Michael Kay, the Emmy Award-winning New York Yankees play-by-play announcer on YES Network and drive time host of The Michael Kay Show on ESPN NY 98.7 FM Radio, will become the first Fordham University alumnus to receive the Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting from WFUV Radio (90.7 FM/wfuv.org), the noncommercial, member-supported public media service of Fordham University for more than 70 years.
WFUV will also present multiple Emmy Award-winning television news anchor and reporter Ted Koppel the Charles Osgood Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.
Both become the 11th recipients of the awards inaugurated in 2008. The awards will be presented on Wednesday night, November 7, at On the Record: A Celebration of Achievement in News and Sports Broadcasting, a benefit for WFUV, in the Costantino Room at Fordham School of Law.
The evening will also honor two of WFUV’s exceptional student broadcasters: newscaster Julia Rist (Class of 2020) and sportscaster Raffaele Elia (Class of 2019).
Kay (Class of 1982), who completed his 28th year of calling play-by-play for Yankees games (10 on radio and 18 on YES), will be presented with the award by John Filippelli, President, Production & Programming, YES Network will make the presentation. Osgood will present to Koppel.
Said Kay: “It’s an incredible honor to be the first Fordham alum to win this prestigious award. Vin Scully is the patron saint of every aspiring sportscaster who walks into WFUV. He is the premier play-by-play broadcaster in the history of the medium, and we all aspire to scratch the surface of what he’s accomplished. To receive an award with his name on it is actually beyond words.”
Said Koppel: “I’m honored to be the recipient of the 2018 Charles Osgood Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. This award carries special significance for me, as Charlie and I go back 55 years when we first worked together at ABC Radio. At that time, I was the youngest reporter ever hired by ABC News, and Charlie described himself as the ‘oldest cub reporter’ at the network.”
The Scully Award recognizes the iconic baseball broadcaster, who in 2016 completed his 67th season as “Voice of the Dodgers” and is a renowned Fordham alumnus (Class of 1949). WFUV was the launching pad for his Hall of Fame broadcast career.
Previous Scully Award recipients include: inaugural honoree Vin Scully (2008), Dick Enberg (2009), Ernie Harwell (2010), Pat Summerall (2011), Al Michaels (2012), Bob Costas (2013), Verne Lundquist (2014), Mike “Doc” Emrick (2015), Brent Musburger (2016) and Bob Wolff (2017).
The Osgood Award acknowledges the distinguished Fordham/WFUV Radio alumnus (Class of 1954) who was the long time, Emmy Award-winning anchor of CBS Sunday Morning and recipient of the 2017 News & Documentary Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Previous Osgood Award honorees include: inaugural recipient Charles Osgood (2008), Jim Lehrer (2009), Bob Schieffer (2010), Tom Brokaw (2011), Christiane Amanpour (2012), Sam Donaldson (2013), Scott Simon (2014), Lesley Stahl (2016), and Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill (co-recipients in 2017).
Two former WFUV student journalists will have official roles during the ceremony: CBS Sunday Morning producer Sara Kugel (Class of 2011) will host an armchair discussion with Kay and Koppel, reflecting on two extraordinary careers, while WBEZ 91.5 (Chicago, IL) education reporter Kate McGee (Class of 2011) will serve as emcee for the evening. She is the daughter of WFUV’s Mixed Bag host Don McGee.
Kay also is the host of YES Network’s CenterStage series and previously worked as a sports writer at the New York Post and New York Daily News before beginning his career in sports broadcasting on MSG Network. He was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, and received the Dick Young Award for Excellence in Sports Media by the New York Pro Baseball Scouts in 1995.
Koppel is best known for his award-winning broadcasts as host of ABC’s Nightline for 25 years from its inception in 1980 through 2005, and has worked as managing editor for the Discovery Channel, news analyst for NPR, and currently as a contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning.
On the Record is currently sold out. There is a waiting list to attend the event: bit.ly/2IkGoT8.