It’s about Hollywood, women, and power, a headline trifecta for most publications, and year after year it gets the attention it aims for. When the Hollywood Reporter’s latest annual listing of the 100 most powerful women in entertainment hit newsstands in December, seven BU alums were on it, three in the top six positions.

Topping the magazine’s Power 100 list was Bonnie Hammer (CGS’69, COM’71, SED’75), chair of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group. Nancy Dubuc (COM’91), president and CEO of A+E Networks, ranked third, and Nina Tassler (CFA’79), CBS Entertainment president and chair, took sixth place.

According to a behind-the-scenes story published in the New York Times, rankings were determined mainly by numbers, such as the number of employees overseen and box office results. Judges also factored in more subjective data, such as how much clout the women wield in the industry.

Other alums on the list were Bonnie Arnold (COM’78), a film producer at DreamWorks Studios, who was number 38; Beth Roberts (LAW’83), vice president of business operations at NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group, who tied for 56th place; Hilary Estey McLoughlin (COM’84), president of creative affairs at CBS Television Distribution, listed at number 67; and Tracey Jacobs (CAS’79), board member and partner at United Talent Agency, ranked 68th.

“This year’s selection was a well-deserved bonanza for Boston University,” says Bill Linsman, site director of the University’s Study Abroad site in LA. “Why? Put simply, it is a great school and has been for a long time….The skill sets of this group have been very much appreciated in entertainment and media in New York and Los Angeles epicenters.”

Additional reporting by Leslie Friday.