NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Advertising Council is honoring Randall Stephenson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Inc. with its 59^th Annual Public Service Award at the Ad Council's Annual Dinner held tonight at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Late-night talk show host and comedian Conan O'Brien will host the event. The dinner is the Ad Council's largest fundraising event, raising an unprecedented $3.4 million this year.

Tonight, the Ad Council will also reinstate its tradition of awarding a Gold Bell for Creative Excellence to the volunteer advertising agency that developed the most extraordinary public service advertising (PSA) campaign this past year. The winning agency will be selected by the Ad Council's Creative Review Committee (CRC) and announced at the dinner. Previous winners of the Gold Bell include ArnoldNYC for the Think Before You Speak campaign, Merkley + Partners for the Online Sexual Exploitation campaign, Kirshenbaum bond + partners (now kbs+) for the Adoption from Foster Care campaign, Kaplan Thaler Group for the Underage Drinking Prevention campaign, and McCann-Erickson for the Obesity Prevention campaign.   

Attended by more than 1,400 prominent members of the media, advertising and corporate communities, the Annual Public Service Award Dinner serves as a tribute to the industries and individuals who support the Ad Council and its PSA campaigns. The dinner will be chaired by Marc Pritchard, Global Brand Building Officer of The Proctor & Gamble Company, and Chairman of the Ad Council. Platinum sponsors include AOL, AT&T, Time Warner & Yahoo.

The Ad Council has been honoring corporate leaders for their commitment to public service since 1953. Previous honorees include Jeffrey Immelt, Dick Parsons, Bill Weldon, Ken Chenault, Bob Wright, Frank Bennack, Ted Turner, Katharine Graham, A.G. Lafley, Muhtar Kent and Brian Roberts. In keeping with tradition, this year's award will be presented by last year's recipient, Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo.

As Chairman & CEO of AT&T, Randall Stephenson has been committed to supporting public service initiatives and programs on behalf of the communities that AT&T serves. He has continued AT&T's long tradition of philanthropy, providing contributions in areas addressed by the Ad Council's PSA campaigns, including education, supporting our troops, driving awareness of the dangers of texting and driving and disaster relief. 

"For nearly 60 years, the Ad Council has been honoring corporate leaders for significant contributions in the area of public service," said Peggy Conlon, president & CEO of the Ad Council. "This year, we're excited to have Conan O'Brien lend his wit and humor to help highlight the Ad Council's mission and celebrate Randall Stephenson's noteworthy and longstanding commitment to philanthropy."

The Ad Council is a non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org.

SOURCE The Ad Council