Ted Oberg wins Dave Ward Media Excellence Award
The following is a transcript of the speech Dave Ward gave at the Crime Stoppers Houston’s Heroes Awards Luncheon, April 24, 2019 at the Royal Sonesta Houston. Dave presented the inaugural Dave Ward Media Excellence Award to abc13 KTRK reporter Ted Oberg:
I’m honored that Crime Stoppers would name an award after me.
I’ve been a supporter of Crime Stoppers since its inception. I’ve seen it grow into the greatest Crime Stoppers operation anywhere in the world. I’ve seen it serve as the example for Crime Stoppers offices all over the United States and the world.
And three years ago, I was blown away when Rania [Mankarious] informed me and the crowd at the annual gala, that the Crime Stoppers headquarters would be named the Dave Ward Building. It really blew me away.
When I was informed that there would be this Dave Ward Media Excellence Award, I immediately started deliberating the criteria for selecting the recipient for this award. It could go to print media, it could go to a radio reporter or television…run the gamut of news reporting.
Well I had to remember the five W’s – who, what, when, where and why.
Who, what, when and where we are very good. It’s that why that can be perplexing. It’s that why that can be a real mind bender.
I had a guy ask me here, pardon me Laura, one little story. I had a guy ask me several years ago, “Dave why do you wear boots?”
I said, “Well, that’s a two part question. Why? Very perplexing. Why man has asked himself why for years. Second part of your question, ‘Do you wear boots?’ The answer is yes.”
That seemed to shut him up.
Anyway, in deciding the criteria for the recipient of this award, I had to go to who, what, when, where and why.
And it is most important to a news reporter to get those five W’s right.
You can be on the air first, but if you’re not right in your information forget it.
You’ve got to be right in what you report and in what you say.
I’ve known so many people in this news media who work every day to get it right. The news media as you know is changing, has changed over the years immensely, some of it not for the better in my opinion, but change is inevitable.
I was trying to think and come up with the person who really deserves this, who gets those five W’s and it came to me.
I need to turn to Ted. He’s over there. Ted Oberg ladies and gentlemen. He is a valued colleague of mine and a dear friend. And I am delighted to present the first, the inaugural, Dave Ward Media Excellence Award to my good friend Ted Oberg.
Up there at the office we call him “Shorty!”
ABC13 KTRK REPORTER TED OBERG TALKS
Well thank you very much. And to share a stage with you is really an honor. And so I’m not certain how many of you know how great it is to stand next to a guy who has made Houston the community that it is today. And so Crime Stoppers and Dave Ward truly are in my mind I guess the two great tastes that go great together. Crime Stoppers has made us a better and a safer community. And Dave, it is an honor to be a friend and colleague because you have made Houston a better community as well.
So thank you very much. And I’m thrilled that you’ll be back in the office every once in a while as we can still say hey if not for breakfast.
