49. Paula Kerger

This turned out to be quite a high-profile year for the woman who was appointed to head up PBS in March 2006. The pubcaster was at the center of the election year storm, hosting a presidential and vice presidential debate and breaking traffic records on its PBS.org Web site. An online poll about Sarah Palin's fitness to lead the nation helped generate 6.5 million unique visitors during the seven-day period of Sept. 17-23. "We built everything around our election coverage this year and are really proud of what we accomplished," Kerger says. When not plotting PBS' course, she spars in the gym. "Boxing is great for working off aggression," she says. Kerger's postelection plans include Ken Burns' six-part "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," due next fall. "The photography is just stunning," she says.