
burst into 2011 with a new
logo, but the network stuck
largely to its proven programming
formula this year, which
meant continued strong ratings.
Hey, it's hard to argue when
you've got Jon Stewart, Stephen
Colbert, and Stan and Kyle in
your corner. And, yeah, there
was the ratings-shattering airing
of the Charlie Sheen Roast,
which pulled in 6.4 million
viewers in September. Not to
be outdone, Colbert scored a
coup in September when he
landed an interview with altrock
demigods Radiohead. As
well as demonstrating, ahem,
winning ways with the celeb set,
the network is embracing the
comic community with initiatives
like just-launched " Corporate
Retreat, " a twice-monthly live
showcase in the East Village
that mixes standup acts by
hopefuls with pretaped laughs
from proven talent. And Herzog
and Ganeless are augmenting
the network's HD offerings,
anchored by " The Daily Show, "
" The Colbert Report. "
Year Ahead:
Comedy
Central HD made significant
strides in 2011. Will next year
bring more growth in the U.S.
and abroad?
Doug Herzog
The one burning question I
have for Siri on my iPhone
4S: When is the IPhone 5
coming out?
The one thing I tell my kids
about success in life: It
won't come to you; you have
to go get it.
My best technique for deterring
time-wasting office
visits from co-workers: You
should probably ask my staff
how they get rid of me. I may
be the worst culprit.
If I invented my own app it
would: Invent my own app.
How many companies have
you worked for since graduating
from college? I think
the more interesting answer
is: none of the companies I
have worked for existed when
I was in college.
Michele Ganeless
The biggest innovation in
cable over the last year
has been: More great original
programming than ever before.
My favorite restaurant:
Riverpark, NYC
Favorite " going out " town:
New York
My guilty television pleasure
is: " Top Chef "
What I admire most about
Millennials is: How transparent
their lives are. ◆
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