Dennis Swanson is president and general manager of NBC4 in New York, the flagship station of the NBC network. Swanson, a 37-year veteran of broadcast journalism, joined NBC4 on July 8, 1996.

   Among his many accomplishments since his arrival at NBC4, Swanson opened doors to the Puerto Rican, West Indian and Irish communities by broadcasting, for the first time, their annual parades. He spearheaded numerous special programs on topical issues impacting Tri-State area, such as education and race relations; and, he is one of the creators of GameDay New York, a unique collaboration between NCB4 and NBC sports, that offers viewers a weekly look at both of New York’s football teams.

   In 1996, Swanson expanded NBC4’s annual broadcast of the lighting of Rockefeller Center’s famous Christmas tree to one hour for the first time. In 1997, the live one-hour program was syndicated for audiences across the country.

   Swanson came to NBC4 from the ABC Television Network, where he was president of ABC Sports from 1986 to 1996. In that capacity, Swanson revitalized ABC’s Monday Night Football, making it the network’s top-rated primetime show. Under his direction, Monday Night Football ranked in the top 10 shows of all network programs from 1990-95.

   Swanson also served as president of ABC Daytime and ABC Children’s Programming from 1991 to 1993. Prior to joining ABC Sports, he was president of the ABC-owned television stations from 1985 to 1986.

   Previously, Swanson was vice president and general manager of WLS-TV, the ABC affiliate in Chicago. There, he created the Oprah Winfrey Show, the most successful daytime talk show in television history. Swanson was also instrumental in the success of Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, syndicated programs that are a major staple of many ABC television station schedules.

   From 1981 to 1983, Swanson was the station manager of KABC-TV in Los Angeles. He joined KABC in 1976 as executive producer of local news and was later promoted to news director. In 1978, Swanson won the most prestigious award in broadcasting the George Foster Peabody Award for KABC’s coverage of the Los Angeles police department.

   Prior to joining ABC, Swanson worked for Television News Inc. in Chicago from 1973 to 1976, holding both sports and marketing positions. He was later director of the company’s news division in New York.

   From 1968 to 1970, Swanson was an assignment editor and field producer for NBC News, based at WMAQ, the NBC-owned television station in Chicago. The following three years he was a on-air sportscaster and producer for both WMAQ radio and television.

   For two years prior to that, Swanson was a news producer and assignment manager for WGN radio and television in Chicago and he was a reporter for WMT radio and television in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

   On October 12, 1997, Swanson was inducted into the Illinois Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Swanson was honored for his distinguished career in broadcast Journalism – 20 years of which were spent working in Chicago television. He shares the distinction with fellow inductees including Mike Wallace, Hugh Downs, Harry Smith and Paula Zahn.

   He was honored in June 1998 with an award for Distinguished Service by Mentoring USA, a group devoted to helping children value education and reach their full potential.

   Swanson also is the recipient of several prestigious journalism honors. In addition to the 1978 Peabody Award, he was awarded a Citation by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1996 and received the Academy’s Silver Circle Award, Chicago Chapter in 1995. He was honored with the prestigious Jockey Club Gold Medal in 1988, has been the New York State Special Olympics Man of the Year, and on behalf of ABC Sports, accepted the Billie Jean King Achievement Award from the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1988.

   In addition, Swanson has received the Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) National Award in 1967 for coverage of a Chicago- area tornado and the Graham McNamee Award for Achievement in Sports Broadcasting.

   He was also honored by the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation in 1988 and received the Foundation’s Semper Fidelis award in 1992. In addition, he is a permanent co-chair of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.

   Very active in civic and community affairs, Swanson is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Broadcasters Association and has served as the ’97 and ’98 chairman of the group’s annual Executive Conference. He is chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emma Bowen Minority Media Partnership (formerly the Foundation for Minority Interest in Media), a position he has held since 1991. Swanson is also an advisory board member of PENCIL (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning), a board member of the Broadway Association Inc. and a member of the Ireland-United States Council for Commerce and Industry. In addition, he is a founding member of the Fighting Blindness League.

   Swanson is the dinner co-chairman of the United Cerebral Palsy’s annual gala benefit, and he also has served as co-chairman of the March of Dimes Sports Luncheon, co-chairman of the New York Special Olympics, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago.

   Swanson graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a M.S. degree in Communications and Political Science in 1966 and a B.S. degree in journalism in 1961. In addition, he was elected to Kappa Tau Alpha, the journalism honorary society, Swanson is a member of the President’s Council of the University of Illinois and serves as the Chairman of the Resource Development Board of the College of Communications. He received the Alumni Achievement Award in May, 1992.

   A native of Wilmar, California he was a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1961-1963.

   Swanson is married, and he and his wife, Katharine, have three adult children and four grandchildren.

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