SAY GOODNIGHT GRACIE
San Antonio Hosts Judging In
Prestigious National Women's
Awards
Gracie Allen Winners Decided In
SA Secret Meetings
SAL Staff
Winners
of the coveted “Gracie Allen Awards” for
women in media were selected in secret meetings in
San Antonio last weekend.
The
awards will be announced in mid- February; winners
will be honored at a June 22nd ceremony in the Grand
Ballroom of the New York Hilton Hotel.
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Named
for the late Gracie Allen -- of Burns and
Allen fame -- the Foundation of
American Women in Radio and Television has
honored producers of electronic media who
feature realistic portrayals of women and
women’s issues. Based in
McLean, Virginia, the AWRT conducts judging
for the prestigious awards in different US
cities each year.
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George And Grace
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San Antonio won the
“bid” to host the judging for the 2004
awards, according to Maria Brennan, AWRT National
Executive Director.
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Brennan
explained that one of the main goals of the
Gracie Awards is to recognize accurate
portrayals of women and their roles in
society. Brennan cited the
long-running “Leave it to Beaver”
television series as an example of inaccurate
portrayals of women.
June
Cleaver, played by Barbara Billingsley, was
portrayed vacuuming the house in pearls and
pumps. Though an enjoyable program, most moms
don’t clean the house in eveningwear,
Brennan pointed out.
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The Cleavers
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Brennan emphasized the
empowering nature of being selected as a host city
for Gracie awards judging In this case, the San
Antonio chapter of AWRT organized and facilitated the
judging exercises.
Numerous local AWRT members and
qualified volunteers from media-related industries
influenced the outcome of Gracie 2004. Twenty percent
of this year’s judges were men, reported
Brennan. Representatives of the local contingent
included Tiana Spivey and Fred Weiss of the San
Antonio College Radio Television and Film Department.
The local
chapter of AWRT, the “San Antonio Media
Alliance,” submitted the proposal for SA to host
the Gracie 2004 judging.
“It’s
not only a great honor for the local chapter of AWRT,
but also for the City of San Antonio, to be selected
as the host city for the international awards
judging,” said local SAMA President, Erika
Grimm.
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