CHANTILLY, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) today named Abbe Raven, Chairman, A+E Networks, as the recipient of its 2013 Woman of the Year award. WICT also announced today the 2013 Woman to Watch honorees: Bernadine Han, Vice President of News and Local Programming, Time Warner Cable; and Marjorie Kaplan, Group President; Animal Planet, Science Channel & Velocity; Discovery Communications.
The awards will be presented during the WICT Touchstones Luncheon on October 7 at the New York Marriott Marquis, in conjunction with the annual WICT Leadership Conference and during Cable's Diversity Week. The WICT Touchstones Luncheon is sponsored by WE tv.
"We are extraordinarily proud to award Abbe Raven, Bernie Han and Marjorie Kaplan with WICT's highest individual honors, Woman of the Year and Woman to Watch, in recognition of their significant contributions to the cable industry," said Maria E. Brennan, CAE, President & CEO, WICT. "They each exemplify the Touchstones of Leadership that WICT champions and we look forward to showcasing their achievements during our luncheon in October."
The Woman of the Year award is awarded to a woman in cable media who has made increasingly significant contributions to her company and the overall cable telecommunications industry throughout her career. She is at the top and shows great resolve to help others along their path.
The Woman to Watch award is bestowed on women in cable who show tremendous promise for transforming the industry through professional accomplishments, exemplary leadership, and strong dedication to the industry.
About Abbe Raven
Abbe Raven is Chairman, A+E Networks, encompassing A&E®, Lifetime®, HISTORY®, LMN®, bio.®, H2™, HISTORY en Español™, Crime & Investigation Network®, Military HISTORY®, LRW™, as well as A&E IndieFilms®, A+E Networks International®, A+E Networks Digital® and A+E Networks Consumer Products®. Elevated to this newly created position in April 2013, Ms. Raven serves as A+E Networks' strategic corporate business advisor, spearheading long-term business and revenue strategy and public policy initiatives.
From 2005 to April 2013, Raven led A+E Networks as President and Chief Executive Officer, tripling the company's earnings and expanding its global portfolio. She also oversaw the company's strategic merger with Lifetime Cable Television in 2009. During her tenure, A+E Networks' channels and branded programming have grown to reach more than 350 million households in over 150 countries.
Prior to her position as President and CEO, Ms. Raven was President of A&E Network and The Biography Channel. She spearheaded the revitalization of A&E, launching it back into a top ten network. Previously, Ms. Raven was Executive Vice President and General Manager of The History Channel.
In 2012, Raven was again named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune. Over the last 10 years, Raven has been named to The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100 list. In 2005, she received the Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association for her years of leadership in the cable industry. In 2009, Raven was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.
Raven serves as vice chairman on the board of directors of the NCTA and is on the boards of the NAMIC Foundation and the CTAM Educational Foundation. She also serves as vice chairman of the advisory board of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. In 2005, she was elected a Director of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
About Bernadine Han
Bernadine Han, known as "Bernie," oversees the operations, journalistic character, and content for 10 local news stations around the country, including Time Warner Cable's prestigious flagship station, NY1 News. Among Time Warner Cable customers, NY1 News is the most-watched 24-hour news channel.
In this role and her previous role managing the news operations for NY1, Bernie has been instrumental in decision making during some of the most significant news events of the past two decades, including continuous coverage of the events of 9/11 as they unfolded and Pope Benedict XVI's visit to New York City in 2008. Han spearheaded the news decision to follow stories that impacted local viewers in other countries such as the Dominican Republic and Haiti, post tropical storms and the one-year anniversary of the tsunami that swept through Japan.
Han has worked at NY1 News practically her entire career. She joined the staff in 1992 as a writer, just before the 24-hour local news channel launched. By 1995, she was a Senior Producer. As NY1 News grew in popularity and staff, so did Bernie's role. She rose to Assistant News Director and then News Director of NY1, before being named Vice President of News in 2005. In early 2006, when Time Warner Cable decided to merge its upstate news channels under one division, Bernie was again promoted and charged with overseeing editorial content, budgets and talent negotiations.
About Marjorie Kaplan
Since taking over leadership of Animal Planet Media in 2007, Kaplan has transformed and revolutionized the business by repositioning the network into a more adult-focused, competitive entertainment brand. Animal Planet had a record-setting viewership in 2012 with its best year ever, and is on pace to shatter that record in 2013.
In recognition of Kaplan's strong creative and business leadership of Animal Planet, in 2011 she was promoted to president of Science Channel and in 2012 given oversight of Velocity. Working with the Science Channel and Velocity teams, Kaplan continues to build on their success by growing viewership while maintaining the day to day oversight and aggressive growth of Animal Planet as president and general manager.
Kaplan joined Discovery Communications Inc. in 1997 as senior vice president for Children's Programming and Products, and oversaw the launch of Discovery Kids Channel that same year. For over a decade, Kaplan directed children's programming for Discovery Networks, U.S., including all Discovery Kids Channel programming.
Kaplan was named to the Wonder Woman class of 2013 by Multichannel News earlier this year. She has also been named by CableFAX as one of the Most Powerful Women in Cable numerous times.
About WICT
For over thirty years, Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) has partnered with cable and telecommunications leaders to provide professional development programs, research and services that help advance women in cable media. With nearly 10,000 members, WICT is the oldest and largest professional association serving women in the cable and telecommunications industry. Comcast|NBCUniversal, Time Warner Cable, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and Suddenlink Communications are WICT's Strategic Touchstone Partners. Please visit www.wict.org or follow @WICT on Twitter for more information.
