Club perseveres through pandemic
The National Press Club has been knocked back but not knocked out by the coronavirus pandemic, Club leaders said at the Oct. 16 general membership meeting.
The Club closed its doors to in-person activities from March 16 until June 9. Since resuming dining, takeout and other services in late June, Club business remains far below normal levels. The Club furloughed 46 staff members, and the remaining professional staff agreed to a 15 percent pay cut.
The Club is projecting a loss for the year. The shortfall could be reduced if the loan the Club received through the Paycheck Protection Program is converted to a grant, as is expected.
Despite the economic headwinds, Club membership has held relatively steady and online Headliners events have been abundant.
“The revenue drain from the loss of in-person events has been staggering,” said Club President Michael Freedman during the online membership meeting. “Yet we have been there at every turn to support global press freedom. We have maintained our membership numbers. And we have become a virtual program powerhouse.”
Freedman added: “We have found strength in each other. We have persevered, and our sense of purpose is undeterred.”
Despite the slowdown of in-person activity, Freedman said the Club has sponsored a record number of news events online. He mentioned 20 examples in the President’s Report, including virtual Newsmakers featuring Dan Rather, Jane Goodall, the Commission on Presidential Debates, Rep. Karen Bass, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and leaders of the Lincoln Project.
The Club also has stayed engaged with its members and the journalism community through its ongoing efforts to free Austin Tice, a journalist who has been detained in Syria for more than eight years; the initiative it recently launched to provide meals for medical staff at Howard University Hospital; and by making the ballroom the debate filing center for journalists who were not able to attend the presidential debates in person.
In order to generate a revenue boost while retaining and attracting members, the Club is making a special "two-years-for-one" offer on membership dues. Anyone who pays their 2021 dues in full by Nov. 6 will get their 2022 membership for free.
At a time when the journalism industry is under greater economic pressure than ever and layoffs are widespread, the Club has established a career center to help members identify job opportunities and receive career coaching.
Although the Club recently has been booking small hybrid events that consist of socially distanced in-person meetings augmented by online activity, Club officials don’t anticipate a return to normal business levels until a coronavirus vaccine is widely available. That means the Club may not be profitable again until 2022.
Freedman closed his President's Report with a quote from Edward R. Murrow, "Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts." He then thanked everyone for rising to the challenges of this year.
“Thanks to [Club executive director] Bill McCarren, his incredible team, a superb group of officers and members of the board of governors and you, our members, we will be here…and we will get through this,” Freedman said.
In other updates at the meeting:
Membership: The Club has 2,781 total members compared to 2,952 this time last year, a 6% decrease. The number of journalist members has declined from 1,470 to 1,361, while communicator members have declined from 827 to 789. Thanks to efforts to support members who may be in financial hardship, the membership decrease “appears to have plateaued,” said Membership Secretary Eileen O’Reilly.
National Press Club Journalism Institute: The National Press Club Journalism Institute has been recording strong readership of its newsletters and attendance at its professional development programs, said Angela Greiling Keane, president of the Institute’s board of directors. It has 2,813 subscribers for its monthly newsletter and 1,935 subscribers for its daily newsletter. Its 30 programs have averaged 115 participants each.