Origins

  On 8 April 1951, AWRT held its organizing convention at the Astor hotel in New York. According to the trade publication Broadcasting and Telecasting, 250 women from the fields of radio and television attended this event. They elected Edyth Meserand, assistant director of news and special features at WOR-AM-TV in New York, as the first AWRT president. Appropriately, the keynote speaker at the conference was Frieda Hennock, the first woman to be appointed a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

     Since 1951 AWRT has pursued its stated mission: "to advance the impact of women in the electronic media and allied fields, by educating, advocating, and acting as a resource to our members and the industry." Logically, the majority of members are women, but many men also choose to participate in this effort. The organization carries out its work through more than 30 chapters nationwide.

Function

     AWRT provides professional development activities, mentoring, and job-search assistance for its members. The organization sponsors awards for excellence in the profession and publishes information resources, in print and on-line, for members and nonmembers alike. Through its lobbying efforts, AWRT has been an advocate for many causes, including better opportunities for women who aspire to own media organizations and stricter enforcement of equal employment opportunity requirements at television and radio stations. It has argued in favor of a proposal that would require broadcast organizations to keep statistics on minority and female employees, and it has taken a lead role in educating professionals about sexual harassment. At times, AWRT speaks out on behalf of general policy options that its members consider relevant to its mission. For example, the group argued against using auctions to determine spectrum ownership. The basis for this argument was the belief that auctioning broadcast frequencies would work against preserving a diversity of voices in the media marketplace.

     One of the most important services AWRT provides is facilitating networking opportunities for its members. At its annual convention, professionals from all areas of electronic media discuss key issues affecting the field as well as more specific topics that are most likely to concern women. Throughout the year, AWRT serves all types of organizations by providing speakers on such topics as promoting diversity in the workplace and managing a diverse workforce.

     In addition to these services, AWRT recognizes excellence in electronic media by presenting awards to individuals and companies. These awards are given for outstanding achievements in electronic media, for commitment to the issues and concerns of women, and for achievements in strengthening the role of women in the industry and contributing to the betterment of the community. Its annual Gracie awards, named in honor of broadcast pioneer Gracie Allen, recognize realistic portrayals of women in radio and television programming. Several awards are given each year to commend media contributions "by women, for women or about women." The Silver Satellite awards recognize the outstanding contributions of an individual to the broadcast industry. Among the former winners of this prestigious award are Bob Hope, who won the first Silver Satellite award in 1968, Vincent Wasilewski, former head of the National Association of Broadcasters, Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara Walters, and Pauline Frederick. Other honors given by the organization include the Star Awards, which honor individuals and companies who have shown a commitment to the concerns of women, and the Achievement Awards, which recognize a member who has both strengthened the role of women and contributed to the betterment of the community.

     In 1960 the AWRT Educational Foundation was chartered to promote charitable programs, educational services, scholarships, and projects to benefit the community and the mass media. This support not only provides assistance to community organizations in need of funding, it also provides an opportunity for AWRT members and others to become actively involved in serving their communities.