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William A. 'Bill' Leonard Washington, DC QCWA # 03046 |
Bill Leonard was born on April 9, 1916 as William A. Leonard II. He was an actor, known for You Are There (1953), CBS Reports (1959) and Playhouse 90 (1956). He was married to Norma Kaphan Wallace and Adele Wilde. He died on October 23, 1994 in Laurel, Maryland, USA.
(Source: imdb.com)
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Leonard served in the United States Navy until 1945, when he took a position at CBS as the radio anchorman for This Is New York and its subsequent television show Eye on New York.
He was chosen as a floor reporter for the 1952, 1956 and 1960 political conventions. After Leonard was promoted to correspondent, Fred W. Friendly chose him for the CBS Reports team. He led CBS' new news election unit from 1961 to 1965 and helped develop exit polling. He then held a series of management positions at CBS News, rising to President in 1979 until his 1982 retirement. As president, he chose 60 Minutes correspondent Dan Rather to succeed Walter Cronkite as anchor of the CBS Evening News in 1981. He also created Sunday Morning. Leonard and Chairman William S. Paley were the only two employees allowed to stay on past CBS' mandatory retirement age.[1] He was the stepfather of journalist Chris Wallace.
Leonard died from a stroke in Laurel, Maryland.[2] He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1937, where he worked for the student newspaper, The Dartmouth.[3]
(Source: en.wikipedia.com)
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Television, radio, magazines, newspapers, blogs, webcasts -- Amateur Radio has been featured in all of them in 2011. Now it is time to thank the professional media people who made it happen by nominating them for the Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Professional Media Award. This annual national award is sponsored by the ARRL and honors three professional journalists whose outstanding coverage in audio, video and print formats best reflects the enjoyment, importance and public service value of the Amateur Radio Service. The deadline for nominations is December 9.
According to ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, 2011 has been a great year for Amateur Radio's public relations activities: "Not only did Field Day get more media attention than ever before, the number and quality of the media hits about us increased dramatically. Because of the media attention, more people became "radio aware" which contributed to the increase in the number of hams overall. Government agencies and offices, large and small, kept Amateur Radio on their agendas in part because of the media about our services. There were more articles about our technological activities."
Nominations are judged by members of the ARRL's Public Relations Committee, with the final decision made by the ARRL Board of Directors at its January meeting. Pitts said that the PR Committee is looking for media pieces that are "truthful, clear and accurate, and reflect high journalistic standards. The award will be granted to the work deemed the best reflection of the enjoyment, importance and public service value of Amateur Radio."
The award was created as a tribute to the late CBS News President Bill Leonard, W2SKE, an avid Amateur Radio operator. Recipients must be professional journalists in print, electronic media or multimedia; the term "professional" refers to full time, part time, stringers, freelancers and contract journalists. In the case of a group project, the recipient may be the group, but only one prize will be awarded.
While media professionals can submit their own work, Pitts notes that it is best when hams show their thanks, action and consideration: "Stories about the Amateur Radio Service and education, space stories and ham technology were well covered -- and many of these stories could be winners. Special events and promotions also got excellent coverage, as did contacts with the ISS and other technical achievements. If a reporter covered your activity well, nominate them!"
The Leonard Award is divided into three categories -- audio, visual, and print and text -- each with its own award. The three winners will each receive an engraved plaque, and a donation of $250 will be made in each of their names to the charity of their choice.