Nevada Broadcasters Association’s 18th annual event set for Aug. 17
LAS VEGAS – The Nevada Broadcasters Association will honor the work of two national broadcasters with Las Vegas ties during its 18th annual gala, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Red Rock Casino Resort Spa, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., beginning in the Charleston Ballroom and then moving to the Summerlin Ballroom.
Colin Cowherd of ESPN Sports and Ed Henry, chief White House correspondent for Fox News Channel (FNC), will be recognized with special honors along with Steve Schorr of Cox Communications and Reno’s KOLO-TV, Channel 8, which celebrates 60 years of broadcasting this year.
Cowherd began his broadcasting career as the play-by-play announcer for the Las Vegas Stars, now the Area 51s and went on to be named Nevada’s Sportscaster of the Year five times while at then-KVBC, Channel 3. In 1996, he moved to Portland, Ore. where he created The Herd for KGW, a 30-minute Sunday sports program for KGW, Channel 8. Five years later, it began airing during the morning drive time on KFXX, an all-sports radio station.
After moving to ESPN, Cowherd achieved national recognition and built a large following of fans attracted to his edgy style of humor and debate mixed with celebrities, pop culture and sports commentary. Since its inception, The Herd consists of segments such as “The Daily Football Fix,” “Monday Morning Riff” and “Spanning the Globe,” which actually never leaves the United States. Cowherd was named Sports Illustrated’s 2005 Radio Personality of the Year.
Henry joined FNC in 2011 as the chief White House correspondent for the network. Before FNC, he was at CNN from 2004 to 2011 and “Roll Call” for eight years prior to that. Henry served as the 2012-2013 President of the White House Correspondents Association. Throughout his career, he has received several awards including the White House Correspondents Association’s Merrimen Smith Award for excellence in presidential coverage under deadline in 2008 and the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress.
Henry, who currently resides in Chevy Chase, Md., is also a Las Vegas resident as has been since 2009. In 2010, he married Shirley Hung, a senior producer at CNN, and held the wedding in Las Vegas.
“Colin Cowherd is an example of the fine talent we have here in Nevada. He took an idea and turned it into a program audiences look forward to every week. That is the goal of every broadcaster – to deliver the news and have audiences appreciate their work,” said Bob Fisher, CEO of Nevada Broadcasters Association. “Ed Henry is a great friend to Nevada and Nevada broadcasters, and his work stands on its own.”
The theme of the gala, “Renaissance of Downtown Las Vegas,” will resonate through the evening with a cocktail reception celebrating First Friday and a finale performance by Frankie Moreno and his band. The reception will feature artists and a silent auction to raise funds for the Tony and Linda Bonnici Broadcast/Communications Scholarship, which aids in the higher education of promising Nevada broadcast students.
Also during the gala, Mayor Carolyn and Oscar Goodman will be awarded with the Nevada Broadcasters Association’s Pinnacle Award for their efforts to revitalize downtown. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be awarded to Tom Humm, vice president and market manager for the Beasley Group, and the Community Achievement Award will be given to KLAS-TV, Channel 8’s I-TEAM. The association will also induct the Class of 2013 into the Hall of Fame.
The theme of the gala fits with the new atmosphere of the event – one where the public gets to rub elbows with their favorite radio and television broadcasters and participate in the gala rather than look in from the outside.
Individual tickets to the gala are $100 and $1,000 for a table of 10. The event is open to all members of the public who want to purchase a ticket. Gala sponsorships and ad space to congratulate the evening’s honorees are also still available. For more information or to reserve seats, call the Nevada Broadcasters Association at 702-794-4994.
Established in 1961, the Nevada Broadcasters Association is dedicated to protecting, promoting, enhancing and strengthening Nevada’s broadcast industry to more effectively serve the public.
As the eyes and ears of Nevada, NBA serves as an information resource for Nevada’s radio and television broadcast stations, addressing questions and concerns. The organization also responds to questions and concerns from the public, providing a better understanding of the role broadcasters play in the community.
A lobbying organization, NBA seeks to educate Nevada’s local, state and federal officials and other community leaders about the issues, concerns and challenges broadcasters face and regularly partners with the National Association of Broadcasters and the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations on initiatives. The NBA also serves as Nevada’s voice for Homeland Security, Public Warning and Nevada’s Voice for AMBER Alert.
For additional information, visit www.nbagala.com. To receive an invitation to the event, call the NBA office at 702-794-4994.