2005 GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY AWARD
Presented to Friends of Thirteen
Thirteen/WNET
Nomination Narrative:
I would like to take this opportunity to nominate the Friends of Thirteen, Inc. for the National Friends of Public Broadcasting 2005 Grassroots Advocacy Award. This nomination highlights the many years of continuing support given by the Friends with an undying passion for public broadcasting.
The Friends of Thirteen, a volunteer organization, has been supporting the mission and goals of Thirteen/WNET New York for 38 years. A key role for the Friends of Thirteen is grassroots advocacy, something they have been engaged in since the early 1980’s – at that time taking the lead on all advocacy efforts for WNET. Today, there is a Government Affairs Department.
Thirteen/WNET and WLIW21 have the largest congressional delegation of any public television station. There are six Members of the U.S. Senate and 31 Members of Congress.
The Friends operate in a highly efficient and organized manner. For the past 15 years, a group of 10 to 12 Friends’ volunteers, along with station staff from both Thirteen and WLIW, make the trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in congressional meetings during Capitol Hill Day. The group is organized into four teams to cover the 31 visits. Yes, 31 House visits in one day, with the six Senate visits made the day before.
The Friends don’t stop with only the annual lobbying visits to Washington, D.C. Throughout the year, they respond to legislative alerts from APTS, writing letters, making phone calls, sending faxes and chatting with Members of Congress at local district events. This is in addition to all they do to support Thirteen and WLIW in fundraising and in outreach.
Each month a mailing goes out with programming and station activity highlights to our congressional delegation. This is sent to the D.C. and District Offices.
This mailing is also sent to Thirteen’s New York State Delegation – 144 Members
(103/Assembly and 41/Senate); 100 Legislators in the New Jersey State
Delegation; three Governors; and 51 New York City Council Members.
We are particularly proud of our recent grassroots efforts, particularly our Friends in Brooklyn who paid special attention to their Republican Member of Congress, by telephoning, faxing and dropping by his district office, making sure that he heard from his constituents on how they wanted him to vote on the upcoming amendment. The result, Democrats as well as Republicans from our delegation, with only one Representative who will remain anonymous, voted for the Obey-Lowey-Leach restoration amendment.
Our advocacy program has continued to grow over the years and is very successful because these special people are volunteers, board members, contributors – they are the best people to deliver a message on Capitol Hill. Their vested interest is simply their love of their local public television station. Our Friends made a difference in 1995 when there was the threat to zero out funding for public television, and we made a difference in 2005.
Presented to Friends of Thirteen
Thirteen/WNET
Nomination Narrative:
I would like to take this opportunity to nominate the Friends of Thirteen, Inc. for the National Friends of Public Broadcasting 2005 Grassroots Advocacy Award. This nomination highlights the many years of continuing support given by the Friends with an undying passion for public broadcasting.
The Friends of Thirteen, a volunteer organization, has been supporting the mission and goals of Thirteen/WNET New York for 38 years. A key role for the Friends of Thirteen is grassroots advocacy, something they have been engaged in since the early 1980’s – at that time taking the lead on all advocacy efforts for WNET. Today, there is a Government Affairs Department.
Thirteen/WNET and WLIW21 have the largest congressional delegation of any public television station. There are six Members of the U.S. Senate and 31 Members of Congress.
The Friends operate in a highly efficient and organized manner. For the past 15 years, a group of 10 to 12 Friends’ volunteers, along with station staff from both Thirteen and WLIW, make the trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in congressional meetings during Capitol Hill Day. The group is organized into four teams to cover the 31 visits. Yes, 31 House visits in one day, with the six Senate visits made the day before.
The Friends don’t stop with only the annual lobbying visits to Washington, D.C. Throughout the year, they respond to legislative alerts from APTS, writing letters, making phone calls, sending faxes and chatting with Members of Congress at local district events. This is in addition to all they do to support Thirteen and WLIW in fundraising and in outreach.
Each month a mailing goes out with programming and station activity highlights to our congressional delegation. This is sent to the D.C. and District Offices.
This mailing is also sent to Thirteen’s New York State Delegation – 144 Members
(103/Assembly and 41/Senate); 100 Legislators in the New Jersey State
Delegation; three Governors; and 51 New York City Council Members.
We are particularly proud of our recent grassroots efforts, particularly our Friends in Brooklyn who paid special attention to their Republican Member of Congress, by telephoning, faxing and dropping by his district office, making sure that he heard from his constituents on how they wanted him to vote on the upcoming amendment. The result, Democrats as well as Republicans from our delegation, with only one Representative who will remain anonymous, voted for the Obey-Lowey-Leach restoration amendment.
Our advocacy program has continued to grow over the years and is very successful because these special people are volunteers, board members, contributors – they are the best people to deliver a message on Capitol Hill. Their vested interest is simply their love of their local public television station. Our Friends made a difference in 1995 when there was the threat to zero out funding for public television, and we made a difference in 2005.