Dennis Swanson is president and general manager of WNBC in New York, the flagship station of the NBC network. Less than a week after the World Trade Center tragedy, WNBC-4 launched a public service campaign entitled “We Shall Overcome.” The two-minute video featured Fire and Police Department and civilian rescuers accompanied by a Bruce Springsteen version of the song that was a civil rights anthem in the 1960s. “After witnessing the heroic efforts of this great city pulling together, we wanted to do something special to show our support,” Swanson said.
Swanson is well known for his strong civic and community involvement and has made several significant charitable donations, including a $300,000 gift to his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
In his professional capacity, Swanson created The Oprah Winfrey Show, the most popular daytime talk show in television, and is co-chairman of NBC Olympics. The coverage of the recent Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, was highly praised and generated record viewing figures and revenue for NBC for the winter games.
Swanson is a member of the Ireland-US Council for Commerce and Industry, Inc. With his wife, Katherine, he has three children and seven grandchildren. ♦
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