36 awards were handed out today in New York City at the 68th annual Peabody Awards. The master of ceremonies, NBC’s Brian Williams (a previous winner himself), said the Peabody is “considered one of the most important awards,” and the wide array of winners represented all sectors of entertainment.
In the TV news world, NBC won for “Richard Engel Reports: Tip of the Spear,” (pictured, with Nightly News staffers and NBC News president Steve Capus, far right) CBS for the 60 Minutes report, “Lifeline,” and ABC for “Hopkins.”
“Hopkins” EP Terence Wrong thanked ABC News president David Westin in his speech, for “[believing] documentary still has a role on network news.”
The Onion News Network picked up an award, and EP Will Graham thanked the tvnewsers in attendance. “As long as you keep getting more and more ridiculous, we’ll keep following in your footsteps,” he said.
CNN won a Peabody for its coverage of the Presidential primaries and debates, and PBS for “Washington Week with Gwen Ifill” won as well.
Williams joked with Wolf Blitzer, who accepted the CNN award, dubbing him the “star of Breaking Bad.” The show, about a meth cooking-suburban dad, picked up a Peabody earlier in the day. As Blitzer left the stage, following a speech in which he brought up the “Best Political Team on Television,” Williams said he “had not heard it prior to this.”