NAMIC Announces Record Attendance at 22nd Annual Conference

NAMIC Announces Record Attendance at 22nd Annual Conference

NEW YORK, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications), a leading trade association, which advocates for diversity in the communications industry, today announced record-setting attendance for the 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference, Diversity: Pipeline to Innovation held in New York City. The Conference, which took place September 14-16, 2008 was NAMIC's largest and one of the most successful to date with nearly 850 professionals in attendance -- a 12 percent increase over 2007.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060705/NYW092LOGO )

"With our country experiencing such tough economic times, we are overwhelmed by the industry support that has led to the success of this year's Conference," said Kathy Johnson, president, NAMIC. "The enthusiasm demonstrated by our supporters -- both financially and via attendance, coupled with the evolving composition of our audience is indicative of the industry's commitment to diversity as a business priority."

More than 100 speakers contributed to the three-day event, which was marked by standing room only crowds at Conference sessions focused on Corporate Diversity and Inclusion, Digital Media, Leadership Development and the first-ever Ad Sales track, which featured sessions produced by ADCOLOR and the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau. The 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference will be remembered for many highlights including the following:

-- Author and cultural critic, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, kicked things off
with an insightful and energizing keynote at the NAMIC National
Membership Meeting. Dyson's appearance was presented via a
partnership with MTV Networks.

-- Tony Harris, anchor of CNN Newsroom, was back by popular demand to
moderate the Diversity Town Hall Meeting produced to stimulate
dialogue on multi-ethnic diversity and inclusion with a focus on
NAMIC's 2008 Employment Research Survey: A Look Toward Advancement:
Multi-ethnic Employment in Telecommunications. Facilitated in
partnership with DiversityInc magazine, the comprehensive biennial
survey provides a baseline of statistics about the state of workplace
demographics in the telecommunications industry. Panelists included
David Cohen, EVP, Comcast Corporation; Debra Lee, chairman & CEO, BET
Networks; John Lansing, president, Scripps Networks; Robert D. Marcus,
Senior EVP & CFO, Time Warner Cable; Kyle McSlarrow, president & CEO,
National Cable Television Association; Abbe Raven, president & CEO,
A&E Television Networks; Johnathan Rodgers, president & CEO, TV One;
Luke Visconti, co-founder & partner, DiversityInc and David Zaslav,
president & CEO, Discovery Communications. Audience polling conducted
in conjunction with the Diversity Town Hall Meeting showed session
attendees considered themselves Black (51%), White (24%), Hispanic
(13%), Asian (6%), Native American (0%) and Other (7%). Among those
polled 75% felt that their companies diversity efforts were primarily
focused on race versus gender, while 24% of the respondents said that
diversity is appreciated and encouraged at the most senior executive
level of their companies.

-- NAMIC, in partnership with CNN, presented an extraordinary luncheon,
which showcased CNN anchor and special correspondent, Soledad O'Brien.
"A Conversation with Soledad O'Brien" focused on "CNN Presents: Black
in America," the network's landmark, multi-media initiative reported
by O'Brien. The groundbreaking documentary series featured six hours
of programming revealing the state of Black America 40 years after the
assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. CNN correspondent Lola
Ogunnaike facilitated the thought-provoking, in-depth, one-on-one
interview.

-- NAMIC continued its tradition of recognizing the cable industry's
campaigns that demonstrate best practices in multi-cultural marketing.
Hosted by Fuse TV personality Jared Cotter and sponsored by ESPN
Deportes and the competition's exclusive media partner, CableFAX
Daily, the NAMIC Excellence In Multi-Cultural Marketing Awards were
presented to the cable industry's top companies, distributors,
networks and industry suppliers.

-- Award-winning journalist and author, Charlayne Hunter-Gault accepted
the 2008 Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award, which is
bestowed by NAMIC in honor of the memory of the late Congressman from
Texas and his lifelong advocacy of social justice and equality for
people around the world. Hunter-Gault's eloquent and riveting
acceptance speech set the tone for a General Session focused on new
media's impact on the political process. Expertly moderated by MTV
News correspondent John Norris, panelists included: Pamela Gentry,
senior political producer, BET Networks; Lee Hawkins, contributor,
CNBC and reporter, Wall Street Journal; Roland Martin, journalist and
syndicated columnist; and Sree Sreenivasan, dean of Student Affairs,
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and tech reporter,
WNBC-TV.

-- Two-time NBA All-Star Allan Houston delivered an inspiration-filled
and motivational keynote address as part of the 15th Anniversary L.
Patrick Mellon Mentorship Luncheon. An entrepreneur and
philanthropist, the former New York Knicks shooting guard is the
founder of the Allan Houston Legacy Foundation's Business Education
and Development Program, which provides aspiring entrepreneurs with
training in negotiation, networking, economics, marketing and other
aspects of business.

The 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference was further highlighted by record-breaking attendance at the adjunct Diversity in Communications Career Expo, which boasted over 750 job seekers matched up with 40 exhibitors representing the communications industry's leading media and entertainment companies. Additionally, excellent networking opportunities were presented via exclusive receptions hosted by Scripps Networks, TV One, Uptown Magazine and NAMIC-New York.

Sponsors of the 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference include Bresnan Communications, Discovery Communications, ESPN Deportes, Scripps Networks, Walter Kaitz Foundation, Russell Reynolds, WE tv, NAMIC-New York, Spark Networks, BET Networks, TV One, A&E Television Networks, Cisco, Disney and ABC Television Group, The Newschannels of Time Warner Cable, Time Warner Cable, Rainbow Media, Univision, Food Network/HGTV, Motorola, NCTA, OlympuSAT, Outdoor Channel, Playboy, TuTv, UCLA, Uptown Magazine, WWE, QVC, The Sportsman Channel, WOW! and The Gilmore Group. Broadcasting and Cable, CableFAX Daily, DiversityInc, Multichannel News, Savoy Professional, TelevisionWeek and The Bridge Media Group served as this year's media partners.

For an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference, visit the NAMIC Conference Blog at http://annualnamicconference.blogspot.com/ or contact NAMIC, at info@namic.com.

About NAMIC

NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC is comprised of 2,000 professionals belonging to a network of 17 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve. For more information, please visit www.namic.com.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060705/NYW092LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: NAMIC

CONTACT: Daphne Leroy, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, of
NAMIC, +1-212-594-5985, daphne.leroy@namic.com; or Charmaine Chapman of BTB
Communications, +1-310-882-5498, char@btbcommunications.com

Web Site: http://annualnamicconference.blogspot.com/

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