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May 2, 2008- About ACC / Membership / FORUM / Beacon Awards Inside This Issue:
Advance your career by attending the 4th Cable Communications Institute, June 1-4 in New York City at Syracuse University’s Lublin House. The Institute is designed for communications and public affairs professionals from all cable industry disciplines. Spend three days in New York in an intense learning environment. Topics covered by Syracuse University professors and communications experts will include: strategic community relations and grassroots politics, employee engagement and communications, conflict resolution, communications law, validation research: how to measure communications efforts, leveraging the Internet and new media opportunities, media training/management, change management and strategic communication management. Tuition for the Institute is $2,000 per student (30 maximum) on or before May 15, 2008. May 16 or after the fee is $2,200 per student. All applications must be received by May 29, 2008. Tuition includes all instructional fees, supplies and meals during the day. Tuition does not include housing or hotel fees in New York- Syracuse University has rooms available at the Iroquois Hotel (212-840-3080) at below-market rates. To reserve your place for the Institute, please send the information below (electronic is fine and encouraged) to the attention of Steve Jones: · Complete contact information (name, title, company, phone & email) For additional information, please contact Steve Jones at 202-222-2373 or sjones@cablecommunicators.org.
Be sure to visit ACC at the CableCares Booth (#2847) during The Cable Show '08 in New Orleans, held at the Morial Convention Center May 18-20. ACC has teamed with Cable in the Classroom (CIC), the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women In Cable Telecommunications (WICT) to collect books and help rebuild New Orleans area elementary school libraries. Come by the booth to drop off your books and to hear about the new upcoming programs ACC has created to serve you better. Also, make sure to attend ACC’s panel on Monday, May 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. in room 215. The session, “Publicity Play: Making an Impact in a Fragmented Media Age,” will discuss how cable communicators can leverage both electronic and old media to meet publicity and bottom line objectives. The panel will include: Annie Howell, senior vice president, communications, public affairs & talent management, Discovery Communications; Chelsye Burrows, vice president of programming publicity, Starz Entertainment; Ellen East, executive vice president, chief communications officer, Time Warner Cable; Jennifer Khoury, vice president, corporate and consumer communications, Comcast Corporation; and Ellen Kroner, senior vice president, corporate communications and marketing, Rainbow Media Holdings.
On Earth Day, April 22, Nickelodeon introduced The Big Green Help, a new, pro-social campaign designed to empower kids to participate in earth friendly and energy saving daily activities. The network aired green-themed messages and promotional spots as well as a series of online, environmentally-themed games. The promotional spots also encouraged kids to go to the newly launched The Big Green Help Web site that offers environmental tips and hosts the original green-themed games. As part of the campaign, six new partners joined Nickelodeon to help promote and engage kids in The Big Green Help nationwide, including: The LeBron James Family Foundation; the National Wildlife Federation; the Natural Resources and Defense Council; NFL; Boys & Girls Clubs of America; and Girl Scouts of the USA. All year long, The Big Green Help will provide information and tools across all of Nickelodeon's multiple platforms to help explain climate change to kids, and to connect them to ways they can help at home, in-school and in their communities. For more information on The Big Green Help, visit http://www.thebiggreenhelppress.com.
As a part of its 9th Annual Supplier Diversity Connection Workshop during The Cable Show ’08 in New Orleans, The Walter Kaitz Foundation has teamed up with BET Networks to create a new program introducing minority students and professionals to technical opportunities available in the cable industry. The one-day program, “Cable Cares About Diversity in Engineering and Technology,” will take place on Sunday, May 18, and will introduce students and professionals from diverse backgrounds to the technical side of cable. The Kaitz Foundation and BET have invited students and faculty from historically black colleges and universities, the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and similar organizations to participate in the program. The centerpiece of the program will be a panel moderated by Kaitz Foundation Executive Director David M. Porter and featuring Nomi M. Bergman, executive vice president, strategy and development, Bright House Networks; Scott M. Mills, president and CEO, BET Networks; and Tanya Van Court, senior vice president, Preschool & Parents Online, Nickelodeon, MTVN Kids & Family Group. The program will kick off the Kaitz Foundation’s Annual Supplier Diversity Connection Workshop, which will feature various panels and sessions promoting diversity interests in cable. The full workshop agenda and registration form are available online at www.walterkaitz.org or www.thecableshow.com.
