CONTACT: Thomas Dima 212.459.1605 thomas@cablepositive.org

SHOWTIME’S MATT BLANK TO RECEIVE CABLE POSITIVE’S 2004 JOEL A. BERGER MEMORIAL AWARD

Cablevision’s Jim Dolan, Cox’s Jim Robbins, ABC Cable Networks’ Anne Sweeney, and Charter’s Carl Vogel To Serve as Chairs of Fundraising Dinner Honoring Blank

NEW YORK, NY - November 12, 2003
Cable Positive, the cable and telecommunications industry’s AIDS action organization, will honor Matthew C. Blank, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Showtime Networks Inc. with the organization’s highest honor, the Joel A. Berger Memorial Award, for outstanding contribution to the fight against AIDS by a cable industry leader. A fundraising dinner will be held in Blank’s honor on March 30, 2004 in New York City at The Marriott Marquis. James L. Dolan, President & Chief Executive Officer, Cablevision Systems Corporation, Chairman, MSG; James O. Robbins, President & Chief Executive Officer, Cox Communications; Anne Sweeney, President, ABC Cable Networks Group; and Carl Vogel, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director, Charter Communications will serve as the evening’s chairs.

“Matt Blank was present at the creation of Cable Positive, and he continues to be there day in and day out pushing AIDS awareness, prevention and education to the forefront of society’s conscience,” said Steve Villano, Cable Positive President & CEO. “Cable Positive is honored to recognize Matt’s commitment and leadership to the industry’s AIDS action organization to continue our fight against this epidemic.”

Since coming to Showtime in 1989, when he worked closely with then CEO Winston ‘Tony’ Cox, a fellow Joel A. Berger Memorial Award winner and namesake of the Tony Cox Community Fund, Matt Blank has made Showtime into a leader of AIDS awareness, education and prevention for its employees and viewers across the nation. Showtime is a consistent leader in its use of Cable Positive’s AIDS in the Workplace program, educating their employees year-round. Showtime creates award-winning HIV/AIDS-related programming. In 2002, Showtime received the first-ever Cable Positive Positively Outstanding Programming (POP) Award for Network of the Year, recognizing the channel’s commitment to HIV/AIDS-related programming. Showtime’s ‘Queer As Folk’ has received the Outstanding Original Series POP Award two years in a row for their continuing storylines dealing with HIV.

Blank will join a list of distinguished cable and telecommunications leaders including: BET’s Robert L. Johnson and Debra Lee (2003), Reed Business Information’s Bill McGorry (2002), Cablevision’s James L. Dolan (2001), Marc B. Nathanson (2000), ABC Cable Networks’ Anne Sweeney (1999), YES Network’s Leo Hindery, Jr. (1998), Dick Aurelio (1997), Winston H. “Tony’ Cox (1996 – posthumously) and Time Warner’s Jeffrey Bewkes and Michael Fuchs (1995). The award is named for Joel A. Berger, a Cable Positive Honorary Chair and the group publisher of Multichannel News, who died of complications due to AIDS in April 1995.

Tables and other sponsorships are now available by contacting Melissa Hinnen at 212.459.1606 or via email at melissa@cablepositive.org.

ABOUT CABLE POSITIVE
Cable Positive is a national non-profit organization that was founded in February 1992 by three concerned cable executives with the mission of organizing cable’s resources in the fight against AIDS. Cable Positive will mobilize the talents, resources, access and influence of the cable and telecommunications industry to raise HIV/AIDS awareness; support HIV/AIDS education, prevention and care; and strive to end stigma by creating a more compassionate climate for people whose lives have been affected by HIV or AIDS. Cable Positive has grown to include supporters from every major cable network, multiple system operator, cable system, hardware manufacturer, trade association, media publication, and affiliated industry vendors and suppliers. Since 1992, Cable Positive has raised more than $10 million in the fight against AIDS. For more information about Cable Positive, call 212-459-1502 or log on to www.cablepositive.org.