NBC Universal exec to speak on media diversity Oct. 1 at Newhouse III, part of First Amendment year celebration

NBC Universal exec to speak on media diversity Oct. 1 at Newhouse III, part of First Amendment year celebrationSeptember 24, 2007Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

On Monday, Oct. 1, Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications will host a conversation with Paula Madison, executive vice president of diversity for NBC Universal. Newhouse professor Dow Smith will lead the discussion with Madison on newspaper, broadcast journalism and media diversity beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium at Newhouse III.

The conversation is part of both the school’s yearlong celebration of the First Amendment and its Leaders in Communication Lecture Series. It is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in the University Avenue Garage. Patrons should alert the parking attendant that they are attending the Madison lecture. Patrons with special parking needs can contact Audrey Burian at the Newhouse School at (315) 443-1930 or aaburian@syr.edu.

The first senior executive in NBC Universal’s history to hold a position solely devoted to diversity, Madison was previously president and general manager of KNBC, the NBC-owned and -operated station in Los Angeles. She is the recipient of numerous prestigious industry awards, including local area Emmy, Golden Mike and Regional Edward R. Murrow awards for Best Newscast and Best Investigative Reporting. A former Newhouse master’s student, she was named one of the 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America by Black Enterprise magazine in 2005.

For more information on the lecture, contact Newhouse professor Nancy Sharp at 443-9235 or nwsharp@syr.edu.

For more information on the Newhouse School’s yearlong celebration of the First Amendment or how to get involved, contact Newhouse professor Charlotte Grimes at 443-2366 or cgrimes@syr.edu or visit http://newhouse.syr.edu/nh3/first_amendment.cfm.