Arlington, Va., Oct. 20, 2003 -- The Media Institute will honor Tribune Company President and CEO Dennis J. FitzSimons and C-SPAN Chairman and CEO Brian P. Lamb this Wednesday at its annual Friends & Benefactors Awards Banquet at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington. FitzSimons will be honored with the American Horizon Award, while Lamb will receive the Freedom of Speech Award.

      FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin will be the keynote speaker at the Oct. 22 event. The master of ceremonies will be communications attorney and former FCC chairman Richard E. Wiley.

      Don Cornelius, creator of the dance show "Soul Train," will present the American Horizon Award to FitzSimons. The award recognizes leadership in promoting the vitality and independence of American media and communications. FitzSimons, who joined Tribune in 1982, has helped build the company into a leader in broadcasting, publishing, and interactive media.

      Prof. Michael Kelley, founder of The Capitol Connection, will present Lamb with the Freedom of Speech Award. The award is given to an individual who has helped advance freedom of expression. As the founder of C-SPAN, Lamb has brought gavel-to-gavel coverage of the U.S. Congress to the American public since 1979.

      The Media Institute is a nonprofit research foundation specializing in communications policy and the First Amendment. For more information, visit the Institute online at www.mediainstitute.org.