At their most recent Annual Meeting, The North Carolina Press Association named Carl Kasell the 2013 North Carolinian of the Year.
Originally from Goldsboro, Kasell is known for his life-long career in radio broadcasting. He also helped found WUNC while in college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kasell spent 30 years as a newscaster for National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, and he currently works on the popular radio news quiz show Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, in addition to being an ambassador for NPR.
The award is one of many Kasell has received over his lifetime. Others include the George Foster Peabody Institutional Award, which he received as a part of the Morning Edition team in 1996, and the Public Radio Regional Organization Award in 1991. In 2004, UNC Chapel Hill inducted him in to the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame.
NCPA President Hal Tanner III presented Kasell with the award. “Carl was an easy choice for many reasons,” Tanner said of Kasell. “He is highly regarded by journalists everywhere for his integrity and commitment to fairness and honesty. We are proud of his North Carolina roots and his continuing connection to the Tar Heel state.”
NCPA’s North Carolinian of the Year is given annually to residents who have excelled in various fields and served the state throughout their careers. Former winners of the North Carolinian of the Year include Erskine Bowles, Jerry Richardson, Richard Petty, Gen. Hugh Shelton, Bob Timberlake, Gene Roberts and Dean Smith.
Watch a video tribute to Kasell below, which includes cameos by Peter Sagal – host of Wait Wait…, and Katie Couric - Kasell’s former intern.
http://youtu.be/tQTmZHGd4lI