Club expects revenue to recover from winter hit; Hughes touts press freedom efforts

Bad weather this winter slammed the National Press Club's budget but the return of spring is likely to make up for a revenue shortfall, Club members were told a a general membership meeting May 1.

Club President John Hughes also reported on first quarter progress on meeting his ambitious goals for promoting press freedom and embracing new media technology and programs to keep the Club on the cutting edge of journalism.

Treasurer Marc Wojno said 2015 is "off to a rough start" with a $112,000 loss, mainly because of event cancellations due to bad weather. Revenue totaled $2.74 million, well short of a $3.11 million budget estimate, and costs were $2.85 million compared to an estimate of $2.93 million.

But April is expected to generate $1.35 million, the best April ever. He said the Club's goal of averaging monthly revenue between $1.2 million and $1.3 million is "attainable."

The Club has no long-term debt, its reserve fund has grown to $2.8 million from $2.2 million a year ago and its ultimate reserve fund goal is $5 million, Wojno said.

The Club is looking for "new revenue streams," including corporate memberships and new rental space, Wojno said. He noted that a new strategic plan will be announced this fall. He said members who want to contact him should call him at 202 887-6543 or e-mail him at [email protected].

Promoting press freedom this year has featured efforts to free Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian from prison in Iran, including a major press conference, Club-promoted interviews on some 20 TV stations and a Club-solicited statement of support from Mohammed Ali, Hughes said. The Club sponsored a multi-organization conference on protecting freelance journalists in danger zones and it has transferred its Press Freedom Committee to the tax-free NPC Journalism Institute to help raise funds for its programs.

Hughes also highlighted innovation at the Club. Its use of social media is quickly expanding, including more than 10,000 Twitter followers and live coverage of Club events. The Club hosted a country band night, an upcoming luncheon program will feature three airline CEOs in a Q&A format, and the Broadcast Committee is producing pod casts.

All Club committees are being urged to incorporate press freedom, social media and broader membership into their efforts, Hughes said.

Membership Chairman Joe Morton said in a video report that membership stands at 3,160, down 1.5 percent from this time last year. He urged members to recruit applicants by bringing them to Club events. He noted that a recent addition to membership benefits is reciprocal privileges with the London Club in Ontario, Canada.

Hughes also announced that Gwen Ifill of PBS is the winner of the 4th Estate Award, which will be presented in October. Author and storyteller Garrison Keillor will be a luncheon speaker May 22. The next membership meeting will be on Oct. 2.