WCVB-TV honored with NAB 'Service to Community Award'

WCVB was honored on Tuesday night with a Service to America Community Award for their coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings.

 

The Service to Community award category honors radio and television broadcasters for individual campaigns, projects or programs that serve the public good or otherwise provide exemplary service to their local communities.

 

Winners were announed on March 31, 2014, and were celebrated at a black tie dinner and awards presentation in Washington, DC on June 17, 2014.

 

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) presented the award to WCVB and thanked them for their "invaluable support" and "nonstop coverage," and said WCVB stood for "World Class Viewing Beacon," adding "Boylston Street came back because WCVB had its back."

 

WCVB president and general manager Bill Fine said Washington needed to get the message that there would be an information gap without local broadcasters, and that "need to know" information would not come from cable or satellite or telcos.

 

The category finalists for this award were:

KOCO-TV Oklahoma City, Okla., Hearst Television Inc.

KWTV Oklahoma City, Okla., Griffin Communications

WFAA-TV Dallas, Texas, Gannett Broadcasting

WLWT Cincinnati, Ohio, Hearst Television Inc.

WTLV Jacksonville, Fla., Gannett Broadcasting

 

The radio winner for this category was KSTP-FM in St. Paul, MN for their efforts on behalf of The Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund, established after the story of the 17-year-old with rare bone cancer was featured on a Kids Radiothon.

 

The Celebration of Service to America Awards are sponsored and produced by The National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation with major support from Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., Bonneville International Corporation, and the National Association of Broadcasters. In recent years, singer, songwriter, musician and producer, Stevie Wonder; multiple award-winning actress Glenn Close; Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges; entertainment industry icon Quincy Jones; legendary rock star Sir Elton John; former President Bill Clinton; First Lady Laura Bush; Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; boxing legend Muhammad Ali; former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalyn Carter; former First Lady Nancy Reagan; among others have been presented with the Celebration of Service to America Leadership Award at the event.