Eleven industry executives were recognized for their contributions to the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association (BCFM) and its Broadcast Cable Credit Association (BCCA) subsidiary in conjunction with the 47th Annual BCFM/BCCA Conference currently underway in Las Vegas. 

John Sloan, director of corporate credit services for turner broadcasting system, became the first recipient of the BCCA Peter F. Szabo Career Achievement Award, which was established in memory of Pete Szabo, a major supporter of BCFM and BCCA who passed away in 2006. 

Romeo Rodriguez, controller for Manship Stations, received this year’s BCFM Jack Zwaska Career Achievement Award. Romero has been an active BCFM member and has served on its HR Committee for many years. The award is named in memory of a former BCFM board member who was executive director of the Television Music License Committee for 18 years and whose leadership helped the industry develop a better relationship with music licensing organizations.

Bob Rollins, corporate credit and collections manager for Raycom Media, received the 2007 BCCA Member Contributor Award. Rollins who was selected for the honor by his BCCA peers, is credited for the association’s leadership role in averting new and onerous liability language following its initial insertion in advertising contracts last summer.

BCFM established the Working Capital Awards to recognize members that have done an outstanding job of both advising the Association about the continuing educational needs of its members and either serving as subject experts or helping to find them.

This year’s Working Capital Award winners are Trisha Allen, director of broadcast accounting for Gray Television and an active member of the BCFM Television Committee; Mark Fratrik, vice president, BIA Financial Network, a former BCFM board member who remains active on the Association’s IT/New Media Committee; Kate Lucas, corporate controller for Regent Communications, an active member of the Accounting Committee who serves as an accounting resource for new members and a major contributor to the 2007 BCFM/BCCA Conference planning committee; and Leslie Hartmann, director of revenue management for Entercom, a former chair of BCFM’s board of directors who currently co-chairs the committee overseeing the complete rewrite of the Association’s Understanding Broadcast and Cable Finance handbook for non-financial employees in the media industry.

The BCFM Rainmaker Awards category was created to honor members who help the Association find ways to raise the funds to support member programs. BCFM’s 2007 Rainmaker Award winners are Mark Corcoran, newly appointed president of the Country Adventures Network and former controller for the Outdoor Channel, which has sponsored the Conference Newcomers’ Reception for the past four years; Matt Deprey, director, financial planning and analysis for Discovery Communications, who continues to be a member of the BCFM Cable Committee and has been an “effective conference attendee recruiter”; Tim Pecaro, a principal member of Bond & Pecaro, who served as a BCFM board member, is a former conference co-chair, and currently co-chairs the handbook rewrite; and Richard Taub, vice president of U.S. Distribution for WAPA-TV-America, a member of the Cable Committee and board member, who was recognized for his “tireless efforts to help the association identify new members, sponsors and advertisers.”