KFOR-TV, KOCO-TV, and KWTV-TV for Coverage of the Murrah Building Bombing

At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, an act of terrorism struck our nation’s heartland. In the days that followed, America and the world came to know the extraordinary courage and indomitable spirit of the people of Oklahoma City. That message was carried forth by the heroic television journalism of local stations KFOR-TV, KOCO-TV and KWTV-TV. Located in a comparatively small city by television standards (market size 43), each of these stations set aside the competitive rivalries which often drive TV news today, and instead concentrated on transmitting reliable, compelling reports to their community and to the world. The Peabody Board was struck by the extraordinary news judgement demonstrated by each of the stations involved and by the overriding commitment to accuracy, professionalism and public service which marked the television journalism surrounding the Murrah Building bombing. To news directors Mary Ann Eckstein, KFOR-TV, Susan Kelley, KOCO-TV, and Joyce Reed, KWTV-TV, and the dedicated employees of all three news operations, a Peabody Award.