This story has been amended to reflect a change of date for the event.
Gordon H. Smith and the broadcasters advocacy association that he leads will be honored by the Broadcasters Foundation of America with the 2015 Golden Mike Award on March 16.
The black-tie fundraiser at the Plaza Hotel in New York City will benefit the foundation’s mission of providing aid to broadcasters in need.
“I’d like to thank the Board of Directors for this recognition, and I would ask all broadcasters to please consider your good fortune and help those in our profession who, through no fault of their own, have fallen on the hardest of times,” said Smith.
“Gordon’s influence has raised awareness of the foundation’s charitable mission, and his commitment to helping those in our business who need it most has been admirable,” said Philip J. Lombardo, chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation. “We are honored to have Gordon on our board and to recognize his dedication to our purpose with the 2015 Golden Mike Award.”
“The NAB has provided the Broadcasters Foundation with platforms to help us generate awareness about our mission, and we are thankful for that support,” said Broadcasters Foundation of America President Jim Thompson. “With the 2015 Golden Mike Award, we recognize their contribution.”
Prior to joining the NAB in 2009, Smith served as a two-term U.S. senator from Oregon and later as senior advisor in the Washington offices of Covington & Burling, LLP. During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Smith’s committee assignments included the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the panel that oversees all broadcast-related legislation. He also served on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Smith also practiced law in New Mexico and Arizona before returning to Oregon to direct the family-owned Smith Frozen Foods business. Before his election to the U.S. Senate in 1996, he was elected to the Oregon State Senate.
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has distributed millions of dollars in aid to thousands of broadcasters and their families who lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease, or unforeseen family tragedy.
