IRTS Announces its Most Prestigious Honor and Names
Award Dinner Co-Chairs

New York, NY, September 28, 2009 The International Radio and Television Society Foundation will present its 2009 Gold Medal Award to the top cable television groups, IRTS Chairman Tom Kane announced today.

The Cable groups will be honored at a gala on October 1, at The Pierre in New York City featuring some of televisions top talent and executives. The event will celebrate the best of television both broadcast and cable with guest speakers and video highlights from over the years.

The television networks are the first of their kind to be honored by IRTS. Established in 1960, the Gold Medal Award is presented annually in recognition of significant long-term contributions to the integrity, health, and success of the electronic media industry.

The honored networks have been a driving force in the evolution of media, from the buzz of game shows to the advent of reality TV, from the rise of music videos to the 24-hour news programming, from childrens shows to content pushing censor limits. These cable networks are the subject of daily discussion, the fulcrum of the information age and the motivation behind social change. For arguably good or bad the networks have become an inextricable piece of the American way of life.

Accepting the award for the networks will be executives from each of the groups.

The dinner is being Co-Chaired by:

Chase Carey, President and Chief Executive Officer, The DIRECTV Group, Inc.

Peter Chernin, President and Chief Operating Officer, News Corporation

Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company

Mel Karmazin, Chief Executive Officer, Sirius XM Radio Inc.

Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Corporation

Jeff Zucker, President and Chief Executive Officer, NBC Universal

With this honor, the television networks join a list of industry heavyweights. Past Gold Medal recipients have included: the NFL; Lucille Ball; Walter Cronkite; Michael Eisner; Leonard H. Goldenson; Bob Hope; Mel Karmazin; Roger King; Leslie Moonves; Rupert Murdoch; Tom Murphy; General David Sarnoff; Ted Turner; Oprah Winfrey; Bob Wright; Sumner Redstone and Jeff Zucker.

Dinner tickets, which begin at $1,250 a seat, can be purchased by contacting IRTS President and CEO Joyce Tudryn at 212-867-6650, ext. 301. Proceeds support the IRTS Summer Fellowships, Diversity Initiatives and Educational Programs for students, professors, professionals and other publics. IRTS uniquely brings together the wisdom of yesterdays founders, the power of todays leaders and the promise of tomorrows young industry professionals. While many philanthropic organizations are social in nature and forward a check to someone else at the end of the day, the IRTS Foundation takes full responsibility for the planning and implementation of all its educational programs, allowing donors to meet beneficiaries and see direct evidence of the difference their generosity is making.

www.irts.org

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