64th Annual Peabody Awards Winners Announced

64th Annual Peabody Awards Winners Announced

Morley Safer to Host Awards Ceremony on May 16 at New York City's Waldorf=Astoria

NEW YORK, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners of the 64th Annual Peabody Awards were announced today by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. This year's 32 programs, chosen as the best in electronic media for 2004, were named in a ceremony that took place at New York's Museum of Television & Radio.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000320/PEABODY )

Winners include Grant Tinker, who received an Individual Peabody, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 'Indecision 2004,'" as well as first-ever awards to CNBC, TRIO, Link TV and Univision. Multiple citations were awarded to HBO, Cinemax, BBC America and New York's WNYC Radio.

The awards will be presented May 16 at a luncheon at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York. Veteran CBS News correspondent and "60 Minutes" co-editor Morley Safer will host the ceremony.

"The winners announced today suggest further developments in a new era for electronic media," said Horace Newcomb, Peabody Awards director. "What was once a shared broadcast experience now more and more reflects individual use of carefully targeted systems. The work of the Peabody Awards Board certainly becomes more difficult in this context -- but it also becomes even more significant."

Grant Tinker was presented with an Individual Peabody for a career in the entertainment industry that the Peabody board cited for fostering "creative opportunities that led to some of television's most exciting work -- and workers."

CNBC, the business cable network, received its first Peabody for "The Age of Wal-Mart: Inside America's Most Powerful Company." Also receiving its first award was TRIO, the digital cable network, for "The N-Word"; satellite programmer Link TV's "MOSAIC: World News from The Middle East"; and Spanish- language media company Univision for its public service campaign "Saluid es Vida ... Enterate! (Lead a Healthy Life ... Get the Facts!)."

International winners included the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for "Human Cargo," recognized as an "outstanding miniseries that led to public discussion ... in Canadian newspapers, universities and community forums." National Public Radio's team of foreign correspondents won for its coverage of "The War in Iraq"; and South Africa's " 'Takalani Sesame Presents' talk to me ... ," a one-hour South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC2) documentary created by Sesame Workshop and Kwasukasukela (the production company) to promote communication between adults and children on the subject of HIV-AIDS.

BBC America won two awards for "State of Play," a gripping political thriller, and "The Kumars at No. 42," cited by the Peabody Board for its "fusion of genres that never fails to delight as it illustrates the quirks that unite families, regardless of culture or background."

BBC Television News won for "The Darfur Crisis," recognized for "searing reports from a team of BBC journalists who present and analyze the crisis situation in the Darfur region of Sudan."

Also honored for documenting world humanitarian issues was The History Channel's "Rwanda -- Do the Scars Ever Fade?" an episode of the "Time Machine" series (produced by Bill Brummel Productions), which through first-person accounts asks the question of how an entire nation and culture can recover from the terrors of its past. Also awarded was "The Suffering of Sudan," from Channel One News, which outlines the complexities of Sudan's civil war and genocide for school-aged children.

CBS News won a Peabody for "60 Minutes II: Abuse at Abu Ghraib," the Dan Rather report that broke the story of the abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad.

WNYC Radio was recognized twice by the Peabody Board for their program "On the Media" and for the Kurt Anderson-hosted program, "Studio 360 American Icons: Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick,'" co-produced by Public Radio International (PRI). CultureWorks won for their brilliantly produced 11-part radio series "Leonard Bernstein: An American Life," hosted by Susan Sarandon.

Two more radio programs won the prestigious Peabody: PRI's "Let the Good Times Roll," a 13-part radio series on rhythm and blues, and "To the Best of Our Knowledge," produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and PRI.

Local television new reports honored were "Friends in High Places," a three-year investigation of state contacts from Nashville's WTVF-TV; "State of Denial," a 19-part series on workers compensation abuses from Dallas' WFAA-TV; "Chesapeake Bay Pollution Investigation," by Baltimore's WBAL-TV, an ongoing investigation that overhauled state environmental policies; and "The Bully Project," from Milwaukee's WITI-TV, a powerful investigative piece that developed into a state-wide public service campaign.

WGBH in Boston was honored for "American Experience: Tupperware!," a documentary about why a plastic food container has become not only a ubiquitous product but a cultural icon.

Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 'Indecision 2004'" won a Peabody for its presidential campaign coverage; the Peabody Board citied the show's appeal as "satire that deflates pomposity on an equal opportunity basis." This is the program's second Peabody; it also won for its 2000 election coverage.

Cinemax received honors for "Bus 174," an examination of the disintegration of a violent hostage situation in Brazil - covered live on television, and "Balseros," an engaging account of the lives of seven Cuban refugee rafters.

HBO, a multiple award winner, was cited for "Beah: A Black Woman Speaks," a loving biographical tribute to Beah Richards, cited by the Peabody Board as a giving "remarkable insight into her life as an actress, poet and teacher"; "Something the Lord Made," the true story of two men who defied racial strictures in the Jim Crow South and pioneered the field of heart surgery in 1944; and "Deadwood," which the Peabody Board said, "twists the conventions of the Western into an excruciating knot of history and imagined events."

