The former FCC senior adviser will head the broadcast group’s new Washington office as senior vice president, strategy and policy. At the FCC, she served on the Incentive Auction Task Force and has been active in encouraging broadcasters to participate in the auction, a position somewhat at odds with her new employer.
Sinclair Taps Rebecca Hanson As DC Lobbyist
Sinclair Broadcast Group today named Rebecca Hanson senior vice president, strategy and policy, with responsibility for the development and oversight of a new Washington office “dedicated to a broad range of policy and business matters.”
Hanson will report to Sinclair CEO David Smith and will join Sinclair on Jan. 2, 2014.
In making the announcement, Smith said: “As Sinclair continues to grow into the nation’s largest television station group, we need a presence in Washington to navigate the challenges and opportunities that we will face in the coming years. Rebecca’s experience at the FCC and in the wireless and media industries makes her uniquely qualified to lead this office.”
Hanson joins Sinclair from the FCC’s Media Bureau, where she was senior adviser, broadcast spectrum, and served on the Incentive Auction Task Force and has been active in encouraging broadcasters to participate in the auction. Ironically, Sinclair has made clear that it has no interest in the auction and believes all broadcasters should steer clear.
Prior to joining the FCC from 2007 to 2009, she was the VP, strategic initiatives at Sprint Nextel, where she was responsible for the launch and long-term growth strategy for the WiMAX network and a member of the deal team leading the financing and merger with Clearwire for a national spectrum footprint.
From 2006 to 2007 she was a consultant focusing on business planning and deal execution for various digital media companies. Prior to that and from 2000, she held the positions of SVP, business development, and vp and deputy general counsel at XM Satellite Radio, where she was the lead negotiator for key strategic alliances and partnerships in programming, marketing, distribution, acquisitions/joint ventures and product development.
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She began her career as an attorney with Brownstein and Zeidman from 1993 to 1996 and then Shaw Pittman (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman) from 1996 to 2000, where she specialized in the areas of technology, commercial finance, and venture capital.
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