Women in Television: Marcy Ross

By Hillary Atkin

Who: Marcy Ross, executive VP of current programming, Fox Broadcasting Co.

Why: Promoted to her current position in August 2007, Ms. Ross oversees the network’s slate of current scripted fare, including the breakout new drama “Fringe,” as well as “House,” “Prison Break,” “Bones,” “Lie to Me” and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” She also has responsibility for two cornerstones of the network, the long-running hit “The Simpsons” and “24,” which kicks off its seventh season with a two-hour episode airing Nov. 23.

“I don’t believe the sky is falling,” Ms. Ross says of the future of the TV business. “Our responsibility is to be smarter and more talented so audiences are compelled to watch. I believe in the art form of TV, and I will never go down without a fight. … I believe if something is great and you keep supporting it, you can will it to happen. The most heartbreaking part of this job is loving a show and having to make the brutal decision to cancel it. I won’t give up until the show is literally not on the schedule, but even then there are some resurrections.”

What: Ms. Ross jokingly calls herself a “theater geek” who has scores of Broadway show tunes on her iPod, but she’s serious about a children’s theater she and a partner started eight years ago. “It’s called Dee-lightful and we work out of Culver City with 7- to 15-year-olds, doing two productions during the school year and a summer camp. We’ve done ‘Bugsy Malone,’ ‘Into the Woods’ and ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.’ The kids grow up in the company and come back as counselors, so there’s a lot of mentoring and support. We want to inspire children’s creative instincts.”