Registration has opened for the 38th annual Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism luncheon. Click here for registration details.
This year’s Cronkite Award luncheon will honor Al Roker, the Emmy award-winning weatherman and popular anchor for NBC NEWS’ TODAY, who will be presented with the award on March 1 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.
The Cronkite Award — named after the late CBS News anchor — has honored prominent journalists annually since 1984.
This year will mark the return to an in-person luncheon after hosting a virtual event last March.
“We are thrilled to bring back the Cronkite Award in person and are excited to honor Al Roker,” said Cronkite School Dean Battinto L. Batts. “The Cronkite award recognizes Mr. Roker’s tremendous accomplishments and authentic leadership over the course of his career.”
All of the funds raised from the luncheon will support the Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism fund, which supports future generations of journalism and media professionals.
Roker joined TODAY full time as a weathercaster in 1996 and co-hosts the “3rd Hour” of the morning show, reaching millions of viewers a week.
He is renowned for his weather coverage and has reported from some of the worst storms and natural disasters in history, including Hurricane Wilma, Hurricane Isaac, Superstorm Sandy and the earthquake in Haiti. Roker also served as the co-host of “Wake Up with Al” on The Weather Channel from 2009-2015.
In addition to his weather coverage, Roker is widely known for hosting NBC’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as his celebrity interviews. Some of his notable interviews include Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, Willie Nelson, Burt Reynolds, James Earl Jones and B. Smith.
Roker has also produced numerous TV programs for network, cable, digital and streaming channels through his own production company, Al Roker Entertainment. He was the executive producer for the award-winning Coast Guard TV Series, which aired on The Weather Channel and Pluto TV. He is the author of 13 books, ranging from mysteries to cookbooks to historical narratives.
Roker is the recipient of 14 Emmy awards for daytime programming as well as live news coverage. He has also been named “Best Weatherman” twice by New York Magazine and is a recipient of the American Meteorological Society’s prestigious Seal of Approval.
Roker began his broadcasting career as a weekend weathercaster at WTVH in Syracuse, New York in 1974 while he was still in college. After graduating, he worked as a weathercaster in Washington, D.C. and Cleveland before moving to WNBC in New York City in 1983.
Other Cronkite Award recipients include TV news anchors Lester Holt, Robin Roberts, Anderson Cooper, Scott Pelley, Christiane Amanpour, Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill; sportscasters Al Michaels and Bob Costas; newspaper journalists Dean Baquet, Ben Bradlee, Helen Thomas and Bob Woodward; and media executives Katharine Graham, Al Neuharth and William Paley.