TV News Top 10: Roger Ailes #1; Three NBC Execs Share #2

By Chris Ariens 

In concert with the NAB/RTDNA conference going on this week in Las Vegas, TVWeek has unveiled its annual Top 10 list of The Most Powerful in TV News. Fox News chairman and co-founder Roger Ailes is atop the list for his network’s stunning performance in 2009 which continues into 2010.

Last year, Ailes was second on the list.

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While opinion shows such as “The O’Reilly Factor,” “Hannity” and “Glenn Beck” certainly topped the ratings, the network’s straight news shows also performed, as Bret Baier settled into Brit Hume’s old slot, and Shepard Smith kept chugging along.

The #2 spot is shared by NBC News president Steve Capus, MSNBC president Phil Griffin and CNBC president Mark Hoffman. The trio, along with NBCU CEO Jeff Zucker took the top spot last year.

So the power at NBC News this year may lie with Comcast COO Steve Burke. Then again, with NBC’s serious prime-time woes and a money-losing Winter Olympics behind it, NBC News — which had its major cutbacks two years ago unlike ABC and CBS — is one of the few areas of the company that he doesn’t need to worry about for the moment.

Just like last year, the #3 spot is shared, by the three top execs at CNN, Jim Walton, CNN Worldwide president, Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S., and Ken Jautz, EVP of CNN Worldwide and head of HLN.

See where, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Sean McManus and Barbara Walters landed, here

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