Red, White & Cool: WICT at 25 Pauses Then Looks Ahead

WICT couldn’t have found a better cadre of women to represent the group’s beginnings and the promise of its future than those it put on display last night during its 25th anniversary gala in DC. First up were WICT founders Gail Sermersheim and Lucille Larkin, clearly relishing their creation and its achievements. "I remember that first CTAM; 99 guys and me," Sermersheim joked. Then Comcast svp, customer service and ‘Woman to Watch’ winner Suzanne Keenan impressed with her remarks about never giving up, making your own luck and taking risks. "She’s transformed our company’s thinking" with her customer-service initiatives, Comcast pres Steve Burke noted in praising the one-time nuclear engineer. Last was ‘Woman of the Year’ and MTV chmn/CEO Judy McGrath, whose brief remarks bore out VH1 boss Christina Norman’s description of her: "She tops Donald Trump in her dominion…and has better hair." We’d add she’s deeper and more articulate than the Donald, as she emphasized that it’s not cultural but natural for women and men to be treated equally. "It’s our job to fight the enshrined mythology" that continues to dominate corporate America, she said, noting there’s "nothing worse than reverence for conformity…and fear of diversity." While WICT chief Benita Fitzgerald Mosley praised pay equity gains for women as well as work/life and training initiatives, she predicted WICT’s next 25 years "will be its toughest." Perhaps, but the promise of last night was a good start. — Buzz: Being DC much chatter revolved around the presidential election, with one cable wag summing it up thus: "the programmers are depressed, the operators aren’t." Showtime’s Matt Blank confessed, "I just called Judy McGrath and I’ve conceded the title of ‘Woman of the Year’ even though Comcast Florida hasn’t reported and I’m ahead in the exit polls." — Cable’s hardy revelers didn’t let the lack of a formal after party hold them back. A large, loud throng commandeered the Hilton bar, while others quaffed at an impromptu party in Fitzgerald Mosley’s 9th floor suite. Discovery celebrated its ‘Best Programmer’ win at the Ritz Carlton, where well-wishers yearned for a repeat of last year’s George Clooney sighting.