The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

created by women in 1951 that works to support women in the media in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

About

The mission of the organization is to "advance the impact of women in

broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...

and related fields." Its members also provide support for educational programs and

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

s, and do charity work and other public service activities. Scholarships are available for women who are pursuing careers in media. AWM presents the

Gracie Award The Gracie Awards are awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM) in the United States, to celebrate and honor programming created for women, by women, and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contr ...

annually to recognize women's accomplishments in all media, especially for programming created by and for women. AWM is a national organization, with affiliates in different regions of the country. Both women and men are welcome to join the organization. AWM hosts the annual "Women Who Lead" luncheon. In 2016, AWM Chair Kristen Welch said, "Women Who Lead is one way AWM recognizes and connects women who serve in all areas of the media and entertainment industry. By honoring these outstanding women we are empowering all women, at every level, to take that next step in elevating their careers and their contributions."

History

The organization was founded in 1951 when the

National Association of Broadcasters The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a trade association and lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States. The NAB represents more than ...

(NAB) dissolved its women's division, known as the Association of Women Directors (AWD). After the dissolution, more than 280 women came together to create American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT). From 1951 to 1967, the AWRT partnered with ''

McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-f ...

'' magazine to present the Golden Mike Award for Women in Radio and Television. Winners of the Golden Mike included Lillian Brown,

Genie Chance Genie Chance (born Emma Gene "Genie" Broadfoot; January 24, 1927 – May 17, 1998) was an American journalist, radio broadcaster, and Alaska state politician. She is most well-known for her coverage of the 1964 Alaska earthquake, which netted he ...

Helen Duhamel Helen S. Duhamel (November 26, 1904 – November 8, 1991) was an American businesswoman and broadcaster, best known for saving the Duhamel Company from bankruptcy and establishing a cluster of radio and television stations in western South Dakota ...

Pauline Frederick Pauline Frederick (born Pauline Beatrice Libbey, August 12, 1883 – September 19, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Frederick was born Pauline Beatrice Libbey (later changed to Libby) in Boston in 1883 (some sources stat ...

, Lucy Jarvis, Ruth Lyons,

Agnes Moorehead Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900April 30, 1974) was an American actress. In a career spanning four decades, her credits included work in radio, stage, film, and television.Obituary ''Variety'', May 8, 1974, page 286. Moorehead was th ...

Helen Reichert Helen Reichert (November 11, 1901 – September 25, 2011) was an American talk show personality, New York University professor, founder of ''The Round Table of Fashion Executives'', and the oldest living alumnus of Cornell University at the ti ...

Marlene Sanders Marlene Sanders (January 10, 1931 – July 14, 2015) was an American television news correspondent, anchor, producer and executive who worked for ABC News in the 1960s and 1970s and moved to CBS News in 1978. She is known for being the first woma ...

, Betty Lou Varnum,

Alma Vessells John Alma Vessells John (September 27, 1906 – April 8, 1986) was an American nurse, newsletter writer, radio and television personality, and civil rights activist. Born in Philadelphia in 1906, she moved to New York to take nursing classes after ...

, and

Judith C. Waller Judith Cary Waller (February 19, 1889 – October 28, 1973) was an American broadcasting pioneer. Despite the fact that she knew nothing about radio at the time, she became the first station manager of Chicago radio station WMAQ (AM), WMAQ wh ...

. The AWRT educational foundation was founded in 1960. The foundation awards scholarships of $20,000 to students to start their careers in the

media industry Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit informatio ...

. The sequel to the Golden Mike Awards, the

Gracie Awards The Gracie Awards are awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM) in the United States, to celebrate and honor programming created for women, by women, and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contr ...

, were established in 1975 to acknowledge women who help to create positive differences and who continue to develop the idea of what an amazing career in the media is like. Recipients of the foundation scholarships are invited to the Gracie Awards luncheon in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to be recognized, and to accept their scholarship. The foundation partners with other organizations to provide additional scholarships to students. The organization changed its name in 2010 to the Alliance for Women in Media. This coincided with a change in organization's membership structure which reduced or eliminated dues for most members.

Awards

The 2017 honors for "Women Who Lead" went to: * Caroline Beasley, CEO,

Beasley Broadcast Group Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc., based in Naples, Florida, is an owner/operator of radio stations in the United States. , the company owned 63 stations under the Beasley Media Group name. History The company was founded in 1961 by George G. Bea ...

* Amy Emmerich, Chief Content Officer,

Refinery29 Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational digital media and entertainment website focused on young women. It is owned by Vice Media. History Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Refinery29 ...

* Kathleen Finch, Chief Programming, Content & Brand Officer,

Scripps Networks Katz Broadcasting, LLC, doing business as Scripps Networks, is an American specialized digital multicasting network media company and a subsidiary of E. W. Scripps Company. The company owns (as of 2022) nine television networks that each carry ...

Susan Swain Susan Swain (born December 23, 1954) is an American journalist, author and the co-CEO of C-SPAN. Early years Swain was born December 23, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Swain was educated in public schools in the Philadelphia area. Swain ...

, co-CEO,

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

* Julie Talbott, President,

Premiere Networks Premiere Networks (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a wholly owned subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official site

A Profile of the Member of American Women in Radio and Television, Inc.
(1974 study)
American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) records
at the University of Maryland libraries. Feminist organizations in the United States

About

History

Awards

See also

References

External links