PRESS RELEASE
Armenian General Benevolent Union Inc.
Rita Kuyumjian MD
Chairperson
805, Manoogian street
Ville St-Laurent, QC H4N 1Z5
Tel: 514-748-2428
Fax: 514-748-6307
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Montreal, March 16, 2007 – A new single evening record in membership pledges
of over $21k was set during a special broadcast where two documentaries were
shown, Images of the Armenian Spirit and The Armenian Genocide at Mountain
Lake PBS of Plattsburgh, NY. "This is something unprecedented in our
history", said Alice Recore, CEO of the station, "For a small
community-based station, it is over ten times our standard estimate. We are
truly grateful to the wonderful AGBU team who made it happen".
To date, AGBU Montreal has raised close to $150k in pledges for Mountain
Lake PBS to encourage its Armenian programming.
The earlier single evening record of about $15k belonged to a concert
broadcast of the great three tenors (Pavarotti, Carreras, Domingo) about 8
years ago.
While, over the past 7 years, AGBU had consistently delivered successful
pledge evenings to the station, this incredible success was over the double
of the previous AGBU record. It was as well largely due to the dynamic
presence of Andrew Goldberg, the Emmy award winning filmmaker. Mr. Goldberg
was interviewed on air and drove a key message home to all viewers as to why
it was important to support this kind of programs. "We were a real team with
AGBU", said Goldberg.
"It is really incredible that a program about Armenians, about human rights
and genocide is now the record setter at the station", said Viken L.
Attarian, who headed the AGBU team. "Our scouts who answered the phones were
outstanding, plus we received lots of online pledges; we didn’t even have
time to thank individuals on air which we usually do. We received pledges
not only from Armenians, but from people of various ethnic backgrounds, from
Canadians as well as Americans; the program really resonated with the public
in an amazing way".
Paul King, Executive Producer of the station said that they will inform all
the PBS network (over 350 stations) about this success and the winning
formula that made it happen; "we shall certainly be a trendsetter", he
added.
For further information, please contact the AGBU at 514-748-2428 or at
[email protected]; to write to Mountain Lake PBS to congratulate them
on this success, please go to their website and then
follow the link "Contact Information", or write directly to the CEO,
[email protected]