Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 7, 1994 TAG: 9406080018
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By FRAZIER MOORE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ATHENS, GA. LENGTH: Medium
But rest assured that Walter Cronkite knows. So does Jerry Seinfeld. Bill Cosby. David Letterman. Mary Tyler Moore. Johnny Carson. Shari Lewis. Bob Hope. Even Lassie and Miss Piggy.
Roll back the clock. Edward R. Murrow knew, along with Jackie Gleason, Rod Serling, Ed Sullivan and humorist Fred Allen, who famously observed that television was called a medium because it was so rarely well-done.
All were touched by the Peabody, which honored each of them for making TV more than just a medium.
But exactly what IS the Peabody, other than a coveted bronze medallion bearing the profile of a bearded man?
``The Peabody Awards honor work and individuals in radio, television, cable and alternative distribution of electronic moving images and sounds,'' says Dr. Barry Sherman, director of the Peabody program.
He said a mouthful.
In one year (1949) the Peabody saluted, among others, Eric Sevareid, Jack Benny and ``Kukla, Fran and Ollie.'' In 1965, ``A Charlie Brown Christmas'' ``Frank Sinatra - A Man and His Music'' and ``CBS Reports: KKK - the Invisible Empire'' were among the honorees.
This year, 29 Peabodys paid tribute to work as diverse as ``Silverlake Life: The View From Here,'' a video diary of partners dying of AIDS, and Steven Spielberg's cartoon series ``Animaniacs.''
Sherman's bottom line on the Peabodys: ``It's what 15 people think is excellent.''
Those 15 people occupy the Peabody board, a body of judges who (unlike the self-congratulating Emmy Awards) have no ties to broadcasting. Instead, they come from industry, the arts, education, government. And each spring, they come to Athens to watch and listen very carefully, and make their final choices from what started as some 1,000 entries.
Peabody has no quota or fixed categories, giving it another distinction from the over-engineered Emmy, which too often serves as a sort of awards Wonderbra, making more of television than is really there.
``In a given year,'' notes Sherman, ``we might have a half-dozen documentaries win Peabodys, but no children's shows, if none is deemed meritorious.'' Or vice versa.
Named for George Foster Peabody, who among other things was an industrialist, financier, philanthropist, native Georgian and beard fancier, the Peabodys were conceived more than a half-century ago by the National Association of Broadcasters and quickly found a home at the University of Georgia, whose Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication administers them.
Winners are announced each spring, and convene a few weeks later at a private luncheon in New York City. A posh but dignified affair, it boasts no ``and the envelope, please'' theatrics, nor even any broadcast coverage.
``It's one day out of the year without the sequins, top hats and tails,'' Sherman says.
This year's award ceremony was held in the grand ballroom of Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, with CBS newsman Ed Bradley officiating.
Among the recipients were Bradley's own ``60 Minutes'' (picking up its sixth Peabody) and ABC's ``Day One,'' as well as the news departments of WWL-TV (New Orleans) and WKRN-TV (Nashville).
NBC's police drama ``Homicide - Life on the Street'' was honored, as was British television's ``Mystery! Prime Suspect.''
The HBO talk-show lampoon ``Larry Sanders Show'' took a prize, as well as Comedy Central's ``Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (robots Crow and Tom Servo joined their human colleagues in accepting that award).
Winning a personal award for her coverage of the Bosnian conflict, CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour took the opportunity to chide world leaders for their failure to deal with that crisis.
But the last award (and word) belonged to Paul Harvey, singled out for lifetime achievement in radio news. With his trademark timing, he told the group that ``the Peabody ... the PEABODY ... is the ... ultimate ... professional ... pat on the back.''
History shows it can be more than a pat on the back. It can get you a better job.
At the Peabody luncheon two years ago, David Letterman (winning for ``Late Night'') was thrown together with CBS President Howard Stringer. On that day, their mating dance began.
``I tell Howard he owes the Peabodys a finder's fee,'' says Sherman.
For promoting excellence, viewers and listeners owe the Peabodys even more.
by CNB