Discovery Channel won for "Black Sky: The Race for Space," a documentary that chronicles the first great aeronautical feat of the 21st Century and its reinvention of space travel.

The children's video collection, "Nursery Tap, Hip to Toe," won for combining "the spoken word and the physicality of dance to offer an enchanting learning experience for the young - and not so young."

The Peabody Board is a 15-member group, comprised of television critics, broadcast and cable industry executives and experts in culture and the arts, that judges the entries. Selection is made by the board following review by special screening committees of UGA faculty, students and staff.

The Peabody Awards, the oldest honor in electronic media, do not recognize categories nor is there a set number of awards given each year. Today the Peabody recognizes distinguished achievement and meritorious public service by stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals.

All entries become a permanent part of the Peabody Archive in the University of Georgia Libraries. The collection is one of the nation's oldest, largest and most respected moving-image archives. For more information about the Peabody Archive or the Peabody Awards, visit http://www.peabody.uga.edu/.

Graphics Available

Peabody Images: http://www.peabody.uga.edu/news/PressImages.html
Horace Newcomb: http://www.peabody.uga.edu/news/PressImages.html

The George Foster Peabody Awards
The University of Georgia

On the Media

WNYC Radio, National Public Radio, New York Using interviews, reported pieces, commentary and occasional satire to critique media performance in these media-saturated times, "On the Media" reminds us that the messenger is always part of the message and must be examined as such.

Studio 360 American Icons: Melville's Moby Dick

WNYC Radio, Public Radio International, New York

This installment of "American Icons" guides us through Herman Melville's classic tale of compulsion, rage and rapture, Moby Dick, illuminating and revitalizing a masterpiece. This, said the Peabody Board, is great radio.

The War in Iraq

National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.

National Public Radio's team of foreign correspondents documents the turbulent aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Iraq with insight, rigor, and narrative balance.

Leonard Bernstein: An American Life

CultureWorks, presented on WNYC, New York and the WFMT Radio Network, Chicago, Ill.

This 11-part radio documentary, hosted by Susan Sarandon, is a brilliantly produced account of Leonard Bernstein's life, career and music. With never- before published letters and more than 100 exclusive interviews, it composes an audio symphony on the theme of an American musical giant.

Let the Good Times Roll

The Rhythm and Blues Foundation, Washington, D.C., Public Radio International

This 13-part radio series explores the personalities, the business and the pure delight of rhythm and blues. Jazz, gospel and the blues come alive again when set within the social turbulence of the post World War II era.

To the Best of Our Knowledge

Wisconsin Public Radio, Public Radio International

A Public Radio International institution since 1992, To the Best of Our Knowledge is an expansive magazine of ideas using the arts and culture to examine contemporary political and social trends.

The Darfur Crisis

BBC Television News, London, UK

Searing reports from a team of BBC journalists present and analyze the crisis situation in the Darfur region of Sudan. These stories examine more than the humanitarian crisis, exposing as well the killings at the root of the story.

MOSAIC: World News from the Middle East

Link TV, San Francisco, Calif.

Link TV's MOSAIC is a collection of unedited daily newscast excerpts from more than 15 national broadcasters in the Middle East. The program provides viewers with wide-ranging perspectives on events in the region.

State of Denial

WFAA-TV, Dallas, Texas

WFAA's 19-part series details questionable practices by state agencies and major insurance companies involved with Texas's workers compensation system.

Friends in High Places

WTVF-TV, Nashville, Tenn.

WTVF's three-year investigation probes the awarding of hundreds of millions of dollars in state contracts to friends of the Tennessee governor. The station's ongoing reports on abuse of power have led to federal indictments and the passage of contract reform laws.

Chesapeake Bay Pollution Investigation

WBAL-TV, Baltimore, Md.

This ongoing WBAL investigative report probes the impact of rapid development and resulting pollution in a small Eastern Maryland town. In part as a result of these efforts, the State of Maryland has overhauled the way it deals with development as it relates to the environment.

60 Minutes II: Abuse at Abu Ghraib

CBS News

This Dan Rather report broke the story of the abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad, airing for the first time the photographs of American soldiers and abused Iraqi prisoners that shocked the world.

Black Sky: The Race for Space

Discovery Channel and Vulcan Productions in association with Gemini Productions and Antenna Films.

This documentary chronicles the first great aeronautical feat of the 21st Century - Burt Rutan's reinvention of space travel in the form of a privately funded, X-prize winning modern aircraft, SpaceShipOne.

Bus 174

Zendo Entertainment in association with Cinemax Reel Life

The disintegration of a violent hostage situation in Brazil, covered live on television, provides the centerpiece for this epic Cinemax documentary on the plight of Brazilian street children and their battle against invisibility.

Balseros

Televisio de Catalunya, Bausan Films in association with Cinemax Reel Life

This HBO/Cinemax Documentary Film, which aired on Cinemax, examines the lives of seven Cuban refugee rafters - "balseros" - over the course of seven years. We follow them from the building of their rafts to their attempts to build new lives in America.

