The broadcast industry united to share an inspirational afternoon on Wednesday in the shadow of New York City’s Grand Central Station, at the AWM Foundation’s annual Gracie Awards luncheon, celebrating the achievements of women across local radio, television, and digital media.
Radio Ink was on hand for the remarkable occasion at Cipriani 42nd Street, led by Alliance for Women in Media President Becky Brooks and ABC News Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang. Presenters repeatedly highlighted the steady importance of journalism and storytelling in the modern age and political climate, with Chang saying, “We give voice to the voiceless. And hold power to account. And if we do it right, we can uplift and inspire with our stories.”
Radio had a strong presence at the luncheon, with award presentations by WFAN host and football great Boomer Esiason, iHeartMedia’s Medha Gandhi, and KJOY 98.3 personality Jamie Morris to a slate of standout honorees, including Christine Nagy, Alabama Cole, and Rita Cosby. Plenty of radio’s future difference makers were honored as well in the student categories, with particularly strong showings from New York’s Hofstra University and Utah’s Brigham Young University.
Attendees would likely agree that the highlight of the event came at the end, when CBS Sunday Morning host Jane Pauley presented the Gracies Lifetime Achievement Award to that same show’s longtime correspondent Martha Teichner for her decades of journalistic excellence.
Teichner reflected on her journey in news, which started when she answered a help wanted ad for a local radio station seeking a “news man.” She told the full house about learning the cadence and delivery of broadcast giants like Walter Cronkite and the grit and determination it took to navigate that era’s male-dominated newsrooms, earning dual standing ovations.
The national Gracie Award winners were previously recognized at the Gracies Gala in Beverly Hills on May 20.
