Charles Maday, Jr.

Charles Maday, Jr., is The History Channel®'s idea man.

As Senior Vice President, Programming, Mr. Maday is the executive in charge of programming development and strategy and managing the day-to-day operations of the programming scheduling for the 24 hour cable service. He supervises the generation of new programming ideas and formats, and project development for The History Channel®, a division of A&E Television Networks. The History Channel® is a part of A&E Television Networks, a joint venture of The Hearst Corporation, ABC Inc., and NBC.

"I am deeply involved in the development of new ideas and new formats for programming, and I serve as the assignment editor for the network," Mr. Maday says. "I decide who gets to do what, much like an assignment editor at a newspaper, matching the right people with the right project. It helps that The History Channel® is very collegial,l like a newspaper in many ways. Everyone here works closely together.

Mr. Maday, a veteran historical documentarian, oversees the development of The History Channel programming schedule, to be made up of both original and acquired product. The advertising-supported network features historical documentaries, movies and mini-series.

Mr. Maday is a veteran of the documentary programming and production field. He has been with A&E Networks since 1987 supervising a wide variety of documentary projects including a large number of award winning international co-productions. He has served as Executive Producer of The History Channel's key series History Alive with Roger Mudd and the Peabody Award-winning History Undercover with Arthur Kent. Since the launch of The History Channel®, Mr. Maday has led the networks's ongoing quest for provocative and innovative programming that will entertain a 21st-century TV audience without slighting the full breadth and depth of history.

A native of Buffalo NY, Mr. Maday grew up in a family that almost embodies a common journey in 20th-century America. One grandfather was a policeman on horseback along the waterfront in Buffalo almost a century ago, the other was a Polish immigrant, a blacksmith with limited education who parlayed his skills into a successful truck-body business early in the century. It was in school that Mr. Maday discovered history-with a particular interest in 20th century political history-first as a satisfying alternative to the rigors of mathematics.

I've had an interest in this kind of programming ever since my days in public television,' he said of his professional involvement in history. "I know that history is popular if it's done right, but I think the success of The History Channel®, its wide distribution, the fact that people took to it so readily-all of that has been a pleasant surprise. The History Channel® is really what you'd call a 'market maker.'"

"Creating programming for The History Channel® is a balancing act," Mr. Maday added, noting that the network must meet the needs of audience, advertisers and the complex scope of history itself. "I learn a lot from focus-group testing and the ratings. But we are not simply looking for a nice, safe area to program. Sometimes it's a high-risk area, and we don't shrink from controversy. We want our programming to be entertaining and even light and fun, but we also want to avoid mere nostalgia-reveling in the past without reflecting on what it really means."
Mr. Maday has been involved in the "balancing act" of programming for over 25 years.
From 1983 to 1987, Mr. Maday was Coordinator of Acquisitions for the Interregional Program Service, Eastern Educational Network, in Boston, now the American Program Services (APS). In this capacity, he evaluated, selected and marketed a wide range of domestic and international programming to public television in the U.S.

Mr. Maday was Program Manager for WMHT in Schenectady, NY, from 1975 to 1983. His duties included the selection and scheduling of all television programming. As Manager of School Services at WHMT from 1971 to 1975, Mr. Maday evaluated, selected and scheduled instructional television services.

Prior to joining WMHT, Mr. Maday was Coordinator of Management Television Services, WNED, Buffalo, NY. At WNED he organized a management training service and established an advisory committee of training professionals to work with the station.

Mr. Maday received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with honor in Political Science and Economics from Canisus College, Buffalo, NY. He obtained a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of Michagan's Institute of Public Policy and a Master of Arts Degree in Speech Communications, Television and Film, from Northwestern University.

Mr. Maday resides in Westchester, New York with his wife and two children.