Personal Award: Bill Leonard
CBS Television
An individual Peabody Award goes to Bill Leonard of CBS News in recognition of the outstanding role he has played in developing the strong CBS News organization. CBS News is respected by all branches of the news gathering fraternity for its excellence, its accuracy, and its integrity. Bill Leonard, as the man behind the scenes, has personally maintained high standards of excellence, accuracy, and integrity throughout his most distinguished career. The Peabody Board wishes to make special mention of some of the fine accomplishments of CBS News this year: an arresting, five-hour prime-time Defense of America, the effective Sunday Morning news magazine and the lyrical special on The Cowboy, The Craftsman, and The Ballerina. These three are distinctly different types of news programs; yet all three bear the stamp of excellence so characteristic of Bill Leonard’s long and productive years in broadcasting. Bill Leonard has earned his Peabody Award for the inspiration he has been to this carefully built and operated news organization, CBS News.