Personal Award: Oprah Winfrey

Each year the Board screens hundreds of news, entertainment, education, and public service programs. Today, we recognize a woman who has done exceptional work in each of these areas. From her beginnings as a 19-year old news anchor in Nashville, to her move to Chicago to host a morning talk show and the explosive popularity of her syndicated program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Ms. Winfrey has proven herself to be a multi-talented broadcaster. Her off -air accomplishments are equally noteworthy. As chair of Harpo Entertainment Group, she joins the elite company of Lucille Ball and Mary Pickford as the only women in television and film to own their own studios. Her commitment to empowering women and to improving the lives of children is reflected in her charitable and philanthropic work. She was an early proponent of the National Child Protection Act and testified in its behalf before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ms. Winfrey has joined with Jane Addams Hull House to launch “Families for a Better Life,” a project designed to move people out of urban housing projects and to teach them new ways of thinking and taking responsibility. For her extraordinary commitments and achievements, consistent with the public-minded individuals who built the broadcasting profession, a personal Peabody Award goes to Oprah Winfrey.