Records of the United States chapter of an international association of Catholic radio and television professionals. Correspondence, publications, photographs, and proceedings of general assemblies and awards banquets comprise the bulk of the collection.

Gift of UNDA-USA, 1988-; processed by Mark G. Thiel, Archivist, 2003-2007.

Historical Note

In 1972, Unda-USA succeeded the Catholic Broadcasters Association as the national association for U.S. Catholic radio and television professionals. Unda-USA also became the national affiliate of Unda-International, the International Catholic Association for Radio and Television.

In 2001, Unda-International and the International Catholic Organization for Cinema and Audiovisual (OCIC) (both founded in 1928) merged to form Signis, the World Catholic Association for Communication. In the United States, the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals succeeded Unda-USA as the national affiliate.

In 1965, the Catholic Broadcasters Association established the Gabriel Award to recognize outstanding broadcasters and communication efforts that contribute to a deeper understanding of Gospel values. In 1972, UNDA-USA succeeded the Catholic Broadcasters Association and in 2002 the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals succeeded UNDA-USA. Both successor associations continued the sponsorship of the Gabriel Awards.

Scope and Content

The following series comprise the records of Unda-USA:

Unda USA Series 1, Correspondence: General correspondence, membership lists, and directories of Unda-USA.

Unda USA Series 2, Proceedings: Meetings of Unda-USA.

Unda USA Series 3-1, Gabriel Awards -- Proceedings: Nominations, lists of recipients, comments by judges, award banquet invitations, programs, scripts, and certificates between 1973 and 2002. The Series 3 records of the Catholic Broadcasters Association and the Series 3-1 records of the Catholic Academy of Communication Arts Professionals contain the Gabriel Awards records before and after these dates.

Unda USA Series 3-2, Gabriel Awards -- Ceremonies: Recordings of ceremonies between 1991 and 1999. The Series 3-2 records of the Catholic Academy of Communication Arts Professionals contains recordings of the Gabriel Awards ceremonies after these dates.

Unda USA Series 4, Publications: Newsletters, pamphlets, and reports produced by Unda-USA.

Unda USA Series 5, Photography: Comprised of several items produced by/for and collected by Unda-USA. The formats include black & white and color prints, color slides, and a motion picture.

Unda USA Series 6, Sound Recordings: Pertains to UNDA meetings and Gabriel Awards, plus recordings of interest to Catholic communications.

Unda USA Series 7, Collected Publications: Contains pamphlets and reports collected from other organizations.

Unda USA Series 0, Unprocessed Records: Records of Unda-USA and the succeeding Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals. The unprocessed records are restricted for 25 years from the date of creation.