WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Mix magazine has ended its sponsorship of the Technical Excellence and Creativity (TEC) Awards, just shy of its 25th year of support.
Mix magazine had been the main sponsor since the awards were created in1985, and later established the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio,a charitable organization that owns and presents the TEC Awards.
Hillel Resner, president of the Mix Foundation and former publisher ofMix magazine, says the economic crisis played a major role in themagazine’s decision to end its sponsorship.
“Times are tight, and big, for-profit companies like Penton Media,which owns Mix magazine, have to make decisions on where to put money,”Resner explains. “It was a judgment call on their part.”
The Mix Foundation plans to continue the TEC Awards without the supportof its main sponsor, Resner says, adding that the foundation’s board ofdirectors is currently in discussion with supporters in the industry todecide the best course of action.
The replacement for Mix magazine’s sponsorship could take the form ofone sponsor, or a group of them, which Resner says could result in abroader voting group that better represents the industry.
“The TEC Awards could conceivably change in format,” Resner says. “Mixreaders have been the voters, so the board of directors of the MixFoundation are discussing how to replace that voting group.”
The awards have a considerable amount of support in the industry beyondMix. Last year’s 24th Annual TEC Awards had 45 sponsors, including topsponsors Harman Pro Group and the Gibson Foundation, among others.
“I think the industry has an interest in preserving the TEC awards,”Resner says. “I've already talked to quite a few people about it andthere is a lot of industry support for the Mix Foundation.”
The Mix Foundation aims to advance hearing health to prevent hearingloss among audio professionals and music consumers and also gives awayyearly scholarships and grants, including the TEC Awards Scholarship,to students in audio, video and media communication arts.
