Current TV Accepts 69th Annual George Foster Peabody Award for 'OxyContin Express' Episode of Documentary Series Vanguard

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier today, Current TV accepted the 69th Annual George Foster Peabody Award for the Vanguard documentary series episode, "The OxyContin Express," at a ceremony in New York.

The Peabody Award recognizes distinguished achievement and meritorious service by broadcasters, cable and webcasters, producing organizations, and individuals.  Launched five years ago, Current TV has received some of the media industry's highest honors for journalism, including most recently the Television Academy Honor, which acknowledges achievements in programming that present issues of concern to society in a compelling, emotional and insightful way.    

The following is a statement by Current Media CEO Mark Rosenthal:

"The Peabody is one of the single great honors in television and we are grateful to be recognized and congratulate the other recipients.  While other television journalism outlets are cutting back, Current TV remains committed to providing viewers with compelling, engaging and unique content they simply cannot get anywhere else.  We are extremely proud of the Vanguard team as they continue to push the boundaries of investigative storytelling.  Current is a young cable network and we are honored that in a very short time our investment and commitment is being valued, appreciated and seen within the television landscape. As we grow, our mission for quality content will continue, with an even greater commitment in shows like Vanguard."

About Vanguard

Vanguard airs weekly on Wednesdays at 10PM/9PM CT.  The fourth season of Vanguard kicks off Wednesday, May 19th at 7 p.m. PST/10 p.m. EST with "Captive in North Korea," a special 30-minute episode featuring Vanguard correspondent team Laura Ling and Euna Lee.  While on assignment in China for Current TV in 2009, the two were captured in China by North Korean soldiers minutes after crossing into North Korea and making it back on Chinese soil.  They were held against their will in North Korea for more than four months before being freed and returned to the United States last August.

"The OxyContin Express" episode of Vanguard, which received the Peabody Award, exposed the pervasive abuse of a prescription medication once considered a miracle cure for chronic pain. Armed with a hidden camera, Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller discovered that many of her fellow patients in a pain clinic in Ft. Lauderdale had driven as many as 18 hours and nearly a thousand miles to have a more-than-willing doctor prescribe them drugs to which they have become addicted.

About Current Media

Current Media is an award-winning media company committed to exploring the world's most important, interesting, and entertaining stories. With a fully integrated television and online platform, Current connects its audience with what's going on in their world through its blend of bold and unique original and acquired productions. Current has also been at the forefront of user-generated advertising, engaging its creative community to create authentic and effective ads, called VCAMs.  It has offices in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, London, Rome and Milan.

Current TV is now viewed in the U.S., U.K., Italy and Ireland in 70 million households through distribution partners Comcast (channel 107 nationwide), Time Warner (nationwide), DirecTV (channel 358 nationwide), Dish Network (channel 196 nationwide), Verizon, AT&T, BSkyB (channel 183), Virgin Media (channel 155) and Sky Italia (channel 130).  Current.com also reaches more than 10 million people per month via its online and mobile platforms. 

More information is available at www.current.com.

SOURCE Current TV