Chantilly, VA- The Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT) Foundation today announced the recipients of the 2005 Accolades, WICT’s most prestigious awards.  A committee comprised of industry leaders selected the 2005 Accolades honorees from among a strong pool of nominations. WICT has named Laureen Ong as the 2005 Woman of the Year, Marlene Dooner and Ellen East as 2005 Women to Watch and A&E Network as the winner for both categories of Tribute Accolades, with “The Brooke Ellison Story” and “Bearing Witness.” The 2005 Accolades will be presented at the 21st Annual WICT Foundation Benefit Gala, which will be held on November 16, 2005 at the Hilton Washington in Washington, DC.  The Forerunner Accolades, presented to the Best Programmer for Women in Cable and the Best Operator for Women in Cable as determined by the WICT Foundation PAR Initiative, will be announced during the week of November 14, 2005. 

“This year’s WICT Accolades Award honorees represent the fearless, risk-taking individuals, programs and organizations that exemplify the WICT Foundation’s role as a catalyst for change,” said WICT President & CEO Benita Fitzgerald Mosley. “Each of the 2005 Accolades honorees significantly influences millions of customers, subscribers, employees and viewers in our industry, through their passion, presence and power.”

Woman of the Year- Laureen Ong, President, National Geographic Channel Laureen Ong is a pioneer in the industry.  She has held exceptionally diverse executive positions within both cable and broadcast, reflecting almost every aspect of the industry. Among her accomplishments, Ong launched and was general manger of one of the nation's first regional sports networks, served as program director for the CBS Sports Spectacular, sold syndication for MTM, and as Vice President and General Manager of WTTG in Washington, DC, was the first, and only, Asian-American woman to run a top ten market affiliate.  Under Ong's leadership, the National Geographic Channel has grown at a record-setting pace from 10 million at launch to more than 55 million subscribers and achieved the fastest ratings growth of any network for all of 2004.

Woman to Watch- Marlene Dooner, Comcast Corporation, Corporate Vice President of Investor Relations Marlene Dooner has been responsible for communicating Comcast’s transformation from a cable company with less than four million subscribers to the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services with more than 21 million customers.  She is responsible for communicating the Comcast story to Wall Street and works side-by-side with Comcast’s executive management team, sharing feedback from investors and managing expectations as they relate to future company performance.  Dooner joined Comcast as Corporate Director of Investor Relations in 1995 after serving in the banking industry for 12 years.  Today, she is one of the cable industry’s most senior Hispanic female executives.

Woman to Watch- Ellen East, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Cox Communications Ellen East has transformed Cox’s Public Affairs function to address competition, new product launches and to recognize the link between effective internal communication and company performance.  East suggested and then built Cox’s employee communication program; created Cox’s initial online presence at www.cox.com; enhanced the company’s media relations function to include consumer media as an effective competitive weapon; and endlessly championed the role of Public Affairs in new-product launches.  She is involved with CTAM, is a past Chair of  CTPAA, is a member of NCTA’s Public Affairs and CablePAC committess and is a member of the WICT Board of Directors.

Tribute Accolades

Tribute Accolade- Documentary/Biographical-  A&E Network for “Bearing Witness” Bearing Witness intimately examines the personal and professional lives of five women journalists at different stages of their careers as they attempt to put a human face on otherwise impersonal tragedies.  These women provide a unique view of life inside Iraq told from a unique perspective that doesn’t make it to our televisions.  Their stories will take the audience on an important journey into the often intense, personal, dramatic and compelling stories that too often go unnoticed. Filmed over the course of one year, Bearing Witness weaves together the stories of these five incredible women into a revealing cinematic tale about the women behind the stories.

Tribute Accolade- Drama/Music/Variety/Comedy- A&E Network for “The Brooke Ellison Story”  The Brooke Ellison Story is based on the book by Brooke and her mother Jean titled Miracles Happen: One Mother One Daughter One Journey.  The film was directed by Christopher Reeve.  Brooke Ellison represents the quintessential role model for people with disabilities and for those without.  Banished to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic plugged into artificial respiration 24 hours a day; Brooke is living proof that we can all overcome any and all obstacles to fulfill our dreams. With the support of her entire family, Brooke has managed to go far beyond anyone’s wildest imagination…with no end in sight.

Honorary Co-Chairs
Executives from the WICT Leadership Circle companies will serve as honorary co-chairs for the event.  The 2005 WICT Leadership Circle: Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., MTV Networks, Charter Communications; provides the highest level of support for WICT’s programs, services and advocacy initiatives. 

The honorary co-chairs for the 21st Annual WICT Foundation Benefit Gala are:
John Alchin , Co-Chief Financial Officer, Comcast
Glenn A. Britt, Chairman & CEO, Time Warner Cable
James O. Robbins, President & CEO, Cox Communications
Philip I. Kent, Chairman & CEO, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Judy McGrath, Chairman & CEO, MTV Networks
Robert May, Interim CEO, Charter Communications

About the WICT Gala
The 21st Annual WICT Foundation Benefit Gala will be held Wednesday, November 16, 2005 at the Hilton Washington.  This year's theme, Passion. Power Presence., salutes the passion of the WICT volunteer leaders, honors the presence of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute Fellows and celebrates the power of the 2005 WICT Accolades Award winners.   The evening will include the presentation of the 2005 Accolade awards.  For more information or to purchase a gala table, please visit www.wict.org.

About the WICT Foundation

The WICT Foundation is responsible for the advocacy initiatives of Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT), the oldest and largest professional association serving women in the cable and telecommunications industry. The WICT Foundation serves as a catalyst for industry change through research, development, advocacy and education. Its current effort, the PAR Initiative, measures and supports the advancement of industry women against the following standards: Pay Equity, Advancement Opportunities and Resources for Work/Life Support. Groundbreaking programs such as the PAR Initiative, and other WICT Foundation research on issues such as work/life balance and the business case for gender diversity, have inspired industry-wide advancements for women.

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