Former GMG President and CEO Emily Barr is inducted into the Broadcasting + Cable Hall of Fame.
Emily Barr, Graham Media Group’s former president and CEO who retired earlier this year, has been inducted into the Broadcasting + Cable Hall of Fame.
Barr led Graham Media Group for more than 10 years.
She was among 12 members – including six women – celebrated Thursday night in New York City.
“This year’s class, announced in 2020 with the celebration delayed due to concerns over COVID-19, is a special one indeed,” wrote Bill McGorry, the chairman of the Broadcasting + Cable Hall of Fame, who oversees the nomination process and manages the annual awards event. “Its 12 members include six women, ranging from on-air journalists Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, co-anchors of NBC’s 'Today,' to Emily Barr, the recently retired president and CEO of Graham Media Group. They are joined by Pearlena Igbowke, chairman of NBCUniversal Studio Group; and Susanne Daniels, former global head of original content at YouTube and a media consultant and lecturer. Also included is Nomi Bergman, president of Advance/Newhouse Investment Partnership and a director of Comcast Corp.”
The Graham Media Group team, including former president and CEO Emily Barr (fifth from left).
Here is the full list of honorees:
The 2022 ‘B+C’ Hall of Fame Class
- Emily Barr
- Nomi Bergman
- Steve Miron
- Brandon Burgess
- Susanne Daniels
- Savannah Guthrie
- Hoda Kotb
- Pearlena Igbokwe
- Leo MacCourtney
- Dan Mason
- Steven R. Swartz
- Curtis Symonds
Previous honorees from years past include Oprah.
"The career hallmark of (Barr), who just stepped back to serve as a consultant before she retires, is that she has kept her stations connected to their communities while encouraging journalism to thrive," this write-up calls out.
“She is truly motivated by the mission of broadcasting,” National Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said in the piece. “That’s always been larger than her role at her specific company. She knows the importance of having a medium that unites and serves as a real local nexus to which people can turn to find the resources they need.”
He also noted Barr’s warmth and authenticity.
“The first thing that strikes you if you spend time with Emily is that she’s a very good listener,” LeGeyt said. “Her role at NAB [as chair of the Television Board] was to find common ground on advocacy solutions. She’s someone who can do that because she’s willing to put herself in others’ shoes.”
Emily Barr on stage at the New York City event.
Catherine Badalamente, Graham's former VP and chief innovation officer, just succeeded Barr as GMG's new president and CEO. Barr and Badalamente worked closely throughout the transition.
“She’s everything that you see and more,” Badalamente said of Barr. “I always tell the story about how I worked closely with Alan Frank [Graham’s CEO before Barr] and he told me that I was going to love working with her. I read every article I could find on her and I went to the comments, because that’s where you get the real story, and every story about her was how she was real and genuine and hard-working. All of that turned out to be true.”
Read more: Welcome to the 30th Anniversary of the ‘B+C’ Hall of Fame | B+C Hall of Fame 2022: Emily Barr
