Peabody Awards

Respected for its integrity and revered for its standards of excellence, the Peabody is an honor like no other for television, podcast/radio, and streaming media. Chosen each year by a diverse Board of Jurors through unanimous vote, Peabody Awards are given in the categories of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, and public service programming. Beginning in 2023, Peabody will expand its mission, awarding interactive and immersive projects including in the fields of virtual reality, augmented reality, interactive documentary and journalism, social video, and co-creation. The annual Peabody winners are a collection of stories that powerfully reflect the pressing social issues and the vibrant emerging voices of our day. From major productions to local journalism, the Peabody Awards shine a light on the Stories That Matter and are a testament to the power of art and reportage in the push for truth, social justice, and equity. As we continue to struggle for progress amid polarizing division, the power of media narratives is paramount. The Peabody Awards elevate stories that defend the public interest, encourage empathy with others, and teach us to expand our understanding of the world around us. Under Jones’s leadership, television specials of the awards ceremony were broadcast nationally on Pivot, PBS, and Fusion. He established the first-ever Boards of Directors (representing media on both East and West Coasts) comprised of top-level media entertainment industry executives, as well as journalists, documentarians, radio/podcasters, public media, and foundation executives. In partnership with Facebook, he created the Peabody Futures of Media Award in 2015 to recognize digital storytelling excellence in formats such as video games, virtual reality, interactive documentaries, data journalism, and more. In 2020, Peabody created a new and separate Board of Jurors to begin formally awarding Peabody Awards to Interactive and Immersive Media, launching the initiative with a set of “legacy” award winners in 2022 for groundbreaking and iconic works from previous decades. In conjunction with the Center for Media & Social Impact at American University and produced by PRX, the program launched a podcast in 2023—WE DISRUPT THIS BROADCAST—celebrating entertainment winners through the lens of cultural and industrial disruption in the streaming era. In 2024, the annual awards ceremony was first held in Los Angeles for the first time at the historic Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Michael Isip is President & CEO of KQED, the San Francisco Bay Area’s PBS and NPR media resource. Isip has a quarter century of media experience and has played a critical role in KQED’s growth and transformation into a multimedia organization. He joined KQED in 2001 as a Television Executive Producer and has served in a number of senior roles, including Senior VP & Chief Content Officer and Executive VP & Chief Operating Officer. Prior to KQED, Isip led production at KVIE Public Television, Sacramento. He started his career at WLS-TV, Chicago. Isip is a senior fellow for the American Leadership Forum — Silicon Valley and serves on the boards of Public Radio Exchange, American Documentary Inc., Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Isip has a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. from DePaul College of Law. Chris Bannon has worked in audio for more than 35 years, starting as an overnight jazz host and Program Director on WBRU-FM in Providence, RI. Bannon has led the development and production of everything from live radio comedy to breaking news and long-form documentaries. From 2021-25, he served as the first Head of Global Audio for Conde Nast Entertainment, creating new programming for The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Bon Appetit, Wired, and Vogue, among other distinguished brands. From 2015-2020, he served as Chief Content Officer at podcast powerhouse Stitcher, where he launched a diverse set of aud