NATIONAL TELEVISION ACADEMY TO HONOR DAN RATHER WITH SPECIAL TRIBUTE AT 26th ANNUAL NEWS AND DOCUMENTARY EMMY AWARDS

Ted Koppel and Tom Brokaw to Participate in Tribute to CBS Anchor

NEW YORK – August 3, 2005 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced today that it will honor Dan Rather with a special tribute at the 26th Annual News and Documentary Awards on Monday, September 19.

Veteran news anchors Ted Koppel of ABC News and Tom Brokaw of NBC News will participate in the tribute to Rather.

“For an amazing 55 years – 43 of them at CBS News – Dan Rather has worked hard to report the news to an ever-increasing community of viewers,” said Bill Small, Chairman of the News & Documentary Emmys. “A fearless reporter who always put himself in the thick of events to get the clearest possible view, Dan Rather was with us from that fateful day in Dallas, reported to us from Viet Cong tunnels, showed us the student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, and brought us face to face with Saddam Hussein during the Iraq War. Sometimes controversial, always courageous, Dan Rather defines American broadcast news.”

One of broadcast journalism’s few living legends, Dan Rather served as anchor and managing editor for the CBS Evening News for 24 years, and is currently a correspondent for 60 Minutes. Since the start of his career in 1950, Rather has filed stories from the scenes of the world’s defining moments. From Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, when he kept the American people informed of the details of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, to Beijing, Bosnia, Haiti and Hong Kong decades later, he has covered most of the world's major news stories. Rather’s live anchoring of CBS News’ coverage of the Sept. 11 attacks, and his around-the-clock reporting from Ground Zero in the days that followed, brought American viewers through a difficult time, and over the last four years, his live reports from the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan brought the story of the war on terror home to the same viewers. His reporting on the civil rights movement in the South, the White House, the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf and Yugoslavia and the quest for peace in South Africa and the Middle East has showcased his combination of street smarts and astute analysis. Rather has received virtually every honor in broadcast journalism, including numerous Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and citations from critical, scholarly, professional and charitable organizations.

Rather will be honored at a ceremony that features the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award for News and Documentary to Sheila Nevins, president, HBO Documentary and Family. As part of these Lifetime Achievement Award festivities, the Academy will host a panel discussion with Nevins and Rather on Sept. 19, 2005 at Fordham University.

###

The National Television Academy is a professional service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy Award for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime, Creative Craft, Public & Community Service, Technology & Engineering/Advanced Media and Business & Financial Reporting. Excellence in Primetime programming and international programming is recognized by its affiliate, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Local Emmys are given in 19 regions across the United States. Beyond awards, the National Academy has extensive educational programs including National Student Television and its Student Award of Excellence for outstanding journalistic work by high school students, as well as scholarships, publications, and major activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public. For more information, please visit the website at www.emmyonline.tv.