Women in Television: Nancy Dubuc

By Jon Lafayette

Who: Nancy Dubuc, general manager, History

Why: Life is good for Ms. Dubuc: History expects to finish with its best year ever, having already recorded four best quarters in a row and 10 of 12 best months. Ratings are higher, particularly among younger viewers, than the network has enjoyed before. Since she was put in charge of History almost two years ago, the results so far have demonstrated that her high expectations to create more appointment television are credible. Indeed, “I’ve raised the bar on my team,” Ms. Dubuc said. “We’ve just hit the tip of the iceberg in terms of reaching our potential in terms of series. We’ve hit the ball out of the park on a few series. That proves we can do it.”

What: What do you do for an encore after “Ice Road Truckers” and “Ax Men”? History is putting a lot of its chips on “Expedition: Africa,” a new series from “Survivor” producer Mark Burnett that follows four survivalists trying to retrace explorer Henry Morton Stanley’s path through Africa. Judging from the dailies, the show—History’s most expensive ever—“looks majestic. It looks intense. It’s got all the drama and excitement we’re hoping for,” Ms. Dubuc said.

The network also will be commemorating the 40th anniversary of 1969, which brought us men on the moon, Woodstock and the sexual revolution. “What better time to be the History channel than when our country is making history every day?” she added.