American Association of University Women, Metropolitan Area Mass Media Committee records

The twentieth century revolution in media and communications triggered growing concern and curiosity among a number of organized citizen groups. The American Association of University Women (AAUW), which first recognized the potential impact of radio on education and culture in 1933, was among the early organizers and participants to weigh in on the role of television in American life, ultimately forming the Metropolitan Area Mass Media Committee (MAMM) in 1963. Technology, the invention of television in particular, offered new opportunities for education and culture; yet many citizens, including AAUW members, were concerned about the growing influence of television on the population of America. The women of the American Association of University Women, Bethesda-Chevy Chase branch, were quick to act and become a recognizable voice in the promotion of quality television.

Initially motivated by concern for children, the branch focused on reinforcing the need for quality children's programming, publicly commending programs and personalities focused on children and education. Concurrently, the Alexandria, Virginia branch formed an Educational Television study group. The two branches acknowledged their similarities and, in 1956, joined together to form a metropolitan area mass media committee.

By 1958, the committee expanded to include at least eight area branches representing Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. These branches each conducted autonomous study groups on mass media and jointly participated in presenting awards to locally produced television programming. Additionally, the Greater Washington Educational Television Association (GWETA) invited members of AAUW branches to participate on its Advisory Council, and AAUW members actively supported GWETA through fund drives, conferences, and production assistance with early programming on commercial stations. Local AAUW branches were instrumental in assisting Elizabeth Campbell's efforts to secure Channel 26, WETA, a public television station, for the Washington metropolitan area in 1961.

In 1963, the committee adopted a formal name: Metropolitan Area Mass Media Committee (MAMM). MAMM was organized as a collaborative effort in which each branch sent representatives to serve on the permanent committee. It actively influenced local mass media by conducting surveys; distributing survey results; researching and writing reports; serving as production assistants; hosting and attending conferences; and assisting public programming to secure funds and air space. The MAMM committee was most notable for the presentation of annual awards to recognize the efforts of local television programming. MAMM broadened its focus in 1966 when Jean White of the Washington Post received an award for her newspaper series "Our Crowded Earth." The Washington Post publicized the awards with a full page announcement, complete with MAMM caricatures, thus establishing early use of the acronym. In 1968, Harden and Weaver of WMAL received the first radio award, and WAMU received the first radio letter of recognition for contributions to community affairs.

By 1968, MAMM officially extended the award program to include local radio broadcasts and print media. Granting awards to local media allowed the AAUW to register publicly its opinion of local media outlets, thereby indirectly influencing the quality of print and programs. Awards were presented annually in May at a ceremony held at AAUW headquarters in Washington, D.C.

MAMM celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2004. By this time, outlets for communication had increased exponentially. The committee attempted to include new media in the awards program, adding cable and satellite channels and internet sites. However, a paragraph penned at the time of the fiftieth anniversary summarized the challenges faced by MAMM in the twenty-first century:

The media environment has changed dramatically since the early 1950s. Accessible media outlets have exploded. Local children's programming has disappeared. The media environment now includes DVDs, video games, cable and satellite television, and the internet. Our media neighborhood or what we used to call local needs to be rethought.



The committee members assessed MAMM's purpose and situation but were unable to propose a solution to accommodate the new media environment. MAMM disbanded in 2005 after fifty-one years of service to the Washington, DC metropolitan area.