Dennis Swanson is 2012 Golden Mike Award winner

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Fox Television Stations President of Station Operations Dennis Swanson will be honored with the 2012 Broadcasters Foundation of America Golden Mike Award at a black-tie fundraiser on Monday, February 27 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.  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.”

Swanson, who helps manage 27 FOX owned-and-operated TV stations across the country, is credited with persuading the International Olympic Committee to stagger its winter and summer games while he was President of ABC Sports — one of the most dramatic shifts in major sports programming history — and was responsible for giving Oprah Winfrey her first daytime TV talk show during his tenure as Vice President and General Manager of WLS-TV, the owned-and-operated ABC station in Chicago. 

“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,” observed Swanson.  “It is a privilege to be recognized by this unique charity and I encourage everyone in our business to support this noble cause.”

Prior to joining the Fox O&Os, Swanson served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer 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-TV in New York and Station Manager of KABC-TV in Los Angeles.  Under his watch, ABC’s signature sports franchise, “Monday Night Football,” became one of the television’s top-rated primetime programs.

The Broadcasters Foundation has provided millions of dollars in aid to colleagues who lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease, or unforeseen family tragedy.