Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Lucy Rutishauser Recognized by the Baltimore Sun
Lucy Motsay Rutishauser is 56 years old and one of the most influential minds at Sinclair Broadcast Group these days. Rutishauser serves the media conglomerate as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She played a pivotal role in the largest acquisition ever for Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Sinclair Broadcast Group is one of the nation’s largest TV broadcasters, with over 192 local television stations either owned or operated across the US. With the acquisition of all 21 regional sports networks and Fox College Sports from the Walt Disney Company in 2020, Sinclair has taken a $10.6 billion nose dive into the middle of the live sports programming community. Lucy Rutishauser was instrumental in raising billions for the deal in one of the country’s most extensive debt offerings. She needed to defend the news broadcaster’s big bet on sports, a move toward becoming a diversified media and telecommunications partnership among growing opposition.
“It put us squarely into a new footprint outside of broadcast,” Rutishauser said. “We know the news, and sports content genres have been growing consistently over the past five years.”
It was a natural role for Rutishauser, one of eight siblings who grew up in Baltimore’s Hamilton neighborhood and who all pursued professional careers. With a University of Baltimore MBA, Lucy has worked a series of corporate treasury jobs at Black & Decker, Laura Ashley, Integrated Health Services, and others.
“Go out there and forge a path, make a difference,” Rutishauser told the Baltimore Sun that her father would say to her. “That’s been what has guided me over time.”
In 1998, she read about the growth of Sinclair Broadcast Group stationed today in Hunt Valley and intentionally put herself in front of executives at Sinclair Broadcast Group and very affirmingly requested an assistant treasurer post. There was no such job in the company, but Sinclair’s powers-that-be went on and created her position. Rutishauser became treasurer and also headed investor relations for the media conglomerate.
Then-CFO Chris Ripley became Sinclair’s president and CEO in 2017 and continually felt that Rutishauser stood out: dependable, focused, thorough, and “wickedly smart,” a clear choice to follow him when he departed his position, Ripley said.
“She’s steadfast,” Ripley said. “She doesn’t waffle on things, so she’s very good at negotiating, very decisive, and that’s helpful when you’re trying to drive a deal.”
As one of the few female CFOs among Fortune 500 companies, where Sinclair Broadcast Group expects to land this year, “I ask a lot of questions,” Rutishauser said. “I want to understand how other people think and how they approach problems while continuing to learn myself.”
Congratulations to Lucy on a very deserving nod from The Baltimore Sun. Great things are sure to come from Rutinhauser and her team at Sinclair Broadcast Group,
A few other notable Women to Watch in 2020
Jamie Grace Alexander
Jamie Grace has developed a livelihood around fighting sexism, racism, transphobia and other forms of oppression. The resident of Waverly used to lead a major advocacy and support group, Baltimore Transgender Alliance. Jamie founded an archive on Instagram, the Gender Museum, where people are discussing their gender identities.
Sharon Black
President Donald Trump was greeted by swearing protestors and an inflatable, giant rat during his first Baltimore visit after mocking the city on Twitter. When the vice president arrived there last month, Black and her associates were at it again. She has led numerous protests against police brutality and racism, among an array of other issues. She advocated for the raising of the minimum wage in 2016.
Maria Perales Sanchez
The Trump administration was sued in 2017 by Maria Sanchez and other people who immigrated as children to the U.S. for dismantling the Childhood Arrivals program. They made history in June when the Supreme Court ruled in their favor. Maria has pushed for improved labor conditions and policy change at an advocacy group based in Baltimore. She has now begun a legal fellowship for immigrant women.
dette Ramos
For 30 years, Odette Ramos has been pushing for affordable housing, community development and women’s issues, among others as a Baltimore advocate. She campaigned hard and knocked on almost 19,000 doors as well as seeing a family lose their house to a tax sale. If Odette wins the general election in the coming month, she will become the first councilwoman in Baltimore.
China Boak Terrell
China didn’t let the warnings that skipping senior year while at high school get to her head. She later accepted a John Hopkins University scholarship and got the necessary skills to be the corporate lawyer she is. After surviving a heart condition, she decided to transform her life. While living in Minnesota, she adopted a child and later worked for the government in Washington, D.C. while she got her life together. She eventually earned her Public Administration Master’s degree at Harvard University. She became American Communities Trust CEO in 2016.
The national partner aims to introduce investment to urban, low-income neighborhoods, while at the same time gathering wealth for the families there. Baltimore Pumphouse is one of her team’s signature projects which is revamping and previously ruined property into a hub for food production and business at Oliver and Wolfe streets.
The Women to Watch 2020 is sponsored by The Baltimore Sun.
About Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country. Sinclair owns and operates, programs or provides sales services to more television stations than anyone and has affiliations with all the major networks. In addition, Sinclair is the leading local news provider in the country, as well as a producer of sports content. Sinclair owns a multicast network, four radio stations, and a cable network. Sinclair’s broadcast content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. Sinclair, either directly or through its venture subsidiaries, makes equity investments in strategic companies. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. was founded in 1986, went public in 1995, and is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol SBGI.
Throughout our history, Sinclair Broadcast Group has been at the forefront of industry-changing events and technological advances. Our vision and first-to-market mentality drive our ‘next generation’ thinking; stimulating conversations, innovating through our expertise, and advocating for the development of technology and evolving business models.
As a leading over-the-air broadcast television company, our primary business is to engage consumers on multiple platforms with relevant and compelling news, entertainment, and sports content, and to provide advertisers and business efficient means and value to connect with our mass audiences. We recognize the vital role broadcast television plays in branding and local content delivery, and therefore strive to constantly be at the forefront of leading-edge technology and structures to advance the industry.