42. Michele Ganeless

Election years traditionally see Ganeless and Comedy Central hit their strides thanks to "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report," which both had their best ratings months ever in October. "South Park" also had its most watched fall premiere since 1999, with 3.7 million tuning in -- and all three shows earned Emmys in September. Ganeless herself saw new beginnings popping up all over, from the birth of her baby girl in May to the birth of the Comedy Central live entertainment division, which will keep her busy through 2009. In her rare spare time, the exec sits on the board of the Posse Foundation, a nonprofit focused on identifying leaders at urban high schools and providing them with college skills. It's a satisfying state of affairs for Ganeless, who got her start at Comedy Central in 1990, drifted to MTV and USA, but came home in the end. "Once I got in, I was hooked," she says. "You have to reinvent yourself, if not every day, every year."