Beah: A Black Woman Speaks

Clinica Estetico and LisaGay Inc. in association with HBO

A loving biographical tribute to Beah Richards, this HBO/Cinemax Documentary Film, which aired on Cinemax, gives us remarkable insight into her life as an actress, poet and teacher. Through her determined life as artist and activist, we explore key issues in the social history of our time.

Something the Lord Made

A Cort/Madden Production in association with HBO Films

This is the true story of two men who defy racial strictures in the Jim Crow South. An ambitious white surgeon, Dr. Alfred Blalock, and a gifted black lab technician, Vivien Thomas, pioneer the field of heart surgery in 1944.

Deadwood

Red Board Productions and Paramount Television in association with HBO Entertainment

This HBO series twists the conventions of the Western into an excruciating knot of history and imagined events. The Deadwood mining camp is peopled with the profane and violent men -- and women -- who occupy the fragile frontier between civilization and savagery.

The N-Word

TRIO and Post Consumer Media

This documentary recounts America's troubled but evolving racial dialogue through an exploration of the various etymologies, usages and attitudes toward "The N-Word."

American Experience: Tupperware!

Filmmakers Collaborative, Blueberry Hill Productions for American Experience/WGBH

This vibrant documentary, narrated by the critically-acclaimed Kathy Bates, considers why a plastic food container has become not only a ubiquitous product, but a cultural icon. Here viewers must reexamine their assumptions about American culture in the 1950s.

Rwanda-Do Scars Ever Fade?

Bill Brummel Productions for The History Channel

This program, presented as part of the ongoing series "Time Machine," struggles with the question of how an entire nation and culture can recover from the terrors of its past. The heart of this story is found in powerful first-person accounts from Rwandans who lived through those times.

The Age of Wal-Mart: Inside America's Most Powerful Company

CNBC

Adding to growing public scrutiny, this inside story of the American retail giant, presented on CNBC, reveals the workings of its intense corporate culture, forceful business practices and dollar-conscious distribution system.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Indecision 2004

Comedy Central

Through the momentous weeks of the 2004 Presidential Campaigns, Jon Stewart and cohorts provided the kind of cathartic satire that deflates pomposity on an equal opportunity basis. Somehow this sharp commentary made the real issues more important than ever.

Human Cargo

Howe Sound Films and Force Four Entertainment in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Six interwoven stories shed light on the world of refugees and those who traffic in their misery. This outstanding miniseries led to public discussion of the issues in Canadian newspapers, universities and community forums.

State of Play

An Endor Production in association with the BBC, BBC America

This gripping political thriller exudes a potent mix of romance, murder, deception and intrigue. To do so, it plumbs the convoluted relationships linking politics, law enforcement and the media.

The Kumars at No. 42

Hat Trick Productions, BBC America

Part scripted comedy, part improvisation, part genuine interview, "The Kumars at No. 42" focuses on a typical, albeit exaggerated, Indian family. The fusion of genres never fails to delight as it illustrates the quirks that unite families, regardless of culture or background.

Nursery Tap, Hip to Toe

Nursery Tap, LLC

Delightfully different, this collection of 30 well-known -- and not so well known -- nursery rhymes introduces children to a full range of the performing arts. The spoken word and the physicality of dance combine to offer an enchanting learning experience for everyone.

The Suffering of Sudan

Channel One Network

Channel One News reporter Seth Doane traveled to Sudan to outline the complexities of Sudan's civil war and genocide for middle school and high school audiences. His reports are detailed, disturbing and powerfully informative.

Takalani Sesame Presents "talk to me ... "

Sesame Workshop (USA) and Kwasukasukela (South Africa)

This one-hour documentary was the culmination of a South African public service campaign designed to promote communication between adults and children on the subject of HIV-AIDS.

The Bully Project WITI-TV, Milwaukee, Wis.

With powerful investigative journalism, this series of reports and projects turns one boy's story of playground violence into a public service campaign that now affects hundreds of thousands of children across southeast Wisconsin.

Univision Communications, Salud es Vida ... Enterate! (Lead a Healthy Life ... Get the Facts!)

Univision, Miami, Fla.

Univision's television, radio and on-line health-education initiative is an impressive cross-platform public service campaign. Designed to improve the quality of life by promoting healthier lifestyles, the campaign uses an array of media and services to reach a growing audience with crucial information.

Grant Tinker

From radio to advertising to television networks, from studio head to network CEO, Grant Tinker has often been at the center of electronic media. As CEO of MTM Enterprises in the 1970s and CEO of NBC in the 1980s, he provided creative opportunities that led to some of television's most exciting work -- and workers. The writers and producers who honed their craft at MTM have gone on to create some of the greatest programs in television history and in their turn, have afforded others the same creative freedom provided by Grant Tinker.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000320/PEABODY
Source: Peabody Awards

CONTACT: Eric Holder, +1-706-542-8983, +1-706-255-6437 (cell),
eholder@uga.edu, Public Relations for the Peabody Awards; Stephanie Baumoel at
FerenComm for Peabody Awards, +1-212-983-9898, stephanieb@ferencomm.com

Web Site: http://www.peabody.uga.edu/

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