NABJ Honors CNN's Janet Rollé with Annual Media Professional Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 16, 2012) - The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announces the selection of Janet Rollé, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for CNN Worldwide, as its 2012 Pat Tobin Media Professional Award Recipient. The award recognizes a public relations, advertising, or marketing professional that has had a distinctive impact in the media realm, which has resulted in positive media coverage of the black community, thus improving the media landscape.

"NABJ is proud to honor Janet Rollé. She represents the very essence of this award; the behind the scenes force helping to create on-air successes," NABJ President Gregory Lee Jr. said. "Rollé is one of our industry's brightest stars. We are delighted that we have the opportunity to recognize her contributions."

Rollé oversees the positioning and promotion of CNN's multiple networks and services, including CNN, CNN.com, CNN International, HLN, CNN.com/Live, CNN Mobile and all other CNN services.

"Janet has been an inspiration and a driving force for CNN as she continues to create innovative opportunities to reach a diverse range of potential viewers. We are pleased that NABJ has recognized her contributions by awarding her the Pat Tobin Award," said Jim Walton, president CNN Worldwide.

She joined CNN in April 2011 from BET Networks, where as executive vice president and chief marketing officer she led brand strategy and marketing efforts, including on-air promotions, off-channel and digital marketing, affiliate and trade marketing. In her final months as chief marketing officer of BET, Rollé helped the network make cable history with the premiere of the networks history-making scripted series, "The Game," the highest-rated original sitcom in cable history.

Additionally, Rollé directed a redesign of the BET network on air, and comprehensive, multi-platform marketing campaigns for the brand's signature programs, including, the BET
Honors and the BET Awards, for which BET received multiple Promax/BDA Awards. Advertising Age magazine named her one of "10 Who Made Their Mark" in 2010 for her noteworthy brand development work at BET.

Before joining BET Networks, Rollé worked at AOL as Vice President and General Manger of AOL Black Voices and AOL Women's and Lifestyle Programming from 2005-2007. In this role, she oversaw editorial programming for AOL Black Voices and the 10 websites in the lifestyle category.

From 2000-2005, Rollé worked at MTV Networks as the vice president of programming enterprises and business development for VH1 and CMT. She began her business career at HBO, where she spent nearly 10 years, eventually rising to Director of Marketing and New Media for HBO Home Video.

Pat Tobin

The Pat Tobin Media Professional Award is named for NABJ member Pat Tobin. Tobin, of Los Angeles, passed away in 2008, and was president and CEO of Tobin and Associates, a prominent minority, woman-owned public relations firm. She was a dedicated activist for causes that impacted minorities, women and youth.

Rollé will be honored this summer at NABJ's 37th Annual Convention and Career Fair in New Orleans during the Salute to Excellence Awards Gala on June 23, 2012. The gala recognizes journalism that best covered the black experience or addressed issues affecting the worldwide black community during 2011.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization for journalists of color in the nation, and provides career development as well as educational and other support to its members worldwide, visit our website at www.nabj.org.

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