Are you interested in getting connected to ACC in a fresh way? Each year, ACC asks its members to volunteer to serve on its various committees. Get involved and help mold ACC programs to help the association meet its strategic goals. A short description of each committee along with the co-chairs for 2008-2009 is below. Provide Professional Development Resources and Recognition Committee Enhance the Role and Value of Industry Communications Create Outreach Activities that Enhance the Membership Experience For more information on committees, go to ACC’s Web site. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact ACC at services@cablecommunicators.org or 202-222-2370.
On June 10, 2008, the PointSmart.ClickSafe. Summit will draw together Internet providers, technology companies, child advocates, parents’ groups, educators, health researchers and policymakers to share and develop best practices for keeping children safe online. The summit will be held from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by KeepSafe and Common Sense Media and in partnership with the National Cable & Telecommunications Association and Cable in the Classroom, the summit is a part of the cable industry’s PointSmart.ClickSafe. child online safety and literacy initiative. Introduced in 2007, the program was designed to educate consumers and provide them with the resources and tools needed to ensure that children enjoy a safe and responsible Internet experience. For a preliminary agenda, registration materials and more information on the summit, go to http://summit.pointsmartclicksafe.org.
MTV and Radiohead have teamed up to produce a music video for the band’s song “All I Need” to raise awareness of human trafficking. The video will air on all MTV properties globally on May 1 as part of the MTV EXIT — End Exploitation and Trafficking — campaign concentrated in Asia and Africa. Stateside, the initiative comes in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development. MTV EXIT aims to increase awareness and prevention of human trafficking through television programs, online content, live events, and partnerships with anti-trafficking organizations. The “All I Need” video is being released globally across all platforms and will potentially be seen in 560 million households. The video will premier all day in the U.S. on MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Tr3s, MTV Hits and MTV.com. For more information on how to support the fight against human trafficking on human rights issues, go to www.Think.mtv.com.
Every three years, ACC conducts a membership survey. Data from the 2008 survey concludes that since 2002, the association has gained strength and momentum in fulfilling the individual needs of cable communicators while also strenthening the visibility of the communications function in the cable industry. The overall findings further suggest ACC is both "improving the present" and "creating the future" for members and the roles they play within their companies. The study concludes that ACC's strategic focus is well-aligned with the membership's expectations and the tactical execution of these strategies will continue to enhance member satisfaction in the future. The triennial survey collects “grass roots” data to evaluate how it is meeting member needs. The information is used for strategic planning and to develop and roll out member services. In January and February of this year, the consulting firm Westat based in Rockville, Md., randomly contacted a representative sample of the membership with a series of questions. The Board of Directors and staff appreciate the time and input of every member who participated in the survey. Below are highlights from the report. Demographically, ACC members are generally at the midpoint in their professional careers (average age 42) and 51% are women. Looking at work settings, 61% reported working for MSOs or local cable systems and 25% are employed by programming networks. A majority (65%) of members hold titles of Director, Vice President or President/CEO. When replying to the type of work performed, members said they spend a significant proportion of their time in the following activities: government relations (23%), public relations (21%), media relations (17%) and community relations (17%). Moving to questions about ACC, 40% view the association’s performance in addressing practical needs and challenges as very effective or effective. Another 45% responded somewhat effective. Asked about attitudes toward the association, 73% of members said ACC does a good job at disseminating information through online and other electronic media and the same percentage said the association provides a high level of customer service. Another 66% said that association programs and services keep pace with ongoing developments, issues and trends. The three highest rated ACC programs or services are: the annual FORUM conference (78%), the Web site, www.cablecommunicators.org (75%) and the Beacon Awards (72%). Finally, when asked about the future direction of programs or services, members strongly supported two major areas: regional meetings for information, education and networking (65%) and teleconferences, Webinars and other e-learning opportunities (61%). For additional information on the survey results, please contact Steve Jones at 202-222-2373 or sjones@cablecommunicators.org.
Join and support ACC by becoming a corporate member. For more information on how your organization can join ACC as a corporate member, please contact Steve Jones at sjones@cablecommunicators.org or 202-222-2373. For membership details, go to http://www.cablecommunicators.org/cmember.php. Golden Benefactors Benefactors Friends & Associates PO Box 75007 Washington DC 20013 · Phone 800.210.3396 or 202.222.2370 · Fax 202.222.2371 |
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Reserve Your Spot Today for ACC’s 4th Annual Cable Communications Institute