The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 267

"DSC One of radio and TV's most coveted accolades enters its 40th year with an impressive archive of broadcast history By Una DzCzza OR 20,000 residents of Harlan 'County, Kentucky, a quiet I coal-mining community nes-I tkd in a remote southeastern LJ corner of the Bluegrass State, the nightmare began with a heavy iris -svl 'iff ill Spectacular "Roots," ABC-TV's 1977 winner, Bunker clan won Norman Lear a Peabody in 1977. spring rainstorm on April 4, 1977. The storm lasted two days, dumping more than seven indies' of rain on the area, causing the turgid Cumberland River to crest at 34 feet and begin flooding. Before the ordeal ended, three persons had died and damage to personal and public property soared into the millions. The tragedy, however, might have been greater without the cool-headed action of a local radio station.

Throughout the catastrophe, WHLN, a middle-of-the road format radio station, provided critical niinute-by-mimite coverage of the flood, devoting all of its time and resources to reporting accurate flood conditions and rescue operations; to defusing dangerous rumors and reassuring families; to coordinating information flow between police and fire departments, civil defense and public health authorities. In total, the station broadcast more than 25,000 emergency messages concerning housing, road conditions, pure food and water supplies and medical services all in a low-key neighbor-tonaeighbor style. In April of 197S board members of the University of Georgia's prestigious Peabody Award committee agreed that WHLN's tireless, reassuring dialogue to its stricken community represented the finest example of public service journalism in tradition of local broadcasting. On May 3, 1978, during the Peabody's annual awards luncheon at the Hotel Pierre in New York, WHLN was awarded a Peabody Award for "meritorious service" to its community. By accepting te coveted award, which has been heralded as the "Pulitzer Prix of broadcasting," WHLN radio joined a broadcasting elite of radio and TVs most honored programs and personalities, including Edward R.

Murrow, Lowell Thomas, Fred Friendly, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Jackie Gleason, Walter Cronkite and Dinah Shore. Tapes of WHLN's extraordinary 30-hour emergency broadcast then became a permanent part of the Peabody's exhaustive collection of over 17,000 entertainment, documentary and hard news radio and TV programs, presently housed in the Peabody collection at the University of Georgia's main library and school of journalism and mass communication. From strictly a historical perspective, the ever-expanding collection contains an important assemblage of the country's sights and sounds over the past 35 years a diversity of local and national radio and TV programming that includes everything from Howdy Doodys early days on radio to the National Public Affairs Center for Television's broadcast of the Watergate hearings. Some of the more memorable Peabody winners over the years include: American Town Meeting, 1943 (the Blue Network); Kukla, Fran and Ollie, 1949 (NBC); The Ed Wynn Show, 1949 (CBS); Edward R. Marrow's See It Now, 1951 (CBS); Mr.

Wizard, 1953 (NBC); Hallmark Hall of Fame, 1957 (NBC); GE College BowL 1960 (CBS); Charles Kuralt's On The Road, 1968 (CBS); 60 Minutes, 1970 (CBS); "Eleanor and Franklin," 1976 (ABO; The McNeaLehrer Report, 1977 (WNET-TV, New York); "Roots," 1977 (ABO; All in the Family, 1977 (CBS); and Tut The Boy Eng." 1977 (NBO. The Peabody Award, entering its 40th anniversary year, was the creation of a pioneer of radio broadcasting, the late Lamdin Kay of WSB Radio. It was Kay who suggested to the former dean of journalism at Georgia, John E. Drewry, that public service recognition of outstanding radio broadcasters would be valuable for the broadcasting industry and the school itself. Acting on behalf of the National Association of Broadcasters, Kay reportedly told Drewry, "Why don't we set up some sort of radio awards at the university? It might as well be yon as Harvard or Columbia." Drewry liked the idea, and in May 1940 presented a formal resolution to the university's board of regents.

The board unanimously authorized the university to present the awards annually to radio broadcasters in recognition of "distinguished achievement and meritorious service." Later, of course, the awards were expanded to include television. Actor's Studio received the first television Peabody in 1948. The Peabody was named in memory of George Foster Peabody, a Columbus, Ga native who became a highly successful New York banker, philanthropist, life trustee and benefactor of the university. Though he never had any professional ties with the broadcasting profession, Peabody was known for his stong convictions about public service in broadcasting. To institute the awards in his memory, a national advisory board was selected to make final selections from annual entries pre-screened by faculty of the School of Journalism.

The board, composed of 15 term, six emeritus and three ex-offkio members, is made up of persons, not unlike Peabody himself, who have achieved success in professions not directly associated with the radio and television industries. Term members of the board are nominated by the dean of the journalism school, approved by the president of the university, and named to a three-year term, which they may repeat once. Following a second term, they must remain off the board at least one year before being eligible to serve again. Board members are selected from a variety of professional walks. This year they included: Sidney.