Grammy-Winner Levon Helm, Emmy-Winning Journalist Bob Schieffer and Baseball Hall of Fame Sportscaster Ernie Harwell to be Honored at Public Radio WFUV 90.7-FM's Spring Gala on May 5 at Gotham Hall in NYC

The Levon Helm Band to Perform; NYC Mayor Bloomberg to Speak

NEW YORK, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three luminaries of the music, news and sports broadcasting professions will be honored in New York City on May 5 at WFUV Radio's Annual Gala 2010.  Legendary singer, musician and multiple Grammy-winner Levon Helm will receive the WFUV Sound & Vision Award; Baseball Hall of Fame member Ernie Harwell, longtime broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers, will receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting; and Bob Schieffer, the seven-time Emmy Award-winning television journalist, will receive the Charles Osgood Lifetime Achievement Award in Broadcast Journalism.  New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will attend and offer comments.

The fundraising gala in support of New York's "Rock and Roots" public radio station, licensed to Fordham University, will be held at Gotham Hall in Manhattan near Herald Square.  An audience of more than 400 donors will see Mr. Helm, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and his band perform a mini-concert, including songs from his career as a founding member of The Band and from his 2009 Grammy-winning album, Electric Dirt.  

Attending the Gala will be an array of celebrities from sports, entertainment and news. Other presenters and attendees this year include Baseball Hall of Famer Al Kaline, journalist Charles Osgood, and musicians Suzanne Vega, Willie Nile, James Maddock, Richard Julian, Cory Chisel, Erin McKeown, The Kennedys, Willie Nile, Lucy Kaplansky, Amy Correia and others.  Due to illness Mr. Harwell will not be in attendance.

"WFUV and Fordham University rank high among our city's cultural and educational institutions," said New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.  "They share an exceptional track record of community and philanthropic service, contributing greatly to what makes living and working in New York so special.  For decades, WFUV has presented a blend of quality programming in music, sports, news and public affairs that both entertains and educates its listeners.  I join the station in honoring Mr. Helm, Mr. Schieffer and Mr. Harwell, and commend WFUV for shining a spotlight on these accomplished leaders in music and broadcasting."

Lifetime Achievement Awards Named for Famed Station Alumni

In tribute to legendary broadcasters Charles Osgood and Vin Scully, both of whom started their careers at WFUV, the station established two annual Lifetime Achievement Awards in their names. Mr. Harwell, who had a 55-year career, 42 of them with the Tigers, and Mr. Schieffer, who anchors "Face the Nation" and is CBS News' chief Washington correspondent, were nominated and selected by well-known colleagues in their respective fields, many of whom also began their careers at WFUV.

Previous WFUV gala honorees include Paul Simon, Emmylou Harris, Dick Enberg, Jim Lehrer, Mr. Scully and Mr. Osgood.

Gala Details and Tickets

The gala will be held at Gotham Hall, 1356 Broadway at 36 Street, just north of Herald Square in Manhattan.  Attire is "festive." Ticket prices start at $1,000.  For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, please visit www.wfuv.org/gala, email [email protected] or call 212-636-6239.

About WFUV

WFUV's Annual Gala supports WFUV 90.7 FM, New York's Rock and Roots non-commercial, member-supported public radio station.  WFUV (www.wfuv.org) has been licensed to Fordham University for more than 60 years, serving more than 300,000 weekly listeners throughout the New York metropolitan area and tens of thousands more worldwide on the Web.  The station regularly receives national recognition for its award-winning weekday format of adult album alternative music, news from NPR, and a diverse weekend lineup.

About Fordham University

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education to approximately 14,700 students in its four undergraduate colleges and its six graduate and professional schools. It has campuses in the Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester County and the United Kingdom.

SOURCE WFUV