VPR Receives Three National Edward R. Murrow Awards

Vermont Public Radio was honored with three national Edward R. Murrow Awards for its news coverage Monday evening at the Radio Television Digital News Association dinner in New York. John Van Hoesen, VPR's vice president of news and programming, and Senior Reporter Steve Zind attended the event. Steve sent along his thoughts about the evening:

Monday’s drive south took us through some beautiful peak foliage in Windham County and Western Massachusetts – quite a contrast to the view of warehouses that dominated the last leg of the trip on the train ride into the city. This was the 41st year of the Murrow Awards and 62 different news organizations were honored, from local radio and television stations to national networks and worldwide news services. As each award was presented, an audio sampling of the winning entry was played. It was fascinating to hear the range of stories and get a sense of the issues in play in other parts of the country. VPR’s three awards were for best documentary, best use of sound and writing.

A highlight of the evening for me was seeing former CBS reporter Richard C. Hottelet receive a distinguished service award. He’s someone I remember from childhood. Hottelet, who’s 93, worked with Murrow and covered WWII, providing the first eyewitness reports of the Normandy landing. He received a standing ovation when he went to the podium. When there was a problem playing audio from one of his old reports, he quipped, “Oh, it wasn’t that good, anyway.”

I sat next to NPR’s Boston-based reporter Chris Arnold, whose coverage of the home foreclosure mess was an award winner. It was interesting to talk with him about stories he’s working on. It was really an honor to be in the company of so many dedicated news people from old veterans like Richard Hottelet to young reporters like Chris who are so enthusiastic about the work they’re doing, and excited about all the changes happening in our profession.

Top Photo Caption: Steve Zind, NPR Interim CEO Joyce Slocum, and John Van Hoesen
Bottom Photo Caption: Steve Zind accepts VPR's National Edward R. Murrow Award