Silver Bells

Anybody besides us wondering whether it’s a tad awkward for WICT to honor execs from companies that failed to make the cut on any of the group’s 5 "Industry’s Best" lists? Don’t get us wrong, MTV’s Judy McGrath deserves Woman of the Year accolades she’ll receive tonight (and more), and we were big fans of now-former Rainbow exec Kathy Dore, last year’s top honoree. And to be accurate, we don’t know whether or not their companies even participated in PAR. WICT’s confidentiality rules protect companies’ identities; only those ranked in PAR’s top 25 slots are known (Cfax 11/01). The issue is a pig in a poke, WICT pres/CEO Benita Fitzgerald Mosley says. "We’re definitely honoring the individual, not the company," she says. "We chose the Woman of the Year prior to finding out the results of the PAR Initiative. They are 2 specific processes that are independent, and I think we want to keep it that way. … We want to honor their achievements and how they’ve helped to make the company successful, not the other way around. … It’s more of a subjective process as opposed to PAR." Fair enough. — Now what about the absence this year of 2 cable competitors who made the list last year? Did DirecTV and Qwest participate this time? Again, the confidentiality rules block the answer. But WICT was under "no pressure" on this issue, she says. "We definitely heard some comments, both negative and positive, regarding who made the list and who didn’t-whether it was a satellite or telco or a cable operator or programmer." WICT’s board, trustees and PAR Foundation members supported DirecTV’s and Qwest’s inclusion last year, she says. "They participated on their own volition. We didn’t want to exclude someone [who considers themselves part of the telecom industry]." — As it’s WICT’s 25th anniversary, look for silver mixed in with the group’s standard red at tonight’s gala. "We have a lot to celebrate," she says. "We don’t want to rehash history. We want to look toward the future of the industry and the part that women will play in it." Samantha Dee of Comedy Central’s "The Daily Show" will host the event, which will include an award for Comcast svp, customer service Suzanne Keenan. — Reverse the Curse? Since we noted last year that the chattering classes were citing a "WICT Curse" for the departures of former WOY honorees Maggie Bellville (Cox) and Kim Kelly (Insight), Dore also has found a new place to hang her hat.