CBS3 Reporter Walt Hunter To Receive 2016 Board Of Governors Award At 34th Annual Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced today it will present the 2016 Board of Governors Award to longtime investigative reporter Walt Hunter of CBS3 in Philadelphia. The prestigious award, which is bestowed by NATAS to recognize career longevity, lifetime achievements and significant contributions to the television industry, will be presented at the 34th Annual Mid-Atlantic EMMY® Awards on Saturday, September 24, 2016 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.
"We are thrilled to honor Walt as one of the most outstanding investigative reporters in our industry," said NATAS Chapter President Michelle Bradsher-McHugh. "Walt has been a staple in the Philadelphia news world for more than 35 years. His incomparable work ethic and reputation for breaking countless news stories has put him at the forefront of investigative journalism."
Hunter joined CBS3's news team in 1980 covering the police beat and has earned a solid reputation for breaking many of the Philadelphia area's top stories. He has won 16 Mid-Atlantic EMMY® awards, including his most recent win in 2014 in the Crime News Category for "Stories of Victims." His live radio broadcast on the funeral for murdered Philadelphia Police Officer John Pawlowski received the top award in 2010 for "Outstanding Radio Story" from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, where for seven years, he co-hosted the popular weekly talk show, "The Crime Guys." Hunter made his move to television following five years as the morning drive and police beat reporter for WCAU-AM. He also worked as a reporter for the Philadelphia Bulletin and The Main Line Times where at 23 he was the youngest managing editor in the history of the newspaper. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
Past recipients of the NATAS Board of Governors' Award include: Former NBC News President Steve Capus; Pittsburgh broadcasting legend Patrice King-Brown; news anchor Marciarose Shestack; sportscaster Al Meltzer; children's television icon Fred Rogers; Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown; legendary anchor John Facenda; TV Guide founder and philanthropist Walter Annenberg; sports broadcasting innovators NFL Films; former WHYY president Frederick "Rick" Breitenfeld, Jr.; regional TV pioneer Lewis Klein; CBS3 veteran reporter Trudy Haynes; Phillies announcer and Baseball Hall of Famer Harry Kalas; local broadcasting legend Gene Crane; Joe DeNardo, the Dean of Pittsburgh Weather; veteran Philadelphia newsman Larry Kane; Pittsburgh Steelers' broadcasting legend Myron Cope; WCAU news veteran Herb Clarke; WCAU trailblazing anchor/reporter Edie Huggins; and Pittsburgh's TV woman of firsts, Eleanor Schano.
In addition to the Board of Governors award, NATAS Mid-Atlantic will also induct six individuals to the Silver Circle Society at the EMMY® awards ceremony in September. The Silver Circle award recognizes individuals who have outstanding service in broadcasting for a minimum of 25 years, with the majority of it being spent in the Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Nominations are accepted from broadcast journalism, talent, creative, technical, education, administrative and TV commercial production.
Among those who will be inducted at the 2016 EMMY® awards ceremony are Kathy Craine, weather forecaster and host at WFMZ-TV in Allentown; George Cummings, Assistant General Manager for TUTV at Temple University in Philadelphia; Harold Hayes, reporter at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh; Kevin Martorana, President of Take One Productions, Inc. in Lancaster; Pierina Morelli, former producer, videographer and editor at WQED Multimedia and President of Pierina Morelli Productions in Pittsburgh; and Joel Sanders, recently retired Chief Photographer and Operations Manager at FOX29 in Philadelphia.
Regional television professionals will gather to celebrate the 34th Annual Mid-Atlantic EMMY® Awards on Saturday, September 24, 2016, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown located at 1201 Market Street in Center City. Festivities will include a cocktail hour and silent auction to benefit NATAS Scholarship programs, a sit-down dinner and the award presentations.
