WHY THIS MATTERS:In trying to weigh different levels of power for our annual list, the apples-and-oranges argument sometimes comes down to money and means versus influence. This year, influence rules. Is our top pick some kind of endorsement? No. It's a warning.
WHY THIS MATTERS:With the Fox assets, Disney would control 40% of the movie and TV studio output in the country, more than half of the regional sports networks available and a growing stable of pay TV channels that can fuel future over-the-top offerings.
WHY THIS MATTERS:A cable/telecom veteran, Elder was the founding president of Clearwire Wholesale and had top positions at Vodafone Ireland and AT&T Broadband West, as well as roles at MediaOne and US West.