RTNDA to honor Fred Young with 2009 Paul White Award

Fred Young, senior VP for news at Hearst-Argyle Television, will receive the 2009 Paul White Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

The award is the highest honor bestowed by RTNDA. Young will be honored during the RTNDA convention in Las Vegas April 20, 2009. Young, who will retire from Hearst-Argyle later this month, is the first Paul White honoree since 1984 who has spent his career working exclusively in local news.

Young oversees news executives managing news operations in 26 markets for Hearst-Argyle stations in 22 states. He has served as vice president, news, since Hearst-Argyle’s formation in August 1997. He also oversees the Hearst-Argyle Washington news bureau.

Young joined Hearst Broadcasting in October 1962, working for 25 years at WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, PA, as vice president and general manager, news director, and in other news management positions.

RTNDA established the Paul White Award in 1956 to honor the broadcast news pioneer who served as the first news director at CBS. The award recognizes an individual’s lifetime contribution to electronic journalism.

For more information, visit www.rtnda.org.