• by Beverly Weinstein , May 11, 2011

Whether you're on the road pitching A&E's newest programs or selling NBC's sports sponsorships, a good read and an iPad appear to be a few must-haves for frequent flyers, according to a random sample of sales leaders.

The range in reading preferences was as varied as the network executives surveyed. While it's not clear that anyone will glean clues into upfront strategies from the list of top reading picks, the following recommendations should be useful for upcoming flights or even late nights in the office waiting to finish upfront negotiations.

iPads and Kindles Rule

Reading books the old-fashioned way seems to be a thing of the past. The iPad was the front-runner as a reading device followed by the Kindle.  No one mentioned using a magazine app, but plenty of execs acknowledged reading magazines. While Apple may be the dominant reader of choice, the Blackberry still rules as the most used smartphone.

Top Reading Picks

Mel Berning, executive vice president at AETN Networks, is reading no fewer than three books on his iPad: The Innovators Dilemma by Clayton Christen, The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris and The Big Short by Michael Lewis.

Call it coincidence but Amy Baker, senior vice president, sales at Lifetime, and Barbara Bekkedahl, vice president, sales at Bravo, are both reading Laura Hillenebrand's Unbroken, on an iPad and Kindle, respectively.

It may seem backwards, but Seth Winter, senior vice president, NBC Sports, is lugging around the 500-page Keith Richard's autobiography Life, while Patty Gilchrist, senior vice president of E! is reading about sports great Andre Agassi in his new book Open on her iPad.

Susan Malfa, senior vice presiden, Bravo, Oxygen and NBC Women's Group, is reading Water For Elephants.  If you're in need of a good laugh, Karen Grinthal, senior vice president, The Food Network recommends Tina Fey's new book Bossypants.

John Barry, senior vice president, Discovery, and Jim Agius, senior vice president, A&E  favor business reads. Jim is reading Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell on his iPad, while John is toting around the Checklist Manifesto as he waits for his backordered iPad.

Biographies, Booze and Religion

Bruce Lefkowitz, executive vice president, Fox Cable Networks, is "rocking the Kindle" with Titanic Thompson The Man Who Bet on Everything andSteinbrenner The Last Lion of Baseball.

Bill Rosolie, executive vice president, Rainbow, is prepping for his summer trip to France with Bordeaux Burgundy -- a Vintage Rivalry by Jean-Robert Pitte. Peter Olson, senior vice president, The History Channel is reading the scholarly The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.

Print Still Flies

Magazines circulation may be hurting but not from our group of travelers. Some favorites included: Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, all the weekly entertainment magazines, Golf Digest, The New Yorker and Newsweek. Most of the execs pick up at least two and often four newspapers before boarding. Of course, the media industry trades are favorites online or in print.