Don’t miss Peabody’s ‘Stories of the Year’
What are the Peabody Awards?
The Peabody Awards are a true gem in the University of Georgia’s crown. For those who don’t know what the Peabody Awards are, let me get you up to speed:
The National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee in the 1930s to establish a prestigious award similar to the Pulitzer Prize for excellence in broadcasting. Lambdin Kay, manager of WSB Radio in Atlanta, asked John Drewry, dean of the Grady School of Journalism, to sponsor the award, upon the recommendation of Lessie Smithgall, a graduate who worked at the station.
The committee named the award posthumously for George Foster Peabody, a Georgia native and successful investment banker whose philanthropic interests included the university. The first awards were issued in 1941. The Peabody Awards now include a wide range of broadcasting—from TV and blogs to cable to streaming network programs and websites. As the platforms for storytelling multiply, the Peabody Awards will continue to evolve, highlighting Stories That Matter across media.
So now you know and can share that with your friends and family when you’re enjoying programs like
- The Handmaid’s Tale
- S-Town
- Saturday Night Live
- Mr. Robot
- Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
- A Prairie Home Companion or
- M*A*S*H
Or when you’re adding any of Zach Armstrong’s watch list recommendations from this past May.
Peabody Awards App for iOS
The Peabody Awards App for iOS is available. It was developed in collaboration with the New Media Institute in UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. In addition to feature articles and videos from the Peabody Digital Network, users can explore recent winners and pick favorite programs to watch now or later.
“Peabody Presents: Stories of the Year” on FX
If you weren’t able to attend the 78th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony in New York City (don’t worry, I didn’t make the invite list, either), you can still get a closer look at recent winners and how they are address pressing social issues and share Stories That Matter.
That’s because Peabody and FX have partnered to create a documentary-style TV special, Peabody Presents: Stories of the Year, which will air at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 7.
It will showcase award-winning programming that features diverse narratives tackling important issues. The program will intertwine conversations about race, the LGBTQ experience, the impact of the #MeToo movement and journalistic integrity with footage from this year’s awards ceremony that was held in May.
Hasan Minhaj, a two-time Peabody Award-winner, will moderate an intimate discussion among fellow storytellers representing programs released in 2018 to receive a Peabody Award:
- Steven Canals, co-creator, executive producer and writer of the FX series Pose;
- Paula Lavigne, ESPN investigative reporter for “Spartan Silence: Crisis at Michigan State”;
- Terence Nance, filmmaker and creator of Random Acts of Flyness on HBO; and
- Tracy Heather Strain, director/writer of the PBS/WNET documentary Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart.
We hope you’ll tune in and join us in celebrating UGA’s role in this important awards program.
