ST. LOUIS (CNS) — Broadcaster Vin Scully, who for 67 years has done play-by-play for the Dodgers in Los Angeles and before that in Brooklyn, New York, received the Gabriel Personal Achievement Award June 2 from the Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals.
The award was presented during the Catholic Media Convention in St. Louis.
Scully “epitomizes what the Gabriel Awards represent: positive, upbeat, soulful, kindhearted and conscientious,” said Susan Wallace, chair of this year’s Gabriel Awards competition. “For nearly seven decades, Vin Scully has been the reassuring voice of honesty and optimism in sports broadcasting, enthralling viewers and listeners with his limitless knowledge of baseball and illuminating lessons on life.”
A lifelong Catholic, Scully, 88, couldn’t accept the award in person as the Dodgers were playing in Los Angeles against the Atlanta Braves. But in a prerecorded acceptance speech, he asked that a photo be sent to him of all the priests and women religious in attendance at the ceremony, saying he wanted to take it with him on Judgement Day so he can hold it up and say, “I’m with them.”
Helen Osman, former secretary of communications for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, received the academy’s Clarion Award.
The Clarion Award recognizes “a timely contribution to Catholic communicators through organizational service; through creativity in a communications effort or product; through service to a diocese, institution or religious order; at a personal or career milestone; through excellence in communications leadership, ecumenical cooperation or industry collaboration.”
In other Gabriel Awards presented the same evening, KLUX in Corpus Christi, Texas, won the award for religious radio station of the year, Salt and Light in Toronto won for religious television station of the year, and WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina, won for secular television station of the year
The campaign of the year was won by Canada’s CBC for “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.”
Film awards were given for “Philadelphia Welcomes Pope Francis” by History Making Productions, documentary; “The Bleeding Edge” by Flying Cloud Productions for drama; and “Full of Grace” by Outside da Box for family films.
New media winners were “One Woman’s Strength is Helping Refugees in Macedonia” by Al Jazeera English, internet video under 10 minutes; “Coming to the North Country: Pierre, Cameroon” by North Country Public Radio, blog; and “#KeepChristInChristmas” by EWTN, Facebook campaign or contest.
In the short feature category, winners included “The National — The Mount” by CBC News, national TV; “Bay Area Proud” by NBC Bay Area, California for TV markets 1-25; “Cherubs Expands” by Catholic News Herald and University of North Carolina Center for Public Television for TV, Markets 26 and up; “Day 6: John Keller Interview” by CBC, national radio; and “The Eyeopener: Living on Empties” by CBC in Calgary, Alberta, local radio.
The sole winner in the children’s category was TV’s “Kids Who Care” by WXIA in Atlanta.
For the best single news story series, the TV winner was “Steve Gleason: Life Beyond ALS” by WDSU in New Orleans, and the radio winner was CBC’s “The World at Six: Margaret Evans, Lesvos Series.”
News and information winners were “Pope Francis and the People” by ABC News, national TV; “Land of 10,000 Stories” by KARE in Minneapolis, local TV; and “Why Left Turns Are So Deadly” by WNYC in New York, local radio.
For religious programming, the winners were “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Gifts: The Road to Sainthood” by WLAE in Metairie, Louisiana, for TV, and “Brian Caswell’s Story” by Mary’s Touch in Austin, Texas, for radio.
Winners for ecumenical and interreligious programming were “Chaplains” by Journey Films for TV, and “Tapestry: Educating Omar Khadr” by CBC for radio.
Documentary winners were “Looks Like Laury Sounds Like Laury” by Alternate Image Productions, national TV; “Human Library Stories” by CBC in Ottawa, Ontario, local TV; “Why Do I Stay?” by WNYC, national radio; and “Ideas: The Road to Damascus” by CBC, local radio.
Winners in the arts category were “Dream Tour: Behind the Scenes With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir” by KSL, for TV, and “Song Travels With Michael Feinstein, Episode: Justin Kauflin” by South Carolina Public Radio, for radio.
Entertainment winners were “Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America” by Ken Ehrlich Productions in conjunction with A+E Networks and iHeartMedia for TV, and “Day 6: Sad YouTube, Music and Memory” by CBC for radio.
Spanish-language winners were “Mi Hermano Capellan” (“My Brother Chaplain”) by KMEX of Los Angeles, TV, news/informational less than 15 minutes; “Life and Beatification of Monsignor Romero,” also by KMEX, TV news/informational longer than 15 minutes; “Cristo Para Todos/Inmigracion, Vision Cristiana” (“Christ for All/Immigration Christian Vision”) by the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, religious TV; and “Ante la Adversidad” (“In the Midst of Adversity”) by KXLN in Houston, community awareness-PSA.